Funny business: vocabulary; A Midsummer Night's Dream 8

Two characters from Ovid’s literary work Metamorphoses are referenced in Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Read the summary of Ovid's Metamorphoses if you need a refresher, and then read the excerpt from the play.

by William Shakespeare

Context: In this scene, a group of craftsmen (Bottom, Quince, Snout, Starveling, and Flute) are rehearsing a play to perform at a wedding.

Cast of Characters:
Nick Bottom: a weaver
Peter Quince: a carpenter
Tom Snout: a tinker
Robin Starveling: a tailor
Francis Flute: a
Puck: a fairy, also known as Robin Goodfellow

Act Three
Scene One:

(The wood. TITANIA lying asleep. Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING.)

Bottom: Are we all met?
Quince: Pat, pat; and here's a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our , and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.
Bottom: Peter Quince?
Quince: What sayest thou, bully Bottom?
Bottom: There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?
Snout: .
Starveling: I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
Bottom: Not a whit. I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed; and for the more better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will put them out of fear. Quince: Well, we will have such a prologue, and it shall be written in .
Bottom: No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.
Snout: Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
Starveling: I fear it, I promise you.
Bottom: Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves, to bring in—God shield us!—a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing. For there is not a more fearful wildfowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to't.
Snout: Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
Bottom: Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck, and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect: “Ladies,” or “Fair ladies,—I would wish you” or “I would request you” or “I would entreat you—not to fear, not to tremble. My life for yours! If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life. No! I am no such thing. I am a man as other men are.” and there, indeed, let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.
Quince: Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things: that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.
Snout: Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?
Bottom: A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac. Find out moonshine, find out moonshine.
Quince: Yes, it doth shine that night.
Bottom: Why, then may you leave a of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement.
Quince: Ay. Or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing. We must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the of a wall.
Snout: You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
Bottom: Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.
Quince: If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin. When you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; and so every one according to his cue.

(Enter PUCK behind.)

Puck: What have we swaggering here,
So near the cradle of the ?
What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor;
An actor too perhaps, if I see cause.
Quince: Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.
Bottom: (As Pyramus) Thisby, the flowers of odious savors sweet—
Quince: Odors, odors.
Bottom: (As Pyramus) —odors savors sweet:
So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.
But hark, a voice! Stay thou but here awhile,
And by and by I will to thee appear.

(Exit BOTTOM.)

Puck: A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.

(Exit PUCK.)

Flute: Must I speak now?
Quince: Ay, marry, must you. For you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.
Flute: (As Thisby) Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,
Of color like the red rose on triumphant brier,
Most bristly juvenile, and eke most lovely Jew,
As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire,
I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.
Quince: “Ninus’ tomb,” man. Why, you must not speak that yet, That you answer to Pyramus. You speak all your part at once, cues and all. Pyramus enter. Your cue is past; it is, “never tire.”
Flute: O—
(As Thisby) As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.

(Enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass's head.)

Bottom: (As Pyramus) If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine.
Quince: O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted. Pray, masters! Fly, masters! Help!

(Exit QUINCE, SNUG, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING)

Puck: I'll follow you; I'll lead you about a round,
Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier.
Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,
A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

(Exit PUCK.)

Bottom: Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them to make me afeard.

(Enter SNOUT.)

Snout: O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on thee?
Bottom: What do you see? You see an ass head of your own, do you?

(Exit SNOUT.)

(Enter QUINCE.)

Quince: Bless thee, Bottom, bless thee! Thou art translated.

(Exit QUINCE.)

Bottom: I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir from this place, do what they can. I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid.

Read these lines from the scene.

Flute: (As Thisby) Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,
Of color like the red rose on triumphant brier,