Remarks on III, 1

ACT III, SCENE I. The wood. TITANIA lying asleep.

Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

The craftsmen are meeting in the woods to rehearse (as they had planned “at the Duke’s oak”)

 

BOTTOM
Are we all met?
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.	Not much scenery. Description of what’s there (to help the audience, sice there was not much scenery). The start of the mise en abyme
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?	Questioning the play. Acts as if he was in charge.
SNOUT
By'r lakin, a parlous fear.
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.	He thinks the audience won’t  be able to understand he doesn’t really kill himself: He is silly / stupid / naïve The whole scene is burlesque.
QUINCE
Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six.	Quince has no real authority over Bottom A form of metric
BOTTOM
No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.	Shows his ignorance
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 wild-fowl 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.	The lion’s disguise must be bad enough for people to see there is a man wearing it, and he must say he is not a lion. Uses ‘defect’ instead of ‘effect’: a malapropism.
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.	Complies with bottom
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 casement 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 lanthorn, 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 chink of a wall.	2nd malapropism Hole / crack
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.	Thicket, bush
Enter PUCK behind
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.	The audience is looking forward to the tricks Puck is going to play. (he’s very likely to do such thing)
QUINCE
Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.
BOTTOM
Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,--	malapropism
QUINCE
Odours, odours.
BOTTOM
--odours savours 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
PUCK
A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.	Interaction between the worlds
Exit
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
Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue, Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier, Most brisky juvenal 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 true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.
Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass's head
BOTTOM
If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine.
QUINCE
O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray, masters! fly, masters! Help!	Fright / panic
Exeunt 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.	Sounds like a spell
Exit
BOTTOM
Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to make me afeard.
Re-enter SNOUT
SNOUT
O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee?
BOTTOM
What do you see? you see an asshead of your own, do you?	Dramatic irony
Exit SNOUT
Re-enter QUINCE
QUINCE
Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated.
Exit
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.	Dramatic irony again (he has an ass’s head but he doesn’t know it)
Sings
The ousel cock so black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, The wren with little quill,--
TITANIA
[Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
BOTTOM
[Sings] The finch, the sparrow and the lark, The plain-song cuckoo gray, Whose note full many a man doth mark, And dares not answer nay;-- for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry 'cuckoo' never so?
TITANIA
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note; So is mine eye 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.	Funny: the audience sees he is neither beautiful nor melodious. Theres a discrepancy between what she describes and what we see and hear.
BOTTOM
Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days; the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
TITANIA
Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.	On-going irony
BOTTOM
Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.
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, And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep; And I will purge thy mortal grossness so That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!	A threat Contrast with Bottom’s language (plain, prosaic): she speaks in lyrical verses. Fairies she calls to attend on / wait on him
Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, and MUSTARDSEED
PEASEBLOSSOM
Ready.
COBWEB
And I.
MOTH
And I.
MUSTARDSEED
And I.
ALL
Where shall we go?	Playfulness
TITANIA
Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes; Feed him with apricocks and dewberries, With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries; The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees, And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes, To have my love to bed and to arise; And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes: Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.	She waxes lyrical again with natural imagery
PEASEBLOSSOM
Hail, mortal!
COBWEB
Hail!
MOTH
Hail!
MUSTARDSEED
Hail!
BOTTOM
I cry your worship's mercy, heartily: I beseech your worship's name.	Overdone  / hyperbolic /aI/
COBWEB
Cobweb.
BOTTOM
I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you. Your name, honest gentleman?	Emphasises his plainness and his practicality
PEASEBLOSSOM
Peaseblossom.
BOTTOM
I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, sir?
MUSTARDSEED
Mustardseed.
BOTTOM
Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well: that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise you your kindred had made my eyes water ere now. I desire your more acquaintance, good Master Mustardseed.
TITANIA
Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon methinks looks with a watery eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastity. Tie up my love's tongue bring him silently.	She wants him to shut up / she’s becoming impatient
Exeunt

To summarise III, 1:

The craftsmen (or “the mechanicals”, or artisans) meet to rehearse for the show they want to put on at the Duke’s wedding. Puck plays a trick on Bottom, changing his head into that of an ass. Titania wakes up and falls in love with him.

Where the comedy comes from:

-          Bottoms malapropisms that sometimes happen to express something that is true.

-          They don’t seem very clever: they think the audience is ignorant but in fact they are ignorant , naive, gullible and come up with ridiculous solutions (their play is going to look very cheap)

-          They have a high opinion of their abilities as actors.

-          The whole situation is burlesque: they attach too much importance to unimportant things.

-          Craftsmen plodding onto / “swaggering” onto the stage, (tough/coarse/rough men), and then delivering poetic verses, offers a great contrast that is bound to make the audience laugh.

-          In RSC ’96 their reactions when they see Bottom’s head is exaggerated / overdone (they make faces, they shout and scream, run away in all directions, etc.). It’s slapstick humour.

Mise en abyme:

It is a play within a play. The audience sees Puck watch a play within a play.

The scene poses the fundamental question of credibility /verisimilitude of any fiction. Also, It is interesting here to reflect on what willing suspension of disbelief means.