The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (508 page)

MISTRESS PAGE

Why went you not with master doctor, maid?

Why did you not go with master doctor, maid?

FENTON

You do amaze her: hear the truth of it.

You would have married her most shamefully,

Where there was no proportion held in love.

The truth is, she and I, long since contracted,

Are now so sure that nothing can dissolve us.

The offence is holy that she hath committed;

And this deceit loses the name of craft,

Of disobedience, or unduteous title,

Since therein she doth evitate and shun

A thousand irreligious cursed hours,

Which forced marriage would have brought upon her.

You are bewildering her: here's the story.

You would have married her in a very shameful way,

where there was no love.

The truth is that she and I, who have been engaged for ages,

are now joined so tight that nothing can tear us apart.

She has committed a holy sin;

and this trickery cannot be called cunning,

or disobedience, or lack of duty,

since by doing it she has avoided and rejected

a thousand hours of unholy behaviour

which a forced marriage would have brought her.

FORD

Stand not amazed; here is no remedy:

In love the heavens themselves do guide the state;

Money buys lands, and wives are sold by fate.

Don't be bewildered; there's nothing to be done:

the heavens themselves guide the path of love;

money buys land, wives are given by destiny.

FALSTAFF

I am glad, though you have ta'en a special stand to

strike at me, that your arrow hath glanced.

I'm glad, although you have made a special effort

to shoot at me, that you didn't hit the target full on.

PAGE

Well, what remedy? Fenton, heaven give thee joy!

What cannot be eschew'd must be embraced.

Well, what can be done? Fenton, may heaven bring you happiness!

What can't be cured must be endured.

FALSTAFF

When night-dogs run, all sorts of deer are chased.

When you hunt in the night, you don't always get the game you expected.

MISTRESS PAGE

Well, I will muse no further. Master Fenton,

Heaven give you many, many merry days!

Good husband, let us every one go home,

And laugh this sport o'er by a country fire;

Sir John and all.

Well, I have no more complaints. Master Fenton,

may heaven give you many many happy days!

Good husband, let's all go home,

and have a laugh about these games by a country fire;

Sir John and all.

FORD

Let it be so. Sir John,

To Master Brook you yet shall hold your word

For he tonight shall lie with Mistress Ford.

Exeunt

Let's do that. Sir John,

you will still keep your promise to Master Brook,

because tonight he shall sleep with Mistress Ford.

THESEUS, Duke of Athens.

EGEUS, Father to Hermia.

LYSANDER, in love with Hermia.

DEMETRIUS, in love with Hermia.

PHILOSTRATE, Master of the Revels to Theseus.

QUINCE, the Carpenter.

SNUG, the Joiner.

BOTTOM, the Weaver.

FLUTE, the Bellows-mender.

SNOUT, the Tinker.

STARVELING, the Tailor.

HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons, bethrothed to Theseus.

HERMIA, daughter to Egeus, in love with Lysander.

HELENA, in love with Demetrius.

OBERON, King of the Fairies.

TITANIA, Queen of the Fairies.

PUCK, or ROBIN GOODFELLOW, a Fairy.

PEASBLOSSOM, Fairy.

COBWEB, Fairy.

MOTH, Fairy.

MUSTARDSEED, Fairy.

PYRAMUS, THISBE, WALL, MOONSHINE, LION, Characters in the Interlude performed by the Clowns.

Other Fairies attending their King and Queen. Attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta.

The palace of THESEUS.

Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants

THESEUS

Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour

My dear Hippolyta, our wedding day

Draws on apace; four happy days bring in

Is coming soon, in exactly four days, when there is

Another moon: but, O, methinks, how slow

a new moon: but too slowly

This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires,

is this moon waning! It is making me wait anxiously,

Like to a step-dame or a dowager

Like a step-mother or a widow

Long withering out a young man revenue.

makes a son wait for his inheritance.

HIPPOLYTA

Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;

But four days will quickly become four nights,

Four nights will quickly dream away the time;

And we will dream through the four nights,

And then the moon, like to a silver bow

And then the new moon, shaped like a silver bow

New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night

Pulled back in the sky, will look at the night

Of our solemnities.

That marks the day of our marriage
.

THESEUS

Go, Philostrate,

Go, Philostrate,

Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;

And get the young people of Athens to party.

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;

Wake up the city with an air of celebration

Turn melancholy forth to funerals;

And allow sadness only for funerals –

The pale companion is not for our pomp.

We do not need it mixed with our joy and festivities.

Exit PHILOSTRATE

Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,

Hippolyta, I courted you by sword in battle

And won thy love, doing thee injuries;

And won your love as I defeated and kidnapped you –

But I will wed thee in another key,

But our wedding will be different,

With pomp, with triumph and with revelling.

celebratory, triumphant, and joyful.

Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS

EGEUS

Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!

I hope you are well, Duke Theseus!