Helena on the fact that our minds alter how we view people as our imaginations rather than what is simply there to be observed.
”Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”
Lysander on the course of true love.
”The course of true love never did run smooth.”
Lysander on Helena loving Demetrius despite his inconsistency and bad way he treats her.
”Dotes in idolatry upon this spotted and inconstant man.”
Helena on how love can transform anything to look attractive to someone who is in love.
"things base and vile" to "form and dignity."
Helena to Demetrius on the role women have to follow in love when they love someone.
”We can not fight for love as men may do.”
Helena to Demetrius about how he is an insult to women.
"Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex."
Helena saying she will follow Demetrius despite all he has said to her. Rhyme so very poetic, also alliteration of 'h' which is a soft sound emphasising her devotion and love.
”I’ll follow thee and make a heaven of hell, to die upon the hand I love so well.”
Helena on the men mocking her.
”None of noble sort would so offend a virgin.”
Our introduction to the character Puck or Robin Goodfellow.
”You are that shrewd and knavish sprite called Robin Goodfellow.”
Puck explaining how the speed worked and she has fallen in love with a donkey.
”Titania waked and straightway loved an ass.”
Robin ensuring nothing will disturb the house, not even a mouse.
“Not a mouse shall disturb this hallow’d house.”
Shows that Oberon's reasons for trying to get the child is because he is jealous which is a bad reason especially since the boy is being treated so well by Titania. It also shows though that the reason for the fight deep down is love as this is what brings about jealousy, so that love can bring out the worst in people.
2X
"She never had so sweet a changeling. And jealous Oberon would have the child"
"Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy"
Bottom upon waking makes a remark about the absurdity of his dream.
”I have had a dream past the wit of man to say what it was.”
Hippolyta reassuring Theseus that the time to their wedding will soon come.
”Four night will quickly dream away the time.”
Helena is sticking to the idea of a woman remaining docile and well-behaved. Her reactions to Hermia's aggressiveness only serve to highlight this fact further.
“Have you no modesty, no maiden shame, no touch of bashfulness?”
Bottom says this but the craftsmen constantly go on about how the women will be too scared of the lion actor and believe it is real.
"A lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing.”
Titania on how she has had visions that she was in love with an ass.
”What visions I have seen! Methought I was enamoured of an ass.”
Demetrius on waking that he feels it was all a dream.
”Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.”
Titania questioning how she was found sleeping with a mortal.
” I sleeping here was found with these mortals on the ground.”
Theseus comparing the imaginations of lovers with insane people showing he doesn't believe what they are saying at all. Triplet in first quote emphasising the three distinct groups that have such similar imaginations. 2x
”The lunatic, the lover and the poet are of imagination all compact.”
”Lovers and madmen have such seething brains"
Hippolyta on the consistency of the lovers story.
”Grows to something of great constancy, howsoever strange and admirable.”
Theseus on how he uses his imagination to find something in people even if they don't show him their goodness.
”Out of this silence yet I picked a welcome.”
Lysander talking and describing the briefness of love.
"Swift as a shadow, short as any dream"
Theseus being sexist reminding Hermia of "her place" below her father.
“Be advised, fair maid: To you your father should be as a god.”
Theseus on how he won Hippolyta in battle and took her to be his wife.
“Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,"
Egeus stating his rights as an Athenian man one this daughter.
“I beg the ancient privilege of Athens, As she is mine, I may dispose of her ... to this gentleman or to her death.”
Theseus telling Hermia of the power her father has over her to shape her into what he wants.
" a form in wax ... within his power to leave the figure or disfigure it.”
The craftsmen worrying if they scare the women they will be hanged.
“if you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us.”
Bottom wanting to play all the characters.
“An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too!”
Helena announcing her love for Demetrius and saying she will be like his dog.
“I am your spaniel... The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.”
Helena on how the more she begs the less good her fortunes get.
"The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.”
Helena on how Hermia must be happy because she is beautiful, shows jealousy.
“Happy is Hermia... for she hath blessèd and attractive eyes."
Helena questioning the men on their cruelty and feeling insufficient showing she is insecure.
"But you must flout my insufficiency?"
Bottom after Titania declares her love for him, about love and reason.
“The truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays.”
Bottom declaring that he will lead them in circles and cause trouble.
“I’ll follow you. I’ll lead you about a round,"
Bottom questioning if they have ass heads of their own when he is the one with one, ironic.
“What do you see? You see an ass head of your own, do you?”
Oberon telling Puck that the problems are all his fault as he either keeps making mistakes or is causing trouble on purpose.
" Or else committ’st thy knaveries willfully."
Oberon on how when the lovers will wake the night shall simply be like a dream in their minds.
"all this derision shall seem a dream and fruitless vision.”
Puck says this about cupid saying he is bad as he makes woman crazy, as he makes them fall in love. This also says them that loves drives woman insane.
“Cupid is a knavish lad thus to make poor females mad.”
