William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. A dream in a summer night
Comedy "Dream in summer night"was written by W. Shakespeare in 1590. The play consists of five acts. He wrote this work in honor of the wedding of a famous aristocrat.
The events of the play take place in Athens. Duke Theseus is preparing for his own wedding. His bride is the Amazon queen Hippolyta.
The beautiful Hermia is madly in love with Lysander, who reciprocates her feelings. However, he is not the only one who shows interest in the girl, there is another admirer of hers, Demetrius. Aegeus, Hermia's father, supports Demetrius.
Since Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, Aegeus turns to Theseus. If Hermia refuses, then she will be waiting the death penalty, since according to the laws of those times, the father has the right to control the body and fate. The Duke of Athens gives Hermia the right to choose: marriage, execution or vow of celibacy.
Lysander tries to persuade Theseus to reverse this decision. He is trying to prove to the Duke that he is no worse than Demetrius. Lysander has the same wealth as Demetrius, the feelings of Lysander and Hermia are mutual, unlike his rival.
Lysander invites the girl to secretly get married with his aunt, not far from Athens. They tell Elena about their plan, who is not indifferent to Demetrius. Elena, taking advantage of the moment, told her lover everything in order to receive at least a drop of gratitude.
Preparations for Theseus's wedding continue. The masters decided to make a gift for the newlyweds, to stage a comedy about Thisbe and Pyramus. The play is directed by Peter Pigva.
Not far from Athens, the elf Peck meets a fairy. Oberon and Titania prevented them. She proves to Oberon that the disruption of the seasons is due to their quarrel, and this adversely affects people. To avoid further quarreling, the spouses go in different directions.
Peck, by order of Oberon, must bring the magic flower “Love in Idleness,” which Cupid accidentally hit with an arrow. The fact is that the juice of the plant is unusual, it is endowed with magical qualities: if the substance touches the eyelids of a sleeping person, he will fall in love with the first person he sees when he wakes up. Oberon wanted to use this miraculous plant for his wife in order to take away from her the child she had stolen from the Sultan. Seeing Demetrius and Helena, he turns invisible.
Titania is quietly dozing on the lawn. The rehearsal takes place in the same place. Peck is present during the actors' rehearsal. The base plays the role of Pyramus, he goes into the bushes and returns to the site with a donkey's head. All the actors are shocked by what is happening and run away. Because of the noise, Titania wakes up and sees the Base first. She confesses her love to him.
Lysander compliments Elena, but she thinks that he is mocking her. Hermia demands an explanation from her beloved, but he humiliates her; she understands that he simply hated her. Hermia and Helena quarrel and start a fight.
Now two heroes are fighting for Elena's heart. Peck is happy about what is happening. On Oberon's orders, Peck smears Lizard's eyelids with an ointment that removes the magic.
Two rivals and two ladies of their hearts fell asleep side by side in the forest.
Having received what he wanted from his wife, Oberon removes the magic from her. He makes peace with his wife and they fly away.
Early in the morning, Theseus, together with Hippolyta and Aegeus, go into the forest. There they find Lizard, Demetrius, Helena and Hermia sleeping. They explain everything to the Duke. Demetrius says that he has always loved Elena and only wants to be with her, and Hermia was just a passing hobby.
The Duke invites everyone to the temple to marry three loving couples.
Theseus watches the artisans' performance with the guests. After watching the play, everyone gets ready for bed.
Peck appears at this place, he cleans up and prepares a place for the elves. Titania and Oberon and their retinue sing and have fun.
Picture or drawing A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Theseus, Duke of Athens.
Aegeus, father of Hermia.
Lysander, Demetrius - lovers of Hermia.
Philostratus, organizer of entertainment at the court of Theseus.
Pigva, carpenter.
Driller, carpenter.
Warp, weaver.
Flute, master of bellows blowers.
Snout, coppersmith.
Otter, tailor.
Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, bride of Theseus.
Hermia, daughter of Aegeus, in love with Lysander.
Helena, in love with Demetrius.
Oberon, king of the elves.
Titania, queen of the elves.
Puck, or Robin, good spirit, elf.
Sweet Pea, Cobweb, Moth, Mustard Seed are elves.
Fairies and elves submissive to Oberon and Titania.
Courtiers of Theseus and Hippolyta.
The action takes place in Athens and the surrounding forest.
Act I
Scene 1
Athens. A room in Theseus' palace. Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostratus.
Theseus
Now our union is close, Hippolyta!
Four happy days will pass
And they will bring with them new month.
How quietly the old month is waning!
He hesitates to fulfill my desires,
How a stepmother or widow hesitates
The heir is underage
Declare it finished so that
Don't lose your income heir.
Hippolyta
Four days will quickly drown in nights,
And quickly four nights will pass in dreams;
Then the moon is a silver arc,
Bent over again in the dark skies,
Will illuminate our solemn night.
Theseus
Friend Philostratus, go and invite
Let all the young men of Athens have some fun.
Awaken the spirit of living fun in them.
For the funeral, let them leave sadness:
There is no place for a pale guest at the holiday!
Philostratus leaves.
I have taken possession of you, Hippolyta!
With my sword, with enmity I acquired
Your love; but our marriage will be consummated
Among the pomp, celebrations and pleasures.
Enter Aegeus, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius.
Aegean
Greetings to you, Theseus, our glorious duke!
Theseus
Thank you. What's new, Aegeus?
Aegean
I am complaining about my Hermia
I appear filled with sadness.
Come closer, Demetrius. Dear Duke,
Here is a man whose wife
I already promised to give my daughter away.
