Faculty of English

HELENA         Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn, To follow me and praise my eyes and face? And made your other love Demetrius, Who even but now did spurn me with his foot, To call me goddess, nymph, divine and rare, Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this To her he hates? And wherefore doth Lysander Deny […]

HELENA         And will you rent our ancient love asunder To join with men in scorning your poor friend? It is not friendly, ’tis not maidenly. Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it, Though I alone do feel the injury. HERMIA         I am amazed at your passionate words. I scorn you not; it seems that you scorn me.          […]

HELENA         We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, Have with our needles created both one flower, Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, Both warbling of one song, both in one key, As if our hands, our sides, voices and minds Had been incorporate. So we grew together Like to a double cherry, seeming parted But yet an union in partition, Two lovely berries moulded on one stem; […]

HELENA         Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid, Have you conspired, have you with these contrived To bait me with this foul derision? Is all the counsel that we two have shared, The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent, When we have chid the hasty-footed time For parting us – O, is all forgot? All schooldays’ friendship, childhood innocence? (3.2.195-202) Helena is really winding herself up, […]

LYSANDER     Why seek’st thou me? Could not this make thee know, The hate I bare thee made me leave thee so? HERMIA         You speak not as you think. It cannot be. HELENA         Lo, she is one of this confederacy. Now I perceive, they have conjoined all three To fashion this false sport in spite of me. (3.2.189-194) Lysander’s really […]

HERMIA         Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes; Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense, It pays the hearing double recompense. Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found; Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound. But why, unkindly, didst thou leave me so? LYSANDER     Why should he stay, whom […]

DEMETRIUS   Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none. If e’er I loved her, all that love is gone. My heart to her but as guestwise sojourned, And now to Helen is it home returned, There to remain. LYSANDER                 Helen, it is not so. DEMETRIUS   Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Lest, to thy peril, thou abye it dear. Look where thy love comes: yonder […]

LYSANDER     You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so, For you love Hermia: this you know I know. And here with all good will, with all my heart, In Hermia’s love I yield you up my part; And yours of Helena to me bequeath, Whom I do love, and will do till my death. HELENA         Never did mockers waste more idle breath.           (3.2.162-8) Even […]

HELENA         You both are rivals and love Hermia, And now both rivals to mock Helena. A trim exploit, a manly enterprise, To conjure tears up in a poor maid’s eyes With your derision! None of noble sort Would so offend a virgin, and extort A poor soul’s patience, all to make you sport.        (3.2.155-161) Helena spells it out, with particular emphasis […]

HELENA         O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent To set against me for your merriment. If you were civil and knew courtesy, You would not do me thus much injury. Can you not hate me, as I know you do, But you must join in souls to mock me too? If you were men, as men you are in show, You would […]