Events in the first scene
- Theseus and Hippolyta talk about the wedding
- Egeus arrives to complain
- He explains…
- He asks for Theseus’s arbitration: either make her obey him or send her to her death
- Theseus Gives Hermia one more choice: to become a nun, and gives her four days to decide
- Lysander and Demetrius bicker and try to plead their cases
- Hermia begs for the Duke’s understanding
From the Duke’s exit: (Hermia an Lysander are left alone on stage)
- Hermia laments on her fate
- He reassures her
- They make plans to elope
- Helena arrives and complains about Demetrius's love for Hermia
- She says she is ugly whereas Hermia is “fair”
- Hermia and Lysander confide in her
- Left alone, Helena decides to tell Demetrius about the lovers’ plans.
Hoffman’s rendition (from the Duke’s exit)
Helena’s monologue=soliloquy is placed before they confide in her. He’s decided to upset the order of the text.
The two female characters are very “touchy touchy” (=tactile) they look very close and give each other a kiss on the mouth.
He decided to introduce bicycles, maybe to suggest freedom.
Noble’s RSC version (from the Duke’s exit)
Helena is more assertive (or even aggressive).
Her short hair might be indicative of the somewhat postmodern directorial choices that were made.
(to be continued...)
Other vocabulary: Discrepancy (between the text and the rendition)
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