Come closer, Lysander! Sovereign,
And this one bewitched her heart.
Lysander, yes, you wrote poetry to her,
You and my daughter exchanged
Pledges of love; you're under the window
During the moon's radiance he sang to her
Feigning a gentle voice of words,
Breathing with feigned love;
You turned her head with all sorts of nonsense:
Bracelets made from your own hair,
Rings, pendants, sweets,
Trinkets, toys, flowers -
Messengers who always
They are omnipotent over inexperienced youth;
You trick my daughter
He stole the heart - and obedience,
which she owes to me,
You have changed into persistence, into stubbornness.
My lord, when hands and words
She will not give Demetrius in front of us,
Then I ask you to provide me
Ancient Athenian law:
After all, my daughter is mine, and I am her destiny
I can arrange it.Let her
Here Demetrius will choose or death,
Which in such cases
Immediately pronounces our law.
Theseus
Well, Hermia, what do you say? Think about it:
Your father should be your god.
He is the creator of your beauty - before him
You are the same as a wax figure,
Which was poured out to them. It has
He has every right to destroy,
And complete your creation.
Demetrius is a worthy person.
Hermia
Isn't it the same with Lysander?
Theseus
Hermia
Oh, if only
I could give my eyes to my father,
So that he looks like me!
Theseus
Rather you
Must look at it with prudence.
Hermia
Theseus
Excommunication from society forever
Or else you will choose death for yourself.
So, Hermia, examine yourself;
Think how young and ardent you are;
Think about what if you
You refuse to obey your father,
Then you should become a nun,
To be walled up in a monastery
And remain forever barren
And sing hymns to the insensitive moon.
Those who are thrice happy are those who have so much strength,
So that, having curbed yourself, you can accomplish it calmly
The path is virgin; but the rose is on the ground
Happier when it blooms
And does not hide its fragrance;
Happier, believe me, those roses
Which quietly withers on the stem,
Grows, lives and accepts death -
And all alone, all in a lonely lot.
Hermia
So I grow, and live, and die
I want one, sooner than I agree
I'll give my virginity to someone
Whose power the soul rejects with all its might.
Theseus
Think carefully; but when
The new moon will come - on this day
I will unite forever with Hippolyta -
Then you should be ready too
Or die for disobedience,
Or do what your father wants,
Or bring it on the altar of Diana
Holy vow to spend his entire life
And a strict and lonely maiden.
Demetrius
Oh, agree, Hermia! Lysander,
Drop your empty claims!
You must yield to my rights
Indisputable.
Lysander
Father's love
You got it, Demetrius, so leave it
Hermia for me, and take it yourself.
Aegean
Oh, impudent! Yes, my love
He owns it - and everything that is in it is mine,
My love will be given to him forever.
After all, my daughter is mine, and all my rights
I hand it over to Demetrius.
Lysander
But, sir, isn’t it just like him,
And am I rich and famous by birth?
My love is stronger than his love
Wealth and honor among people
I am equal to Demetrius; May be,
I even surpass Demetrius;
And beyond that, what can he boast about?
I am loved by the beautiful Hermia:
Why should I give up my rights?
Demetrius... Yes, I will announce in front of him:
He proposed to Nedar's daughter
My love; since then Elena's soul
He took possession, and good Helen
She is completely devoted to him with all her heart;
She idolizes the infidel.
Theseus
I admit, I heard the same rumors
And before me, and I intended
Talk to Demetrius about this;
But I forgot: at that time I was very
Concerned with the most important matters.
Follow me, Aegeus, and you, Demetrius,
Follow me: I need you both
Give some special instructions.
You, Hermia, are beautiful, get ready
Agree on your desires
With the wishes of the parent; otherwise
Law of Athens that change
We cannot, he will pronounce his judgment
And he will condemn you to imprisonment
Or to death. Let's go, Hippolyta!
What, honey, how are you feeling?
Demetrius and Aegeus, follow me:
I must resort to your help,
To make everything necessary for the wedding.
We'll also talk about something,
As for what concerns you.
Aegean
We follow duty and desire.
Theseus, Hippolyta, Aegeus, Demetrius and their retinue leave.
Lysander
But what's wrong with you, dear friend? From what
You are so pale and the roses are dead
Are yours on the cheeks?
Hermia
Of course, because
That there is no rain; but the storm of my eyes
Easily replaces this shortcoming.
Lysander
I have never had the chance to read
Or hear in history, in a story,
So that somewhere the path of true love
Was done calmly. Sometimes
He is outraged by the difference in births...
Hermia
Misfortune when high born
Falls in love with a simple maiden!
Lysander
Sometimes
Let's differentiate between years...
Hermia
What a punishment
When youth is forged with old age!
Lysander
And sometimes peace of mind depends
From the choice of relatives...
Hermia
Oh, this is hell.
When should we choose not ourselves?
Object of love!
Lysander
And if their choice
I agree with the attraction of loving souls,
Then war, disease or death
Their happiness will certainly be interfered with.
So, love is instantaneous like a sound,
Brief as a dream, transitory as a ghost;
Like lightning in the dead of night,
She is fast - she will flash and illuminate
Before my eyes both heaven and earth,
But before a man can
To say: “Look!”, again the abysses of darkness
Everything will be absorbed. So fast on the ground
Everything bright disappears in chaos!
Hermia
But if for true love
Suffering is always necessary
Then, apparently, such is the law of fate.
Let us learn to bear it with patience;
We cannot avoid suffering:
It belongs to love, like sighs,
Dreams and dreams, desires and tears,
Always companions of lovers!
