Friday, October 20, 2006

 

Dream Plot Act 5

Evening has descended, the wedding ceremonies are complete, the wedding banquet and afternoon celebrations long gone by.

Theseus, in a rare moment alone with Hippolyta, discusses the tales the lovers have been telling of their night in the forest.

Theseus thinks they are only the by-products of over excited imaginations and the natural lunacies of lovers.

Hippolyta thinks there is more to the tales than that.

All too soon the other newly weds join them and Theseus greets them and wishes them joy and love.

The Duke's chief steward comes in and Theseus demands to know what entertainments there are to fill in the long hour before bedtime.

Philostrate gives him a long list - some he has seen before, some are not the right thing for a wedding night. He sees the play, Pyramus and Thisbe - described in a most unusual way - funny and tragic, very long and, at the same time short.

Philostrate tries to persuade the Duke it isn't good enough - but once Theseus hears that it is being performed by a group of ordinary working men, citizens of Athens, that is the play he chooses.

Hippolyta is worried it won't be good enough and that they will only end up laughing at the performers - Theseus says that as long as it is duty and love which makes the men want to perform, there can be nothing wrong in what they do: He will hear this play.

Philostrate announces they are ready to start. The three couples and their guests take their places and Peter Quince, nervous, not sure of himself and only wanting to get his lines out and leave the stage, enters.

He makes a complete mess of it, apologising for the play before they start, mixing his sentences up and changing the meaning of what he wanted to say.

Theseus and the others talk as they wait for the remaining characters to come on the stage.

The Prologue explains who each character is and tells the story they are to act out - he carefully points to the sword that Pyramus will use to kill himself, and the dagger his lover Thisbe uses to do the same thing, then all leave the stage except the wall.
Snout, a tinker by trade, has been covered in clay and painted white to look like a very strange wall. He speaks, tells the royal audience who he is and what he is pretending to be – just in case they can’t tell - and holds up his fingers to represent a hole in the wall.

Pyramus (Bottom dressed in a few pieces of armour, wooden sword at his side, and with a fine papier-mâché helmet on his head) enters and talks to the wall. His speech is full of the sighs of a lover, until he looks through Snout’s fingers and doesn’t see his lover, Thisbe.

He stamps the wall’s foot, for being a wicked wall and keeping his girlfriend from him.

Theseus says the wall should curse at that sort of treatment, and Bottom, not really understanding Theseus is making a joke, steps out of character and explains to the Duke it is in fact a cue for Thisbe to enter.

Thisbe now enters on the other side of the wall. She is played by Flute – the boy apprentice bellows mender who, because of his high voice and the fact he hasn’t yet started to grow a beard, is forced by the others to play a woman. He is not very happy about it and stomps in, hairy legs showing under the too short dress, and wearing far too much make-up. The bright orange lipstick is smudged across his face as he wipes his mouth before speaking into the wall’s hole.

Thisbe and Pyramus talk and, even though Bottom confuses his words a little, it is clear that the two lovers have arranged to meet latter that night. They both leave.

The wall, its job finished, limps off.

As Theseus and the others are waiting for the next scene to start, they discuss the play.

Hippolyta thinks it is really very silly, but Theseus reminds her that, if she imagines it is as good as the actors think, it really is a good play.

Snug, dressed in an old, faded, yellow rug with a woollen tale pinned to it, and painted cats face, comes on and tells the watchers he is a lion and that they shouldn’t be afraid.

Again the play is interrupted by the Duke and the others talking and when ‘Moonshine’ tries to speak he can hardly get a word out because of the interruptions.

Eventually he gets very annoyed, shouts out his words, goes to the back of the stage and has a good sulk.

Thisbe comes in and is chased off by the lion, who gently takes out a pair of scissors and cuts a couple of slits into a shawl that Thisbe has ‘dropped’ as she fled. The lion looks at the audience, smiles very gently, picks up his tale and wanders off.

Pyramus enters looking for Thisbe, shakes hands with the moon, finds the shawl, makes a long loud speech about the wickedness of lions, and kills himself by sticking his wooden sword under his left armpit and falling on the floor.

The moon wanders off.

