Enter Pyramus C. D. Pyramus. O grim-looked1 night! O night with hue so black! I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot! That standest between her father's ground and mine! Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall, Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne! [Wall holds up his fingers.] Thanks, courteous wall; Jove shield thee well for this! O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss! Curs'd be thy stones for thus deceiving me! Theseus. The wall, methinks, being alive, should curse again. Pyramus. No, in truth, sir, he should not. "Deceiving me" is Thisby's cue. Thisbe [entering C. D.] approaches Wall on the other side [L.]. Thisbe. O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans, For parting my fair Pyramus and me! My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones, Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee. Pyramus. I see a voice! Now will I to the chink, To spy if I can hear my Thisby's face. Thisby! O, kiss me through the hole of this vile wall Thisbe. I kiss the wall, not your lips at all. Pyramus. Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway? Thisbe. 'Tide 2 life, 'tide death, I come without delay. Pyramus, Thisbe, and Wall exeunt [R., L., and C. D. respectively]. Hippolyta. Now is the wall down between the two neighbors. Theseus. Here come two noble beasts in, a man and a lion. Lion. You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear A lion fell,1 nor else no lion's dam; Into this place, 'twere pity on my life. Theseus. A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience. Demetrius. The very best at a beast, my lord, that ever I saw. Moon. This lantern doth the moon present; Myself the man in the moon do seem to be. Lysander. This is the greatest error of all the rest. The man should be put into the lantern. How is it else the man in the moon? Theseus. Proceed, Moon. Moon. All that I have to say is to tell you that the lantern is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog. Demetrius. Why, all these should be in the lantern; for all these are in the moon. But, silence! here comes Thisbe. [Enter Thisbe L.] Thisbe. This is old Ninny's tomb. Where is my love? Thisbe runs off [L.]. Demetrius. Well roared, Lion. Theseus. Well run, Thisbe. 1lion fell: lion's skin. Fell also means savage, fierce, cruel. If the ladies should make a mistake in choice of meanings they could get little quiet to their nerves from Snug's explanation! nor else: nor in any other way. Hippolyta. Well shone, Moon. Truly, the moon shines with a good grace. The Lion shakes Thisbe's mantle, and scampers away [C.]. Pyramus arrives [R.]. Pyramus. Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams; I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright; For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering gleams, I trust to take of truest Thisby sight. But stay, O spite! But mark, poor knight, What dreadful dole1 is here! Eyes, do you see? How can it be? O dainty duck! O dear! Thy mantle good, What, stained with blood!- Cut thread and thrum; Quail, crush, conclude, and quell!" Theseus. This grief, and the death of a dear friend, would go near to make a man look sad. Hippolyta. Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man.5 Which is no, no I which was the fairest dame That lived, that loved, that liked, that looked with cheer. 1 dole (dōl): sorrow. 2 Furies (fū'riz): the avenging goddesses who pursued the characters in ancient Greek tragedy. 3 Fates: three goddesses, who were supposed to determine the course of human life. Come, tears, confound; Out, sword, and wound The breast of Pyramus; He stabs himself.1 Ay, that left breast, [Stabs himself in left side.] Where heart doth hop. Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. [He falls, and is about to lie down, but rises again to spread his cloak on the floor to lie on. Lies down.] Now am I dead, Now am I fled; [Raises himself on his elbow to make a gesture.] My soul is in the sky. Tongue, lose thy light; Moon, take thy flight. [Exit Moonshine, upon being beckoned away by both Quince and Bottom.] 1 Pyramus stabs himself downward under his right arm. Possibly he is left-handed. |