Lysander
This faith is wonderful; and now
I'll say this: I have an aunt, -
A rich childless widow.
She lives about three miles from here,
And I love her like my own son.
There, Hermia, we can get married,
The law of Athens will not overtake us there.
When you love me, tomorrow night
Quietly leave your parents' house,
And there, in the forest, which is only a mile away
From the city where I met you
With Elena one May morning,
When you performed rituals with her,
I'll be waiting.
Hermia
Oh, my good Lysander,
I swear by the strongest bow of Cupid
And the best, golden, arrow,
And the meekness of Venus doves,
I swear by what binds souls
And love makes you happy,
I swear by the fire that burned Dido,
When the lying Trojan sailed away,
I swear to you, Lysander, with all the darkness
Men of broken vows,
Which will surely surpass
In their number all women's vows,
I will be where you appointed me!
Lysander
Oh, dear friend, keep your promise!
Look, Elena is coming towards us.
Elena enters.
Hermia
Be happy, beautiful Elena!
Where are you going?
Elena
Beautiful? Alas!
Take back your name quickly!
Oh, Demetrius loves your beauty,
Happy! Yes, they burn for him
Your eyes are like a polar star,
And your voice is pleasant to him
More gratifying than the lark's singing
For the shepherd, when there are fields all around
Covered with green wheat,
And in the middle there is a hawthorn in bloom.
Diseases are sticky - why?
And beauty shouldn’t be sticky?
While I'm here, I might get infected,
O beautiful Hermia, by you!
My greedy ear would be filled with your voice
My eyes would assimilate your gaze;
My words would perhaps penetrate
By the melody of your sweetest words;
If only the whole world were my property,
Leaving Demetrius for himself, the world
I would give it just to be you.
Oh, teach me to look like you!
Tell me what method you have
Demetrius and his thoughts?
Hermia
I frown, but he still loves me.
Elena
Oh, if only I were charming
How your frown is, my smile!
Hermia
I argue with him, and he tells me
Words of love.
Elena
If only my prayers
They could have awakened love in him as well!
Hermia
And the more I hate him,
The more he pursues me.
Elena
He hates me even more
The more I surrender to him.
Hermia
His madness is not my fault.
Elena
No, your beauty is to blame.
Oh, if only mine were so guilty!
Hermia
Take comfort, he won't see me anymore:
I decided to run away with Lysander.
Until I saw
Lysander, Athens was paradise!
Now my paradise, alas, has changed
To cruel hell with the power of love!
Lysander
Elena, we will open our souls
In front of you. Tomorrow night we
When the moon's image is silvery
In the bosom of the mirror waters it will reflect
And he will remove all the weeds with wet pearl,
At the very hour that covers
In its silence lovers escape,
We decided to leave Athens.
Hermia
And in the forest in which you and I
So often, resting on flowers,
They poured out their dreams to each other,
I will meet with my Lysander;
There we will turn our eyes away from Athens,
To look for friends again in a foreign country.
Farewell my friend; pray
For the two of us. Let happiness give
Your love Demetrius! Lysander,
Don't forget the promised word:
Must be by tomorrow midnight
We deprive ourselves of a sweet date,
Which is like food for lovers!
Lysander
I will be there. Goodbye, Elena.
Let Demetrius belong to you,
How you belong to him now.
Elena
How uneven happiness is in this world!
A beauty just like her
In Athens I have a reputation; but what's the use?
Demetrius thinks differently: he doesn’t want
Recognize me as I am recognized by everyone.
But it seems that we are both mistaken:
He fell madly in love with Hermia,
And I am in his dignity. So what?
After all, for love everything is low and empty
It’s easy to recreate it into a decent one:
Love looks with the soul, not with the eyes.
And that's why winged Cupid
Presented to us blind and reckless.
To be with wings and to be deprived of eyes -
Haste senseless emblem!
Love is called a child because
That in her choice she often
She can be deceived like a child.
I've seen how windy children are
Among the game of promises to each other
Suddenly they cheat on them and suddenly cheat on them.
A love child, like other children,
I'm ready to take it back if necessary
All the promises made recently.
Demetrius has not yet seen
The eye of Hermia, he swore to me with a hail of oaths,
That he belongs only to me;
But this city melted before Hermia
And it fell like a cursed rain on the ground.
I will open an escape for Hermia:
Surely in the night to pursue her
He will start, and if gratitude
I'll get it from him for this,
It will cost me dearly!
Yes, see him there and then
It’s sad to return to Athens again -
This reward is enough for me!
Scene 2
Athens. A room in a hut. Enter Base, Gimlet, Flute, Snout, Pigwa and Otter.
Pigwa
The basis
It would be better to do a roll call, calling one after another in the order in which we are recorded.
Pigwa
Here is a list of the names of all those people who are found capable and chosen from all the Athenians to perform our interlude before the Duke and Duchess on the evening after the wedding.
The basis
First of all, dear Peter Pigwa, tell us what our play is? Then read the names of the actors. Get down to business.
Pigwa
OK! Our play is “A pitiful comedy about the cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe.”
The basis
It’s a nice thing, I assure you, it’s very funny! Now, dear Peter Pigva, call our actors from the list. Brothers, form a line.
Pigwa
Answer the call. Nick Warp, weaver!
The basis
On the face! Give me a role in the play and move on.
Pigwa
You, Nick Basis, will take on the role of Pyramus.
The basis
What is Pyramus? Lover or tyrant?
Pigwa
A lover who most nobly kills himself because of love.