Thisbe comes back in, finds the dead body of Pyramus, gives a very sweet speech and kills herself with the same wooden sword. The beauty of her death is spoiled a little by Bottom holding on to the sword and trying to give Thisbe his dagger, but in the end she wins the battle and both lie dead on the stage.

There is a bit of a pause and Theseus asks who is going to bury the two dead lovers – at which point Bottom leaps up and asks the Duke if he wants to hear some more words or watch a ‘Bergomask’: a funny dance.

The dance is chosen, and just as it ends, the bell on the clock tower in the palace chimes midnight.

The Duke orders everyone to bed – it is their wedding night after all, and time for the fairies to come out and play.

The stage darkens as the lights are put out, and an old man comes in backwards, sweeping the floor with long slow strokes of his broom.

He pauses, looks to the left and the right, turns to face the audience and lowers his hood – it is Puck, just checking the humans have gone to bed.
.
He talks of graves, and owls, death and darkness – then smiles, as the music of the stars we heard earlier fades in and Oberon and Titania, hand in hand, with a train of ‘fair ones’ sweep into the room.

Oberon and Titania, together - all powerful now their argument is ended – bless the house with a dance and then send their servants to bless each individual newly-wedded couple.

All disperse, leaving Puck alone on stage.

He comes right to the front of the stage, and talks to the audience – if you don’t like the play, he says, just imagine it was a dream. Nothing more, not important – just a dream.

But if you think it was entertaining, clap your hands and he will make sure you all have good luck in the future!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

 

Dream Plot Act 4

An excited group of young fairies rush in and prepare a soft bed amongst the flowers.

Titania, still doting, leads in Bottom on a chain of meadow flowers - enslaving him more strongly than any chain of steel. Another flower-chain weaves a rough crown between his long Ass ears.

She gently forces him to sit, and starts to add sweet smelling roses to his rough country crown.

Bottom asks some of the fairies to scratch his head – still not really understanding what has happened to him or why he feels so ‘hairy’.

The Queen orders music, which gently fills the air, and asks her new plaything what he would like to eat. After humming and he hawing, he declines food and sinks gently into Titania’s arms, and the profoundest of sleeps.

Titania, with a deep sigh, soon follows him into the land of sweet dreams and delusions.

Oberon, who has been watching all this carefully, looks sadly at his wife, and when Puck appears beside him, explains he no longer finds this funny. He has got what he wanted – she gave the boy to him without a second thought – and now wants his Queen to rejoin him in clear-sighted harmony.

After telling Puck to remove Bottom’s Ass head, Oberon releases Titania from the charm.

As she wakes, she falls into Oberon’s arms and tells him of a dream, a nightmare she had had – she had been in love with an Ass!

Oberon shows her Bottom lying alone on the bank of flowers, a sad sight. Puck now peels off the false head and Bottom is once again himself.

Before Titania can ask too many questions, Oberon orders music to be played and he and his wife dance to the sound of the stars singing in the clear night sky - a dance which charms the sleeping lovers and seals their love for each other for ever; a dance which restores the order and harmony of the seasons, brings the best of weather to the growing crops, and promises the finest of harvests; and above all else, a dance which eased the ill-used weavers mind reducing the abuse he’d suffered to a dream, Bottom’s Dream.

As the dance ends, the first birds of the morning start their tentative song and the night sky lightens at the approach of the sun.

Oberon and Titania take a last look at Bottom and the four lovers, and Puck pulls the young men across the forest floor until each is by the side of his soon-to-be wife, then he rolls Bottom off the bank and out of sight.

With the promise of a return to bless the wedding beds of three Athenian couples, the fairy court rushes ahead of the rising sun, laughter and music fading as they go.

The sun soon streams through the leaves speckling the floor with dancing patches of light. In the distance there is the sound of hounds baying and hunting horns getting closer.

Two huntsmen break into the clearing, quickly followed by a running Hippolyta dragging along Theseus who can hardly stand because he’s laughing so much. Puffing and panting, Egeus follows.

Just after Theseus orders one of the huntsmen to have the dogs released so Hippolyta can hear the hounds chasing their prey, he notices Egeus bouncing up and down, obvious excited about something.

Egeus has discovered the four lovers – and Theseus orders the second huntsman to have the hunting horns sounded.

