A Midsummer Night's Dream Hörbuch

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Sheba Blake Publishing Corp.
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Zeit:2 Std. 8 min

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Sprecher:Ernst Pattynama

Beschreibung

THESEUS Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame or a dowager, Long withering out a young man's revenue. HIPPOLYTA Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights; Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New bent in heaven, shall behold the night Of our solemnities.

Leseprobe

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's DreamPersons RepresentedACT IACT IIACT IIIACT IVACT VNotesCopyright

A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

Persons Represented

THESEUS, Duke of AthensEGEUS, Father to HermiaLYSANDER, in love with HermiaDEMETRIUS, in love with HermiaPHILOSTRATE, Master of the Revels to TheseusQUINCE, the CarpenterSNUG, the JoinerBOTTOM, the WeaverFLUTE, the Bellows-menderSNOUT, the TinkerSTARVELING, the TailorHIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons, bethrothed to TheseusHERMIA, daughter to Egeus, in love with LysanderHELENA, in love with DemetriusOBERON, King of the FairiesTITANIA, Queen of the FairiesPUCK, orROBIN GOODFELLOW, a FairyPEASBLOSSOM, FairyCOBWEB, FairyMOTH, FairyMUSTARDSEED, FairyPYRAMUS,THISBE,WALL,MOONSHINE,LION; Characters in the Interlude performed by the ClownsOther Fairies attending their King and QueenAttendants on Theseus and HippolytaSCENE: Athens, and a wood not far from it