The basis
It will take a few tears to play this role properly. If I play this role, then take care of your eyes, gentlemen, listeners! I'll raise a storm, I'll moan a lot! Well, move on to others! However, according to my character, the role of a tyrant would be more suitable for me: I would perfectly play the role of Hercules or a role in which I would have to rage and tell everything to hell.
(Recites.)
With trepidation, with a crash the rocks, pushing,
Prisons will eliminate constipation!
And Fib, approaching in his chariot,
Fates will change their verdicts!This is beauty! Well, call out the rest of the actors. This is completely in the spirit of Hercules, in the spirit of a tyrant - lovers speak more tearfully.
Pigwa
Francis Flute, bellows blower.
Flute
Pigwa
You must take on the role of Thisbe.
Flute
What is Thisbe? Knight Errant?
Pigwa
Flute
No, damn it, I don’t want to play a female role: I’m already growing a beard.
Pigwa
The basis
If you can hide your face under a mask, then give me the role of Thisbe. I will say in a damn thin voice: “Thisbe, Thisbe! - Ah, Pyramus, my dear, my beloved! “Your dear Thisbe, your dear beloved!”
Pigwa
No no! You must play the role of Pyramus, and you, Flute, Thisbe.
The basis
Fine. Continue.
Pigwa
Robin Otter, tailor.
Otter
Pigwa
Robin Otter, you'll be playing Thisbe's mother. - Thomas Rylo, coppersmith!
Snout
Pigwa
For you - the role of Father Pyramus. I myself will play Thisbe's father. Driller, carpenter, you will portray a lion. Well, it seems that now all the roles have been distributed.
Buraw
Have you written the role of a lion? Please, if it is written, give it to me, otherwise I am very slow at memorizing it.
Pigwa
No, you will just improvise: you will only have to growl.
The basis
Let me take the role of the lion. I will growl so much that all listeners will love to listen to me. I will roar so much that the Duke will say: “Let him roar some more, let him roar some more!”
Pigwa
If you growl too terribly, you will frighten the Duchess and the ladies: you will growl, and they will squeal. And this is enough for us to be hanged.
All
Yes, that's enough to get us all hanged!
The basis
I agree with you, friends, that if we frighten the ladies to the point that they faint, then perhaps they may order us to be hanged; I will hold my voice and roar like a tender dove, I will roar like a nightingale.
Pigwa
You cannot play any other role than Pyramus. Pyramus needs a person with a pleasant appearance, handsome man, as imaginable, in the prime of his life. This role requires a person with the most graceful and noble appearance. Therefore, you must certainly play the role of Pyramus.
The basis
Okay, I'll take it upon myself. Which beard is best for my role?
Pigwa
Whichever one you want.
The basis
I will give myself a beard of either straw color, or deep orange, or purple-raspberry, or bright yellow, a French shade.
Pigwa
French heads are often completely bald, and therefore you would have to play without a beard at all. However, friends, here are your roles. I demand, I beg and I humbly ask you to learn them by tomorrow evening. We will all gather in the ducal forest, which is only a mile from the city, and there, at moonlight, let's do a rehearsal. If we gather in the city, the crowd will run after us and chatter about our intentions. In the meantime, I'll make a list of some of the things needed for our presentation. Please don't deceive me: come.
The basis
We will definitely be there. There you will be able to exercise freely and wonderfully. Try your best, friends! Don't be late! Farewell!
Pigwa
We will gather at the Duke's oak tree.
The basis
OK! We'll fail if we don't come!
Everyone leaves.
Act II
Scene 1
Forest near Athens. A fairy enters on one side and Peck on the other.
Pack
What's new? Where are you going, elf?
Fairy
Over the mountains, over the valleys,
Through the depths of the forest,
Over the fence, over the walls,
Through the fire and through the wave -
The path everywhere is not difficult for me.
I'm running faster than the moon,
I serve the wonderful queen
In the hour of midnight silence!
I am magic circles
I water it for her.
Do you see the letters on the lawn?
These are her pets;
Do you see the painted spots?
Are there gold on their clothes?
Those rubies are expensive,
Gift of young sorceresses.
They contain a cache of fragrance,
They have all the luxury of their beauty.
I'm in a hurry to get ready
Drops of morning dew;
I hang in the middle
I want every letter
By a dewdrop pearl.
Well, goodbye, I'm flying!
The holiday will begin here soon
For the young queen,
And with the queen it will be brought
A whole swarm of light elves!
Pack
And the king has a holiday here tonight.
Warn your queen
So that she doesn’t meet him at all:
He is extremely angry with her
Because she has a lovely boy,
Recently stolen from the king
Indian. The queen did not have
Never more beautiful than a child.
Our envious Oberon desires
Take him into your retinue at all costs,
To run around the wilderness of the forest with him;
Meanwhile, the dear child
I don’t want to give in to the queen.
She cleans it up with flowers
And in him alone lies all the joy.
Now that they meet
Or in the forest, or on green grass,
Or by the stream, under the brilliance of wonderful stars,
Then they start to quarrel so much,
That the elves all run away from fear
And they hide, poor things, quickly
Under the cups of fallen acorns.
Fairy
Your appearance and manner,
Perhaps I'm being deceived
But it seems that you are definitely an evil spirit.
Named Robin, or Good Friend.
Aren't you the one who scares the village girls?
Then you skim the cream off the milk,
Then you break hand mills,
You don’t let the housewife churn the butter,
So you don’t let their drinks sour?
Aren't you the one who leads pedestrians astray?
And do you enjoy their fear and annoyance?
But who calls you dear Peck,
Thus you bring happiness with you,
And you do the work for them yourself.