To the glorious sound of a trumpet fanfare, Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena wake.

The Duke bids them good morning and wonders aloud what on earth they are doing there.

Lysander explains he was running away with Hermia, Egeus demands “the law” – and asks Demetrius to agree with him and demand satisfaction!

It comes as something of a shock to the old man when Demetrius says he no longer loves Hermia, but is once again in love with Helena.

Theseus quickly does the one thing he said he couldn’t do – overrules Egeus, and the law of Athens, then orders everyone back to Athens so the three couples can be married straight away.

The trumpets sound again and everyone heads out of the forest, the Duke and Hippolyta going first with a lot more dignity than they entered the clearing, and the two pairs of lovers following. Poor Egeus is left to hobble on behind, slightly bemused at the way his world has just been turned inside out.
As the last of the trumpets fade, a loud sneeze, sounding strangely like the he haw of an ass, bounces from tree to tree and Bottom’s head pops up from behind the bank Puck had pushed him off.

Half asleep, and thinking himself still at the rehearsal, he talks to his fellow actors – then realises he is on his own. His strange ‘dream’ comes to him and he decides to turn it into a ballad he will sing in the play. He rushes off in the direction of Athens to catch up with his fellow workmen and make final preparations for the entertainment.

(Scene 2)

Back in Athens, four of the workmen actors are sitting on a park bench, a little sad, and a lot worried.

No one has seen Bottom since the rehearsal in the forest turned so nasty. They really liked him and, besides, to their eyes, no one but Bottom could act the part of the hero so well.

Snug rushes in and tells them the Duke has finished the wedding ceremony – and now is the time to go to the palace – but where is Bottom?

Right on cue in he rushes and up everyone leaps and does a little dance of joy.

Bottom has a great tale to tell, but before that he has even greater news – they have been called to the palace – their play might be chosen to be performed before the Duke and his new wife.

Off everyone rushes; props have to be collected, costumes put on, makeup splattered on the face - just in case.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

 

Dream Plot - Act 3

The workmen enter to start their secret rehearsal, just underneath the old oak tree, and just in front of the sleeping Fairy Queen.

Before they can actually start, Bottom - who has been thinking - raises a few problems but they are soon solved and the rehearsal gets underway.

Puck, invisible, like the Queen, and still looking for Oberon, wanders in and stops to watch - and possibly take part.

Bottom goes off to prepare to 'make an entrance' as Pyramus, the hero - and Puck follows after him to make sure it is an entrance the workmen will never forget.

Thisbe speaks her lines and the time comes for Bottom to reappear - and in he comes, led on a string by Puck - his whole head turned into a grotesque Donkey, his legs and body the strong workman still.

Everyone freezes, looks and then panic!

Running, falling, and bumping into each other and Bottom, being dragged along the ground by Puck; and tripped up, by Puck; and ridden like a Donkey in a race, by Puck. Puck the joker will make them fall into bogs, will push them into bramble patches, and scare the living daylights out of them by pretending to be a whole zoo-full of wild animals.

Off they run leaving Bottom, half man, half Ass, to stand and wonder what is wrong with them all.

He starts to sing a song about woodland birds, his big man's voice interrupted by the neighs of the part animal he has become. And his song wakes Titania, who, true to the magic juice clouding her eyes, falls madly-deeply in love with the monster.

Her arms wind around him and she calls her servants to her and orders them to fetch whatever 'Bottom the Ass' wants. To her he is beautiful, his voice that of an angel, all that she could desire.

Bottom is not sure what is going on but plays along with her - after all, this beautiful woman has a grip stronger than a wrestler and she is offering to feed him, just what he wants, a sack full of fresh hay.

Titania looks at the moon and some memory stirs deep in her - time to take her new lover off to her 'bower' - but better do it silently, so she orders her fairy servants to tie Bottom's mouth shut and lead him after her.

Puck, hidden in the bushes, follows after and leaves the stage empty.

(Scene 2)

Oberon enters thinking about what has woken Titania and is quickly followed by Puck.

Puck, very pleased with himself, tells the King that Titania is now in love with a monster. He explains what has happened, and when Oberon asks about the Athenian youth, tells him that has been sorted too.

