A Midsummer Night's Dream (33 page)

300
personage
appearance

304
painted
made-up (with cosmetics)

304
maypole
i.e. tall, skinny person

308
curst
ill-tempered

309
shrewishness
scolding/bad temper

310
right
true/typical

312
something lower
somewhat shorter

316
evermore
always

319
stealth
stealing away

321
chid me hence
tried to drive me away with scolding

323
so
if

326
fond
foolish

332
part
side

333
keen
sharp

333
shrewd
vicious

337
suffer
allow

340
minimus
tiny, insignificant being

340
knot-grass
type of creeping weed

347
abide
pay for

351
cheek by jowl
i.e. side by side

352
coil
turmoil

352
'long
on account

357.1
Exit … Hermia
the Quarto text gives Hermia the exit line “I am amazed and know not what to say”; Folio's omission of this was probably a printer's error, but it might conceivably have been the purposeful cut of a weak line that converts a rhyming couplet to a triplet

365
sort
fall out

366
As
in that

366
jangling
squabbling

368
Hie
hasten

369
welkin
sky

370
drooping
falling

370
Acheron
one of the four rivers of Hades (the classical underworld)

371
testy
irritable

372
As
so that

373
Like … tongue
sometimes imitate Lysander's voice

374
wrong
insults

375
rail
rant

378
batty
bat-like

379
herb
i.e. the antidote

380
liquor
liquid, juice

380
virtuous
powerful

381
his
its

382
wonted
accustomed, former

383
derision
ridiculousness

385
wend
make their way

386
league
alliance, friendship

386
date
duration

392
dragons
supposedly pulling the chariot of night or the moon

392
cut
cut through

393
Aurora's harbinger
the morning star, which can be seen before dawn

396
crossways
crossroads, the unconsecrated burial place for suicides

396
floods
“burial” place of those who had drowned (and whose bodies were unrecoverable)

400
aye
eternity

400
consort
keep company

402
morning's love
either Aurora's lover, or Aurora, Roman goddess of the dawn (i.e. Oberon does not have to disappear before dawn like the other
spirits
)

402
made sport
amused myself/made love to

403
forester
guardian of the forest

405
Neptune
Roman god of the sea

412
Goblin
Puck refers to himself

415
drawn
with sword drawn

417
straight
at once

418
plainer
flatter/more open

424
recreant
coward

428
try
test

436
spite
vexation, grievance

438
Abide
confront/endure

438
wot
know

443
buy
pay for

445
constraineth
compels

449
Abate
shorten

478
Jack
 … 
Jill
“all shall be well and Jack shall have Jill” (proverbial)

479
Nought
nothing

480
man … mare
proverbial

2
amiable
lovable

2
coy
caress

15
overflown
flowed over, drenched

18
neaf
fist

19
leave your courtesy
stop bowing/put your hat back on

21
Cavalery
cavalier (i.e. courtly gentleman)

22
Cobweb
apparently an error for
Peaseblossom

23
marvellous
extremely

27.1
rural music
simple rustic music

27
tongs
simple metal musical instrument, struck to produce sound

27
bones
pieces of bone clapped together between the fingers

29
peck
quantity (quarter of a bushel)
provender
fodder (for animals)

30
bottle
bundle

31
fellow
equal

32
vent'rous
adventurous, daring

35
stir
wake

36
exposition of
malapropism for “disposition to”

38
all ways away
gone in all directions

39
woodbine
bindweed, which entwines itself with
honeysuckle

41
Enrings
encircles

45
dotage
infatuation

47
favours
love tokens (perhaps flowers)

51
sometime
formerly

52
orient
from the east/lustrous

53
flowerets
small flowers

63
swain
rustic

64
other
others

65
repair
make their way

66
accidents
events

71
Dian's bud
i.e. Oberon's corrective herb, linked to Diana, Roman goddess of chastity

81
these five
i.e. Bottom and the lovers

82
charmeth
brings about by magic

82.1
Music, still
the “rural music” may
still
have been playing or perhaps this is a cue for “still” (i.e. gentle) music; Oberon's
Silence awhile
may cue the suspension of the former before
Sound, music!
cues the latter

87
solemnly
ceremoniously

88
triumphantly
with great celebration

92
attend
listen

94
sad
solemn

95
Trip
move swiftly

101.1
his
i.e. Theseus'

103
observation
observance (of May morning rites)

104
vaward
vanguard (i.e. foremost part)

106
Uncouple
release (pairs of dogs for the hunt)

111
Cadmus
founder of Thebes

112
bayed
pursued with dogs

113
hounds of Sparta
dogs famed for their skill

114
chiding
i.e. barking

118
kind
breed

119
So flewed
with the same large cheek folds

119
sanded
sandy-colored

121
dewlapped
with loose folds of skin hanging at the neck

121
Thessalian
from Thessaly, an ancient region of northeastern Greece

122
matched in mouth
united in barking (i.e. harmonious)

123
tuneable
melodious

124
hallowed to
had “halloo” (a cry of encouragement) shouted to it

124
cheered
urged on

126
soft
wait a moment

130
of
at

133
in grace of
to honor

133
solemnity
ceremony

138
Saint Valentine
14 February, the day on which birds were thought to choose their mates

139
couple
pair off

144
jealousy
suspicion

157
defeated
frustrated/deprived

163
fancy
love/infatuation

167
idle gaud
worthless trinket

179
overbear
overrule

180
by and by
soon

182
for
since

182
something worn
somewhat spent

183
purposed
intended

185
in
with

185
solemnity
ceremony

187
undistinguishable
unrecognizable

189
parted
divided/unfocused

193
Mine … own
i.e. because
found
, of uncertain ownership

201
by
on

204
God's
God save

205
hence
away from here

205
rare
unique/marvelous

206
wit
understanding

207
go about
endeavor

210
patched
i.e. wearing a fool's multicolored costume

211
The … was
garbled version of a famous passage about what the Geneva Bible calls “the bottom of God's secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10)

215
bottom
foundation/(is) unfathomable

216
Peradventure
perhaps

217
her
presumably Thisbe's

Act 4, Scene 2

4.2
Location: Athens

3
transported
carried off/transformed

5
forward
ahead

7
discharge
perform

8
wit
intellect

10
person
appearance, bearing

11
paramour
malapropism for “paragon”

13
naught
i.e. wickedness, shame (with possible vaginal connotations)

16
we … men
i.e. our fortunes would have been made

17
sixpence a day
i.e. as a reward from the duke (a considerable sum, half a day's wage)

18
scaped
escaped, avoided

19
An
if

22
hearts
fine friends

27
fell out
happened

29
of
from

30
strings
i.e. with which to attach the beards

31
pumps
light shoes

31
presently
at once

33
preferred
recommended

34
pare
trim

Act 5, Scene 1

5.1
his
i.e. Theseus'

1
that
that which

3
antic
bizarre/grotesque, with pun on “antique,” antiquated, which is the Quarto spelling

3
fairy toys
foolish stories about fairies

5
shaping
creative

5
apprehend
grasp (intellectually)

8
compact
composed

10
frantic
mad, frenzied

11
Helen's
Helen of Troy's

11
brow of Egypt
dark-skinned complexion (thought unattractive)

14
bodies forth
gives shape to