Aren't you Peck?
Pack
Indeed, you found out:
I'm definitely that cheerful spirit of the nights
And together Oberon's court jester.
He often laughs at me,
When I start neighing like a mare,
And deceive the horse with your voice,
Who stuffed himself with beans.
Sometimes, while frolicking, I take
Type of baked apple, and with it
I quietly hide in the cup of the godmother;
And as soon as the godfather begins to slurp,
I push into her lips and drink
I wet my wrinkled neck.
And sometimes for a sedate aunt,
When she starts telling
A story filled with tears
I, having become a three-legged, smooth chair,
I jump out from under it -
And the aunt flies in a fit of coughing,
And a whole choir, tucking their sides,
He laughs and sneezes and swears,
That he never had fun
As true as in this hour of the fall.
Shh! Oberon, my king, comes here!
Fairy
And here is my queen! It is good to,
If only your king would leave here soon.
Oberon and his retinue enter on one side, and Titania with her retinue on the other.
Oberon
Titania
Ah, it's you, jealous Oberon!
Come, elves: I swore
Do not share any company or bed with him.
Oberon
Stop, criminal wife:
Am I your husband?
Titania
And I'm your wife!
Oh, I know you often leave
Secretly a magical land
And in the form of the lover Corinne
You spend your days with a flute in your hands,
At the feet of his beloved Phyllida
And sing your love to her in poetry!
Why are you from distant Indian countries?
Did you come here? That's right because
What's with the daring Amazon in boots,
With your warlike darling,
Theseus is preparing to unite
And you want to give them to the bed
And happiness and joy without end.
Oberon
Titania, can you blame me?
Because I'm attached to Hippolyta?
I know your passion for Theseus:
In the pale light of the stars, isn't it you?
She stole him from Perigenes,
Which one did he seduce? Isn't it you
Made him forget all his vows
Which he gave to Ariadne,
Aglaya and the beautiful Antiope?
Titania
You invented all this in jealousy.
How summer passed in half,
It never happened to us to get together
In the forest, in the meadows, in the valley, on the mountain,
Or by a stream overgrown with reeds,
Or on the edge of the seaside shores,
To dance to the whistle and chatter of the wind
And make circles, without
So that you with your restless cry
Didn't interfere with the fun of our games.
And the winds seem to take revenge on us
Because they sing songs to us in vain,
Everyone began to suck from the sea
Malicious mists and vapors,
Fogs covered all the plains
And the insignificant little rivers swollen,
That the shores cannot contain them.
Since we quarreled with you,
In vain is the ox harnessed to the yoke,
The farmer wastes his labor in vain:
The green wheat has all rotted,
Although she hasn’t covered herself with fluff yet;
The crows have grown fat from death,
And they stand in the flooded fields
Forgotten, deserted paddocks;
Silt covered the traces of fun games,
And you can’t see anyone playing in the meadow.
Since then, winter has not pleased people,
And you can't hear the singing at night.
But the moon, ruler of the waters,
All pale with anger, she got drunk
Fog and dampness all over the air
And it gave rise to runny noses in abundance.
All times have been confused since then:
Then white-headed frost falls
Into the arms of a luxuriantly blooming rose;
As if in mockery, summer blows
Garlands from raspukolok and them
The brow of winter, crowned with ice,
And decorates the old lady’s beard.
Harsh winter, spring, and summer,
And the fertile autumn changes
Regular liveries among themselves;
The surprised world will not recognize the times -
And all this was caused by our discord,
And we are the reason and the beginning of everything!
Oberon
It's up to you to fix everything.
Titania, why contradict?
I'm just asking you to give in to the child.
To my pages.
Titania
You can be at peace -
I won’t take the whole magical country
For this child. His mother
She was my priestess. How many times
In the darkness of Indian nights, fragrant,
She used to be my companion!
On the golden Neptune sands
We loved to sit and watch
Like merchant ships on the waves
They rush into the distance. Oh, how we laughed
Admiring how the wind is playful
I pulled their sails - and those
They suddenly swelled with a huge belly!
Then my unfortunate friend
Pregnant was my page
And with dexterity, she used to imitate,
Flying through the air, sails,
Pregnant women from the wind. Above the ground
As if on the waves, having swam, she
Rushing back with some trinket
And she handed it to me, saying,
That our ship with its rich cargo
Came back from a long journey.
But my friend was mortal
And she died, giving her son life.
Loving her, I will raise a son;
Loving her, I will not part with him.
Oberon
Titania
Oberon
Give me the child -
And then I’m ready to go with you.
Titania
Titania and her retinue leave.
Here is an introductory fragment of the book.
Only part of the text is open for free reading (restriction of the copyright holder). If you liked the book, full text can be obtained from our partner's website.
pages: 1 2 3 4 5
The action takes place in Athens. The ruler of Athens bears the name of Theseus, one of the most popular heroes of ancient legends about the conquest by the Greeks warlike tribe women - Amazons. Theseus marries the queen of this tribe, Hippolyta. The play was apparently created for a performance on the occasion of the wedding of some high-ranking officials.