Just then Hermia runs in followed by Demetrius – Oberon says this is the man.

Puck, a little puzzled, says this is the woman, but this isn’t the man.

Oberon looks at Puck: Puck looks at Oberon – a little unsure of what will happen.

Helena and Demetrius are in the middle of an argument. Helena wants to know what has happened to Lysander, Demetrius wants Hermia to love him.
She can’t believe Lysander has left her, she begs Demetrius to tell her where he is, she accuses Demetrius of murdering Lysander.

Demetrius denies it and says he is the murdered one, she is so cruel to him.

She now really gets angry and hits him calling him a dog.

Demetrius repeats he is innocent and he doesn’t know where Lysander is - but he asks her what he would get if he helped her.

She tells him the pleasure of never seeing her again – and storms off.

Demetrius, who is very tired and who knows when he is beaten, lies down and instantly falls asleep.

Oberon explodes at Puck – says he has made a real mess of things and orders him to go and find Helena.

Once Puck has gone off, Oberon squeezes the remaining magic juice into the eyes of Demetrius and casts a charm on him.

Puck returns and tells Oberon Helena is here – and the other Athenian youth.

Oberon orders Puck to get out of the way and both of the Fairies hide.

Helena marches in followed by Lysander begging her to love him.
The noise they make wakes Demetrius, he sits up and looks straight into the eyes of Helena – and instantly a mad raging passion grabs hold of him and he is so deeply in love with Helena he can’t see anything else.

Demetrius scrambles to his knees and swears he loves Helena.

Helena turns round, straight into the arms of Lysander. She pushes him off and stamps her foot. Both of them are laughing at her she says. Both of them are making a game out of her. They are not gentlemen; they are unfair.

Lysander tells Demetrius he is unkind – he loves Hermia, and he can have Hermia.

Demetrius says he doesn’t want Hermia he loves Helena

And Hermia stomps in, angry with Demetrius and worried about what has happened to Lysander.

She rushes to her lover, and he steps aside and ignores her.

She asks him why he left, he tells her he loves Helena.

She is amazed and says so.

Then chaos explodes!

Helena accuses Hermia, Hermia accuses Helena, Demetrius and Lysander start to argue, Hermia puts her arms around Lysander, Lysander pulls them off, insults get thrown around and threats are made.

Finally Lysander and Demetrius march off side by side to find a place to fight, and Hermia chases after Helena to scratch her eyes out!

Puck’s face has a great grin across it – until Oberon grabs his ear and asks if this is all a mistake – or did he do it on purpose?

Puck bounces up and down on tiptoes and promises his Lord it is a mistake – Oberon said a man in Athenian clothes, he didn’t know there was more than one in the woods – honestly.

Oberon gives new orders. Puck is to stop the lovers from meeting. He is to cover the forest in a black fog so that human’s cannot see their hands in front of their faces. He is to exhaust the four young people and make them sleep, then he is to restore Lysander’s eyesight only – so Lysander loves Hermia again.

Oberon gives Puck part of another flower which will remove the effects of the first, and Oberon goes off to see Titania and get the boy off her whilst she is still in love with Bottom, the Ass-Man.

Puck does as his master orders – no mistakes this time. He forces Demetrius and Lysander to run around after their own shadows exhausting them until finally they collapse on the floor and fall into a deep sleep; Helena stumbles in, sinks to floor and sleeps; and finally Hermia almost crawls in to sink exhausted into a deep, deep sleep . . .

Puck releases Demetrius from the charm, looks around at the four young people, smiles and rushes off to find Oberon.

Monday, October 16, 2006

 

Dream Plot - Act 2

ACT 2

A clearing in the woods outside of Athens: The sun has set and night has covered the trees in darkness. There is an old moon rising between the sparkling stars.

A busy young fairy bustles in, sprinkling dew drops on the flowers, making the place sparkle – it is getting the glade ready for the entrance of its Queen - Titania is coming here to dance and party the night away.

But something is watching the fairy.

Something not quite nice.

Puck!

Hobgoblin some call him – but not when he is listening; Puck, the practical joker; Puck, the King of the Fairies’ chief servant. He is here because his master, Oberon, is also coming this way.