ACT I

SCENE I. Athens. A room in the Palace of THESEUS[Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants.]THESEUSNow, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hourDraws on apace; four happy days bring inAnother moon; but, oh, methinks, how slowThis old moon wanes! She lingers my desires,Like to a step-dame or a dowager,Long withering out a young man's revenue.HIPPOLYTAFour days will quickly steep themselves in nights;Four nights will quickly dream away the time;And then the moon, like to a silver bowNew bent in heaven, shall behold the nightOf our solemnities.THESEUSGo, Philostrate,Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;Turn melancholy forth to funerals—The pale companion is not for our pomp.—[Exit PHILOSTRATE.]Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,And won thy love doing thee injuries;But I will wed thee in another key,With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.[Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS.]EGEUSHappy be Theseus, our renownèd duke!THESEUSThanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee?EGEUSFull of vexation come I, with complaintAgainst my child, my daughter Hermia.—Stand forth, Demetrius.—My noble lord,This man hath my consent to marry her:—Stand forth, Lysander;—and, my gracious duke,This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child.Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,And interchang'd love-tokens with my child:Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,With feigning voice, verses of feigning love;And stol'n the impression of her fantasyWith bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats,—messengersOf strong prevailment in unharden'd youth;—With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart;Turned her obedience, which is due to me,To stubborn harshness.—And, my gracious duke,Be it so she will not here before your graceConsent to marry with Demetrius,I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,—As she is mine I may dispose of her:Which shall be either to this gentlemanOr to her death; according to our lawImmediately provided in that case.THESEUSWhat say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid:To you your father should be as a god;One that compos'd your beauties: yea, and oneTo whom you are but as a form in wax,By him imprinted, and within his powerTo leave the figure, or disfigure it.Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.HERMIASo is Lysander.THESEUSIn himself he is:But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice,The other must be held the worthier.HERMIAI would my father look'd but with my eyes.THESEUSRather your eyes must with his judgment look.HERMIAI do entreat your grace to pardon me.I know not by what power I am made bold,Nor how it may concern my modestyIn such a presence here to plead my thoughts:But I beseech your grace that I may knowThe worst that may befall me in this caseIf I refuse to wed Demetrius.THESEUSEither to die the death, or to abjureFor ever the society of men.Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,Know of your youth, examine well your blood,Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,You can endure the livery of a nun;For aye to be shady cloister mew'd,To live a barren sister all your life,Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless moon.Thrice-blessèd they that master so their bloodTo undergo such maiden pilgrimage:But earthlier happy is the rose distill'dThan that which, withering on the virgin thorn,Grows, lives, and dies, in single blessedness.HERMIASo will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,Ere I will yield my virgin patent upUnto his lordship, whose unwishèd yokeMy soul consents not to give sovereignty.THESEUSTake time to pause; and by the next new moon,—The sealing-day betwixt my love and meFor everlasting bond of fellowship,—Upon that day either prepare to dieFor disobedience to your father's will;Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would;Or on Diana's altar to protestFor aye austerity and single life.DEMETRIUSRelent, sweet Hermia;—and, Lysander, yieldThy crazèd title to my certain right.LYSANDERYou have her father's love, Demetrius;Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him.EGEUSScornful Lysander! true, he hath my love;And what is mine my love shall render him;And she is mine; and all my right of herI do estate unto Demetrius.LYSANDERI am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,As well possess'd; my love is more than his;My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd,If not with vantage, as Demetrius's;And, which is more than all these boasts can be,I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia:Why should not I then prosecute my right?Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,Upon this spotted and inconstant man.THESEUSI must confess that I have heard so much,And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;But, being over-full of self-affairs,My mind did lose it.—But, Demetrius, come;And come, Egeus; you shall go with me;I have some private schooling for you both.—For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourselfTo fit your fancies to your father's will,Or else the law of Athens yields you up,—Which by no means we may extenuate,—To death, or to a vow of single life.—Come, my Hippolyta: what cheer, my love?Demetrius, and Egeus, go along;I must employ you in some businessAgainst our nuptial, and confer with youOf something nearly that concerns yourselves.EGEUSWith duty and desire we follow you.[Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, DEMETRIUS, and Train.]LYSANDERHow now, my love! why is your cheek so pale?How chance the roses there do fade so fast?HERMIABelike for want of rain, which I could wellBeteem them from the tempest of my eyes.LYSANDERAh me! for aught that I could ever read,Could ever hear by tale or history,The course of true love never did run smooth:But either it was different in blood,—HERMIAO cross! Too high to be enthrall'd to low!LYSANDEROr else misgraffèd in respect of years;—HERMIAO spite! Too old to be engag'd to young!LYSANDEROr else it stood upon the choice of friends:HERMIAO hell! to choose love by another's eye!LYSANDEROr, if there were a sympathy in choice,War, death, or sickness, did lay siege to it,Making it momentary as a sound,Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;Brief as the lightning in the collied nightThat, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,And ere a man hath power to say, Behold!The jaws of darkness do devour it up:So quick bright things come to confusion.HERMIAIf then true lovers have ever cross'd,It stands as an edict in destiny:Then let us teach our trial patience,Because it is a customary cross;As due to love as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs,Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers.LYSANDERA good persuasion; therefore, hear me, Hermia.I have a widow aunt, a dowagerOf great revenue, and she hath no child:From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;And she respects me as her only son.There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;And to that place the sharp Athenian lawCannot pursue us. If thou lovest me then,Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night;And in the wood, a league without the town,Where I did meet thee once with Helena,To do observance to a morn of May,There will I stay for thee.HERMIAMy good Lysander!I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow,By his best arrow, with the golden head,By the simplicity of Venus' doves,By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves,And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen,When the false Trojan under sail was seen,—By all the vows that ever men have broke,In number more than ever women spoke,—In that same place thou hast appointed me,Tomorrow truly will I meet with thee.LYSANDERKeep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena.[Enter HELENA.]HERMIAGod speed fair Helena! Whither away?HELENACall you me fair? that fair again unsay.Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair!Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet airMore tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear,When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear.Sickness is catching: O, were favour so,Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody.Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,The rest I'd give to be to you translated.O, teach me how you look; and with what artYou sway the motion of Demetrius' heart!HERMIAI frown upon him, yet he loves me still.HELENAO that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!HERMIAI give him curses, yet he gives me love.HELENAO that my prayers could such affection move!HERMIAThe more I hate, the more he follows me.HELENAThe more I love, the more he hateth me.HERMIAHis folly, Helena, is no fault of mine.HELENA