Concord to the Discord

Bottom and the actors gather in the forest to practice the play.

Jul 1, 1592

"Quince: Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house, and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the Duke." ( III, I, 5)

Puck discovers and then ridicules their [the actors'] skills.

Jul 2, 1592

"Puck: What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,
so near the cradle of the fairy queen?
What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor:
An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause." ( III,I,65)

Puck turns Bottom into a donkey.

Jul 3, 1592

Puck: "... an ass' nole I fixed on his head." (III,II,17)

All the actors run away from Bottom.

Jul 4, 1592

Quince: " O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted; play, masters, fly! Masters, help!" (III,I,90)

Titania wakes up to fall in love with Bottom.

Jul 5, 1592

"Titania: I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again;
Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note;
So is mine ye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
on the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee." (III,I,120)

Titania tells the faries to tend to Bottom's every need.

Jul 6, 1592

'Titania: Out of this wood do not desire to go;
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
I am a spirit of no common rate;
The summer still doth tend upon my state,
And I do love thee; therefore, go with me.
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;..." (III,I,135)

Puck reports to Oberon of Titania, Bottom and the Athenian lovers.

Jul 7, 1592

"Puck: My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A cew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play" ( III,II,6)

Hermia thinks someone [Demetrius] has killed Lysander

Jul 8, 1592

"Hermia: Out,dog! out, cur! thou drivest me past the bounds
Of maiden's patience. hast thou slain him, then?..." (III,II,65)

Puck finds out that he had used the poison on the wrong person, and so Oberon squeezes the juice in Demitrius' eye while he sleeps to fix it.

Jul 9, 1592

"Oberon: Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in the apple of his eye.
When his love he doth espy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the venus of the sky.
When thou wak'st, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy." (III,II,105)

Lysander and Helena are arguing because Lysander 'loves' her and not Hermia.

Jul 10, 1592

"Helena: You do advance your cunning more and more.
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!
These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?" (III,II,130)

Demetrius awakes and joins the fray by also voicing his love for Helena.

Jul 11, 1592

"Demetrius: [waking] O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine,
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy: O how ripe in show
Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' snow..." (III,II,140)

Helena gets angry and thinks that the both of them [Demetrius and Lysander] are mocking her.

Jul 12, 1592

"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 not use a gentle lady so...." (III,II,145+)

Hermia comes in, confused and shocked and Helena accuses her of being a part of the awful joke.

Jul 13, 1592

"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.
Injurious hermia, most ungrateful maid!
Have you conspired, have you with these contrived
To bait me with this foul derision?..." (III,II,195+)

Helena and Hermia get into a fight.

Jul 14, 1592

"Helena: Fine, i'faith!
Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
Fie, fie, you counterfeit, you puppet, you!" (III,II, 285)

Lysander and Demetrius go off to fight as well.

Jul 15, 1592

"Lysander: Now she holds me not.
Now follow, if thou dar'st, to try whose right,
Of thine of mine, is most in Helena." (III,II,335)

Puck distracts Demetrius and Lysander by confusing them in the fog and darkness.

Jul 16, 1592

"Puck: Up and down, up and down,
I will lead them up and down;
I am feared in field and town;
Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one." (III,II,400)

Puck waits until both the men fall asleep, and squeezes juice in Lysander's eyes.

Jul 17, 1592

"Puck: On the ground
Sleep sound;
I'll apply
To your eye
Gentle lover, remedy." (III,II,450)