Preparations are underway for the wedding of Duke Theseus and the Amazon queen Hippolyta, which is to take place on the night of the full moon. An angry Aegeus, Hermia's father, appears at the duke's palace, accusing Lysander of bewitching his daughter and cunningly forcing her to love him, while she had already been promised to Demetrius. Hermia confesses her love for Lysander. The Duke announces that according to Athenian law, she must submit to her father's will. He gives the girl a reprieve, but on the day of the new moon she will have to “either die / For violating her father’s will, / Or marry the one he chose, / Or take forever at the altar of Diana / A vow of celibacy and harsh life" The lovers agree to escape from Athens together and meet the next night in a nearby forest. They reveal their plan to Hermia's friend Helena, who was once Demetrius' lover and still loves him passionately. Hoping for his gratitude, she is going to tell Demetrius about the plans of the lovers. Meanwhile, a company of rustic artisans is preparing to stage a sideshow on the occasion of the Duke's wedding. The director, carpenter Peter Pigwa, chose a suitable work: “A pitiful comedy and the very cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe.” Weaver Nick Osnova agrees to play the role of Pyramus, as well as most other roles. Bellows repairman Francis Dudke is given the role of Thisbe (in Shakespeare's time women were not allowed on stage). The tailor Robin Hungry will be Thisbe's mother, and the coppersmith Tom Snout will be the father of Pyramus. The role of Leo is assigned to the carpenter Milaga: he “has a memory for learning,” and for this role you only need to roar. Pigva asks everyone to memorize the roles and tomorrow evening come to the forest to the ducal oak tree for a rehearsal.
In a forest near Athens, the king of fairies and elves Oberon and his wife Queen Titania quarrel over a child whom Titania adopted, and Oberon wants to take for himself to make him a page. Titania refuses to submit to her husband's will and leaves with the elves. Oberon asks the mischievous elf Puck (Good Little Robin) to bring him a small flower on which Cupid's arrow fell after he missed "the Vestal reigning in the West" (an allusion to Queen Elizabeth). If the eyelids of a sleeping person are smeared with the juice of this flower, then, upon waking up, he will fall in love with the first Living being which he will see. Oberon wants to make Titania fall in love with some wild animal and forget about the boy. Peck flies off in search of the flower, and Oberon becomes an invisible witness to the conversation between Helen and Demetrius, who is looking for Hermia and Lysander in the forest and rejects his former lover with contempt. When Peck returns with the flower, Oberon instructs him to find Demetrius, whom he describes as an “arrogant rake” in Athenian robes, and anoint his eyes, but so that when he awakens, the beauty in love with him will be next to him. Finding Titania sleeping, Oberon squeezes the juice of the flower onto her eyelids. Lysander and Hermia got lost in the forest and also lay down to rest, at Hermia’s request - away from each other, since “for a young man and a girl, human shame / Does not allow intimacy...”. Peck, mistaking Lysander for Demetrius, drips juice onto his eyes. Elena appears, from whom Demetrius ran away, and stopping to rest, wakes up Lysander, who immediately falls in love with her. Elena believes that he is mocking her and runs away, and Lysander, abandoning Hermia, rushes after Elena.
Near the place where Titania sleeps, a company of artisans gathered for a rehearsal. At the suggestion of Osnova, who is very concerned that, God forbid, he should not scare the female spectators, two prologues are written for the play - the first that Pyramus does not kill himself at all and that he is not really Pyramus, but a weaver Osnova, and the second - that Lev is not a lion at all, but a carpenter, Milag. Naughty Peck, who is watching the rehearsal with interest, casts a spell on the Foundation: now the weaver has a donkey's head. The friends, mistaking the Base for a werewolf, run away in fear. At this time, Titania wakes up and, looking at the Base, says: “Your image captivates the eye. I love you. Follow me!” Titania summons four elves - Mustard Seed, Sweet Pea, Gossamer and Moth - and orders them to serve "her darling." Oberon is delighted to listen to Peck's story about how Titania fell in love with the monster, but is very dissatisfied when he learns that the elf sprinkled magic juice into the eyes of Lysander, and not Demetrius. Oberon puts Demetrius to sleep and corrects the mistake of Peck, who, on the orders of his master, lures Helen closer to the sleeping Demetrius. As soon as he wakes up, Demetrius begins to swear his love to the one he recently rejected with contempt. Elena is convinced that both young men, Lysander and Demetrius, are mocking her: “There is no strength to listen to empty ridicule!” In addition, she believes that Hermia is at one with them, and bitterly reproaches her friend for her deceit. Shocked by Lysander's rude insults, Hermia accuses Helen of being a deceiver and a thief who stole Lysander's heart from her. Word for word - and she is already trying to scratch out Elena’s eyes. The young people - now rivals seeking Elena's love - retire to decide in a duel which of them has more rights. Peck is delighted with all this confusion, but Oberon orders him to lead both duelists deeper into the forest, imitating their voices, and lead them astray, “so that they will never find each other.” When Lysander collapses exhausted and falls asleep, Peck squeezes the juice of a plant on his eyelids - an antidote to the love flower. Elena and Demetrius were also euthanized not far from each other.
Seeing Titania asleep next to the Base, Oberon, who by this time had already acquired the child he liked, takes pity on her and touches her eyes with an antidote flower. The fairy queen wakes up with the words: “My Oberon! What can we dream about! / I dreamed that I fell in love with a donkey!” Peck, on Oberon's orders, returns his own head to the Base. The Elf Lords fly away. Theseus, Hippolyta and Aegeus appear hunting in the forest. They find sleeping young people and wake them up. Already free from the effects of the love potion, but still stunned, Lysander explains that he and Hermia fled into the forest from the severity of Athenian laws, while Demetrius admits that “Passion, purpose and joy of the eyes are now / Not Hermia, but dear Helen.” Theseus announces that two more couples will be married today with them and Hippolyta, after which he leaves with his retinue. The awakened Base goes to Pigwa's house, where his friends are eagerly awaiting him. He gives the actors the last instructions: “Let Thisbe put on clean underwear,” and let Lev not try to cut his nails - they should look out from under the skin like claws.