A very sexist phrase stating that women belong to men, it also refers to women as 'mare' which is very degrading and saying all will be well shows that a happy ending is considered the patriarchy getting its wants. Also shown as Hermia only gets to be with Lysander when this is what Demetrius wants.
“ every man should take his own… The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.”
About how he used to love Helena before he saw Hermia, but now likes Helena again (his natural taste). This is ironic as it isn't his natural feelings at all as he is under a spell.
"But like in sickness did I loathe this food. But as in health, come to my natural taste.”
Titania showing that's he understands that her argument with Oberon has many consequences and has effected others in the story. Only once this debate is over does the other problems get fixed.
"progeny of evil comes from our debate"
Titania about how she will dance in and bless Theseus's house. Main reason for quote is that it holds rhyme like many in the play.
"dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly, and bless it to all fair prosperity.”
Oberon on how he will undo the spell he put on Titania. It is on her eyes which shows that love impacts how thinks look to us, and can make things appear not as they are. A common theme in the play.
"I will undo this hateful imperfection of her eyes.”
The other craftsman about Bottom and how he is irreplaceable and very clever when he is missing.
" the best wit of any handicraft man in Athens.”
Theseus using simile to describe the speech of Quince when he gives the prologue.
“His speech was like a tangled chain.”
Theseus says that the best plays are an illusion, as they trick the audience into thinking they are real, even if just for a moment to be successful. Allowing them to be transported into another world.
"The best in this kind are but shadows"
Theseus on how if they see them as they see themselves they can pass for good men.
“If we imagine no worse of them than they of themselves,they may pass for excellent men.”
Hippolyta on how ridiculous the craftsmen's play is.
"This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard."
Puck on how he is feared and creates trouble for humans.
" I am feared in field and town: Goblin lead them up and down."
Bottom claiming he is the best actor and only he can make the audience cry.
"That will ask some tears.... If I do it."
Bottom saying they need an actor to play the wall showing he doesn't trust the imagination of the audience, yet, they also believe in it too much as they believe the women will think the actor a real lion. This is contradictory and shows that the craftsmen's rational doesn't make sense emphasising their stupidity.
"Some man or other must present wall."
Another ironic pun from Bottom saying that his fellow comrades where trying to make him look like an ass, when that is very literal and he is unaware. It creates comedy as he is so ignorant.
"I see their knavery, this is to make an ass of me."
Again ironic humour as he is still ignorant that he is a donkey. Shows that it is taking over his brain and becoming a stronger part of reality.
"Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay."
Helena still requires the men to protect her and is reliant on them even though she believes they are mocking her. Shows a contrast to Hermia as she is willing to fight her own battles and does even in scene 1, Helena however begs for Lysander and for the men to protect her from Hermia. She can and doesn't believe as a women she can fight her battles.
"I pray you, though you mock me gentlemen, let her not hurt me."
Hermia making it clear to Helena that Lysander being in love with her and his inconsistency is not her fault, it still comes between them though.
"His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine."
Hermia fighting for her rights saying that she refuses for men to rule over her because she is a women. Shows that she is very strong minded, and a character who is far ahead of the time the play was written.
"My soul consents not to give sovereignty."
Hermia insults Helena showing her insecurities about her height and also the two close friends falling apart. The insult makes reference of Helena's height and use of makeup suggesting this is where all her beauty comes from.
"How low am I, thou painted maypole?"
Lysander showing that there is no reason that makes him less worthy than Demetrius. It is simply the father's preference that makes him less but in other ways he matched Demetrius.
"I am, my lord, as well derived as he, as well possessed."
Oberon describing the details of how his trick on Titania will work. Also imagery about the flower.
- “ a man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees.”
- "Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound.”
Demetrius telling Helena that she embarrasses herself and damages her reputation by following him when he doesn't love her.
"You do impeach your modesty too much ... commit yourself into the hands of someone that loves you not."
A very mean insult from Demetrius to Helena that portrays him in a nasty light making the audience feel sorry for Helena, and setting up Demetrius as the only one who has to live under the spell forever for the happiness of others and as he is portrayed negatively the audience doesn't feel as sorry for him.
"I am sick when I look on thee."
Titania on how she is so deeply enamoured by Bottom's shape, ironic as he has a donkey head.
"My eye enthralled to thy shape."
Titania on how she will rid Bottom of his mortality and make him a superior being like her.
"I shall purge thy mortal grossness so that thou shalt like an airy spirit go."
Oberon promising that their children will be perfect. Shares the message that these unique imperfections are very bad and hated by society.
"Never mole, hare-lip, nor scar... such as are despised in nativity."
Here in the prologue Quince puts the punctuation in the wrong place and accidentally says that it is their intention to offend. makes him sound like an idiot.
"If we offend, it is with our good will."
Here Demetrius lets Lysander have then ownership of Hermia saying he doesn't want her anymore and objectifies her greeting her like an object he can just pass on or throw away.
"Lysander, keep thy Hermia."
Here Titania flexes her power sharing that she will force Bottom to stay with her, which shoes how powerful she is.
"Thou shalt remain here whether thou wilt or no."