THESEUS        This fellow doth not stand upon points.

LYSANDER     He hath rid his prologue like a rough colt: he knows not the stop. A good moral, my lord. It is not enough to speak, but to speak true.

HIPPOLYTA   Indeed, he hath played on this prologue like a child on a recorder: a sound, but not in government.

THESEUS        His speech was like a tangled chain: nothing impaired, but all disordered. Who is next?         (5.1.118-125)

The first of many sniping interventions by the watching courtiers. Theseus is telling it like it is, albeit with a bit of snark: this fellow doth not stand upon points. He’s not following the punctuation at all! Lysander is anxious to do some point-scoring himself, to be witty and superior: he hath rid his prologue like a rough colt: he knows not the stop. It was like a runaway, unbroken horse, stop-start, unpredictable (also full-stop, obviously). Such a horse also suggests an irregular, jolting rhythm, rather than a smooth trot. Lysander presses home his point (is he still pursuing his rivalry with Demetrius?): a good moral, my lord. We can all learn something from this: it is not enough to speak, but to speak true. It’s got to make sense! Hippolyta might be disposed to be a little more indulgent? indeed, he hath played on this prologue like a child on a recorder: a sound, but not in government. Musical notes, at least potentially (and everyone can imagine exactly what she means), just not in any discernible or meaningful order. That was the prologue, lots of words, but what it meant? Anyone’s guess. But, if she’s thinking of the amateur actors as children, perhaps she’ll listen more kindly than the others? Theseus picks up her idea of disorder, incoherence: his speech was like a tangled chain: nothing impaired, but all disordered. A vivid image, a mass of metal, still notionally a chain, but unable to function as it should. Who is next? Indeed, who IS next? There may be fussing going on as the actors prepare for the rest of the prologue and their dumb show, which will introduce the characters and give the play’s argument or synopsis.