Theseus marvels at the strange story of the lovers. “Madmen, lovers, poets - / All created from fantasies alone,” he says. The entertainment manager, Philostratus, presents him with a list of entertainments. The Duke chooses the workmen's play: "It can never be too bad, / Which devotion humbly offers." Pigva reads the prologue to the audience's ironic comments. Snout explains that he is the Wall through which Pyramus and Thisbe are talking, and therefore is smeared with lime. When the Pyramus Base looks for a crack in the Wall to look at his beloved, Snout helpfully spreads his fingers. Lev appears and explains in verse that he is not real. “What a meek animal,” Theseus admires, “and what a reasonable one!” Amateur actors shamelessly distort the text and say a lot of nonsense, which greatly amuses their noble viewers. Finally the play is over. Everyone leaves - it’s already midnight, a magical hour for lovers. Peck appears, he and the rest of the elves first sing and dance, and then, by order of Oberon and Titania, scatter around the palace to bless the beds of the newlyweds. Pak addresses the audience: “If I couldn’t amuse you, / It will be easy for you to fix everything: / Imagine that you fell asleep / And dreams flashed before you.”
CHARACTERS
Theseus, Duke of Athens.
Aegeus, father of Hermia.
Lysander |
) lovers of Hermia.
Demetrius |
Philostratus, master of festivities at the court of Theseus.
Klin, carpenter.
Saw, carpenter.
Hank, weaver.
Duda, bellows repairman.
Snout, coppersmith.
Hungry tailor.
Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, bride of Theseus.
Hermia, daughter of Aegeus, in love with Lysander.
Helena, in love with Demetrius.
Oberon, king of the elves.
Titania, queen of the elves.
Puck, or Rogue Robin.
Bob |
Cobweb) elves.
Moth |
Mustard |
Elves and fairies from the retinue of Oberon and Titania.
Retinue of Theseus and Hippolyta.
Setting: Athens and nearby forest.
ACT ONE
PHENOMENON 1
Athens. Palace of Theseus.
Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostratus and retinue.
Theseus
The hour of our wedding is near, Hippolyta:
Only four days until the new moon.
But the old moon takes so long to melt
And does not allow my wishes to come true,
Like a stepmother with a lifetime income,
Healing is to the detriment of his stepson.
Hippolyta
Four days will easily drown in the night,
Four nights of sleep will disappear easily,
And the new month, bending in the sky
He glances at his silvery bow
The night of our wedding.
Theseus
Philostratus, go,
Call the youth of Athens to fun,
Ignite a lively and ardent spirit of fun.
A despondent place is at a funeral;
We don't need this pale-faced guest.
Philostratus leaves.
I wooed you with my sword, Hippolyta,
I earned your love through cruelty;
But I will play the wedding in a different way,
Among the celebrations, and spectacles, and feasts.
Enter Aegeus, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius.
Aegean
May our Duke Theseus be happy!
Theseus
Thank you, Egey. What did you come with?
Aegean
Full of indignation, I came with a complaint
To Hermia, to my own daughter.
Here, Demetri! This person
I, sir, have promised her as my husband.
Here, Lysander! And this man
He bewitched her soul, oh my Duke.
You, you, Lysander! You brought her poems
Love pledges changed;
You are under her window, in the moonlight,
He languidly sang to her about languid love;
You captured her imagination
Giving now a lock of your hair, now a ring,
Flowers, gifts, memos, trinkets, -
Youth readily believes such ambassadors;
You stole my daughter's heart,
You turned your daughter's obedience
In obstinate stubbornness. Sovereign,
When she is here, before your eyes,
Demetrius will reject, I will come running
To the ancient custom of Athens:
She is mine, and I have all power over her.
That's why I'll give my daughter
I will condemn Demetrius to death,
As provided by law.
Theseus
What do you say, Hermia? Child, think:
Your Father is like God to you;
He is the one who created your beauty;
For him you are just a wax form,
Which he sculpted and is domineering
Either leave it like that or destroy it.
Demetrius is a very worthy person.
Hermia
The same goes for Lysander.
Theseus
On my own;
But here, since your father doesn't want him,
We recognize another as more worthy.
Hermia
Oh, if my father looked like me!
Theseus
No, you have to look through his eyes.
Hermia
May your lordship excuse me.
I don't know what gives me courage
And how my modesty allows me
In such presence, raise your voice;
But I ask: let me know
The worst thing that can happen to me
When I refuse my hand to Demetrius.
Theseus
Will you accept death or be forever
Excommunicated from the company of men.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy by William Shakespeare, written between 1594 and 1596. Presumably, the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written by Shakespeare for the wedding of the English aristocrat and patron of the arts, Elizabeth Carey, who married on February 19, 1595, on this day "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was first performed in the theater. According to another version, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is timed to celebrate the day of St. John (a holiday similar to the day of Ivan Kupala in the Russian tradition ).
In 1826, 17-year-old German composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote music for theatrical production"A Midsummer Night's Dream." Mendelssohn's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream was very popular in 19th-century productions; it also left its mark in cinema, being the main theme song in the 1935 film A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" gained particular popularity, turning from a hymn to the fickleness of love for many into a hymn to marital fidelity.