Puck asks the fairy why it is here – and smiles when he hears the Queen is coming – Oberon and Titania are in the middle of a long argument and Puck thinks this could be fun to watch.

Suddenly music and rushing winds as both Titania and Oberon enter the clearing at the same time.

There is a moment of silence only broken when Oberon looks at his Queen and says what a bad choice of meeting place they have made – and he accuses Titania of being proud.

She flashes anger back; calls him jealous and orders her fairy servants to leave.

Oberon rises to his full height and orders Titania to stay. He is her Lord!

Titania turns back to look at him – scorn in her eyes.

In a flood of words she accuses him of destroying the harmony in nature that they are responsible for – of destroying it by his arguments and anger. There are frosts in midsummer, corn is rotting because it is too wet to harvest, people are starving, cold and miserable – all because they are arguing.

He asks her what she is going to do about it – after all, it is her fault – She has a changeling child, a boy, who has grown old enough to leave the women of Titania’s court and join his.

She will never give him up – and Oberon can’t come to her bed ‘til he stops asking for the boy.

She storms out and Oberon, in a quiet rage, orders Puck to fetch the flower of a magic plant he knows –he is going to use it to punish Titania and to get the boy from her.

Puck zooms off and Oberon tells us he is going to make Titania fall in love with a wild animal – a monkey or a leopard or a bear.

Oberon’s thoughts of revenge are interrupted as Demetrius runs into the forest clearing – quickly followed by Helena who grabs him and won’t let him go.

Demetrius has run after Hermia, and Helena has run after Demetrius.

She says she loves him: He says he hates her.

He threatens to beat her: She begs him to beat her as long as she can stay with him.

He threatens to do worse things: She says he can’t do anything worse than not love her.

Demetrius escapes and Helena runs after him.

Oberon, who remained unseen throughout this, makes a promise to reverse the chase – Demetrius will chase Helena and she will run from him!

Puck returns and gives the magic flower to Oberon. He brakes some of it off and tells Puck to find an Athenian youth who is with an Athenian girl and to put the juice of the flower on his eyes when he is asleep – but to make sure the first thing he sees when he wakes is the girl. He won’t have any difficulty recognising the boy – he’ll be wearing Athenian clothes.

Oberon goes off to find the sleeping Titania and Puck the sleeping Demetrius.

(Scene 2)

Deep in the wood, near a magnificent old oak tree, is a bank of wild flowers where Titania likes to sleep part of the night amongst the wonderful scents.

She arrives and after her servants have danced and sung her to sleep, they leave her to rest with only one guard.

Oberon knows exactly where she will be and follows her – soon frightening off her fairy guard.

He squeezes the juice of the magic flower into her sleeping eyes and charms her – to love whatever living creature she first sees when she wakes. Then he leaves too.

Lysander and Hermia now enter but do not see the Fairy Queen.

They are lost and tired and there is nothing for it but to spend the night in the wood.

Lysander tries to settle down next to Hermia, but she isn’t very pleased with him for getting them lost and forces him to sleep away from her.

Both are quickly asleep after all the wandering about.

Puck, searching for Demetrius and Helena, stumbles over the sleeping Lysander – and just as Oberon had said, he is wearing Athenian clothes.

Not only that, there is an Athenian girl - too afraid to sleep near the boy (or so Puck thinks).

This must be the pair he is searching for!

So, Puck squeezes the juice into Lysander’s eyes, thinking it is Demetrius, says a charm over him, and rushes off to tell Oberon.

Demetrius runs into the grove still being chased by Helena. He doesn’t see Lysander or Hermia and quickly runs off, more interested in getting away from Helena than of finding the runaway lovers.

Helena is too tired to follow straight away and takes a look around.

She sees Lysander on the floor, but isn’t sure if he is alive or dead.

Helena prods Lysander a little with her foot to make sure and he wakes up – and is instantly, passionately, magically in love with her: The flower’s juice has a very powerful effect.

Lysander tries to grab Helena’s hand, tries to hold her in his arms, tries to kiss her: She fights him off, and tells him he is making fun of her – and that it isn’t nice, or funny. She knows he loves Hermia and tells him so.