Theseus is going to marry Hippolyta, and the wedding of Demetrius and Hermia is also being prepared, on which Hermia’s father insists. Hermia loves Lysander, together they decide to run away and tell about this to Elena, who is in love with Demetrius, in the hope that Elena will be pleased by the escape of her rival for Demetrius’s heart. Elena, counting on Demetrius’ gratitude, tells him about the escape of his bride. As a result, all four - Hermia, Lysander, Helen and Demetrius - find themselves in the forest at a time when the king of fairies and elves Oberon decides to punish his wife Titania, who does not give him her Indian page. Oberon orders his servant Puck to smear the eyes of the sleeping Titania with magic juice, after she wakes up, she will fall in love with the first living creature who sees and forgets her Indian pet. There is magic juice in a flower that grew in the place where Cupid's arrow hit, bouncing off a chaste virgin.
Fairy
Or maybe you just look like him,Or are you really Rogue Robin,
Evil spirit. Not you in the villages
Are you scaring girls? Do you grind the grains yourself?
Skim off the cream and spend hours on end
Don't you let the worker churn the butter?
Are you spoiling the yeast in your beer? You're fooling
Do you want to follow the night traveler?
And who calls you "dear Puck"
That's why you're happy to help in this way and that.
Tell me, is it you?
Fairy and Puck
Arthur Rackham - Fairy and Puck
Arthur Rackham - Fairy and Puck
Oberon
Is this meeting under the moon good?
Arrogant Titania?
Titania
What is this?
Jealous Oberon? Let's fly away, fairies!
I hate the sight of him and his bed.
Oberon and Titania
Joseph Noel Paton. Dispute between Oberon and Titania
Alfred Fredericks. Titania and Oberon
Arthur Rackham - Titania and Oberon
Arthur Rackham. Titania
Arthur Rackham - Titania
Amateur actors also come to the forest, deciding to perform the play “Pyramus and Thisbe” at the wedding of Theseus. One of them, the weaver Motok (in another translation - the Basis), turns out to be turned by Pak into a creature with a donkey's head. The weaver with the donkey's head is the first one Titania sees after waking up and falls in love with him.
Titania
Don’t try to leave this thicket.
You wouldn't find a way anyway.
I am a creature of the rarest of breeds.
In my domain it is summer all year round.
And I love you. Come, my friend.
Elves will come running to you for services,
So that you can look for pearls in the seas
And sing when you're dozing on the flowers.
This is how I will cleanse your mortal frame,
That you, like a spirit, will soar above the earth.
Titania and Base
Alfred Fredericks - Foundation
Alfred Fredericks - Titania and the Skein (Base)
Alfred Fredericks - Titania and the Base
Edwin Landseer. Titania and Base
John Anster Fitzgerald. Titania and Base
Joseph Noel Paton. Titania and Skein (Base)
Arthur Rackham - Titania and the Foundation
Oberon witnessed a conversation between Helen and Demetrius, who rejects the girl in love. Oberon orders Puck to pour magic juice into the eyes of the sleeping Demetrius so that Demetrius will fall in love with Helen. But Puck mistakenly pours juice into Lysander’s eyes and he falls in love with Helen, forgetting his love for Hermia. Correcting himself, Puck waters Demetri's eyes and he also falls in love with Elena. Helen, who did not have a single admirer, now finds two and decides that Demetrius, Lysander and Hermia want to play a cruel joke on her. Hermia is at a loss as to why Lysander has lost interest in her. Demetrius and Lysander leave to fight for Helen's heart.
Arthur Rackham. Elena
Jones Simmons. Hermia and Lysander
Alfred Fredericks - Lysander and Hermia
Alfred Fredericks - Hermia
Alfred Fredericks. Demetri and Elena
Oberon orders Puck to remove the effect of the magic juice from Lysander, and he himself heals Titania, who has already given him the Indian boy. The weaver returns to his normal appearance and he and his comrades play at a triple wedding: Theseus marries Hippolyta, Lysander marries Hermia, and Demetrius marries his new love- Elena.
Oberon
(speaking)
Oh, Robin, hello! Do you see? Admire it.
I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor thing.
Now she was collecting at the edge of the forest
Flowers for this vile creature;
Oberon, Titania and Hank (Base)
Titania
My Oberon! Oh, what a fable!
I had a dream that I loved a donkey.
Oberon
Here he is, your gentle friend.
Oberon, Titania and Base
Alfred Fredericks - Titania, Oberon and Foundation
John Anster Fitzgerald - Oberon and Titania
William Blake. Oberon, Titania and Puck with dancing fairies
Alfred Fredericks - Theseus and Hippolyta
Now I’ll tell you about two film adaptations of Shakespeare’s comedy that I watched - 1935 and 1999.
The 1935 film A Midsummer Night's Dream was directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterli. This film has a wonderful fairytale atmosphere, especially Titania, played by Anita Louise.
Stills from the film "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935):
Oberon and Titania
Titania and Base
Hermia (played by Olivia de Havilland)
Elena (played by Jean Muir)
Of the modern adaptations of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I would like to note the 1999 film directed by Michael Hoffman, I like it even more than the 1935 film, despite some deviations from Shakespeare's original text - the action is transferred to the Italian town of Athens at the end of the 19th century, and Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena ride bicycles through the forest. If in the 1935 film the emphasis is shifted towards the fairy tale, then in the 1999 film the main thing is not the fabulousness, but the comic nature of what is happening, due to this the film is watched in one go. Plays Titania. It is impossible to choose a better actress for this role; Michelle Pfeiffer in the role of the queen of fairies and elves is simply magnificent.
Stills from the film "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1999):
Oberon and Titania
Titania and Base
Of the theatrical performances of the role of Titania, one cannot fail to mention Vivien Leigh; she first appeared on stage in the role of Titania in the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on December 27, 1937.
Vivien Leigh as Titania