She rushes off, in the same direction Demetrius ran, chasing one young man and running away from another.

Lysander, under the influence of the magic, looks at the sleeping Hermia and says she now makes him want to vomit! He runs off, after Helena.

At that moment Hermia wakes from a bad dream – she dreamt of snakes biting her, just like Cleopatra.

At first, not seeing Lysander near her, she plays the helpless woman and shouts out she is afraid, come and help her: As soon as she realises he isn’t there, she hitches up her skirts and marches off to find him.

Titania all this while has been sleeping soundly amongst the glorious scent and fireworks display of magnificent flowers.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

 

The Dream (Act ')

The play opens with a procession through the streets of Ancient Athens.
Theseus, the Duke, is leading his soon-to-be wife, Hippolyta, through the city to show her to the crowds.

He stops and makes a public announcement - describing how he really is in love with her and how he can't wait to get married. She tells him that there are only a few days to wait before the 'next new moon', and the day they can get married.
He mentions the fact that they met in battle - and that they fell in love fighting each other - but that the wedding will be very different - parties, celebrations, "revelling".

The happy mood is suddenly interrupted when an elderly man (Egeus) drags in his daughter, throws her at the feet of the Duke and demands 'Justice'.

Egeus wants his daughter to marry Demetrius - a noble young man - and it is his right, under the laws of Athens, to make his daughter marry anyone he wants.

And Demetrius wants to marry Hermia, the daughter of Egeus.

But, Hermia is in love with Lysander - another noble young man - and Lysander is in love with her. She is refusing to marry Demetrius.

Egeus, who is very angry, demands his rights - either to make Hermia marry Demetrius, or to have her killed for disobeying her father.

Egeus claims that Lysander has used magic on Hermia to make her love him and disobey her father.

Hermia, who apologises to the Duke for being so bold, asks what the law says will happen to her if she keeps on refusing - and Theseus tells her she has two choices: Die or become a nun, never seeing a man ever again. Theseus also tells Hermia to think about it and give him a final answer on the day he marries Hippolyta.

She says she will become a nun before she will marry Demetrius.

Demetrius now speaks out and asks Hermia and Lysander to change their minds. But Lysander jumps in to the argument, claims to be as ‘worthy’ as Demetrius and reminds him that he was in love with Helena – who now ‘dotes’ on him.

Theseus stops the argument and, because this is a public place, asks Demetrius and Egeus to go with him so he can talk to them privately – he claims to talk about something to do with his wedding – and something about themselves.

The stage empties leaving Lysander and Hermia alone.

They talk of love never being easy, never ‘running smooth’, then Lysander tells Hermia of a plan he has hatched: They will run away through the woods outside Athens to an aunt he has – and there they can get married.

Just as Hermia is agreeing to Lysander’s plan, her best friend, Helena, who is deeply in love with Demetrius, comes in.

Helena complains about Demetrius and his love for Hermia.

To prove that Hermia doesn’t care for Demetrius, Lysander tells Helena of their plan to run away.

Hermia and Lysander part, going their separate ways leaving Helena alone on the stage.

She speaks to the audience saying that she will go to Demetrius and tell him of Lysander’s plan – she hopes Demetrius will love her a little more for telling of the planned escape – for Helena, even a little love is better than none.

She runs off to find her once-upon-a-time lover.


A group of craftsmen now enter. These are respectable working men – most of them qualified masters of their craft although they do have an apprentice with them. They are just the sort of people who would stand and watch the plays in Shakespeare’s Globe theatre – the groundlings.

They are meeting to plan an entertainment for the Duke – to be performed on the evening of the wedding. They have decided to put on a play, ‘The tragedy of Pyramus and Thisby’.

Quince, the leader, tries to organise things but ‘Bottom’, a weaver, keeps interrupting – not only that, he wants to play all the parts of in the play. Finally he is persuaded to play Pyramus, the lover and leading man.

It soon becomes clear they have never performed a play before and that they do not really know what they are doing.

Eventually they all know which parts they are to play and agree to meet tomorrow night, in the woods outside Athens, to rehearse. (They want to keep secret what they are doing so no one can copy or spoil the surprise - very much the way professional theatre groups kept their new productions to themselves in Elizabethan England).

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