No man was privie to their thoughts. And for to serve their turne, The fire of love, the fiercer still it raged in their brest. The wall that parted house from house had riven therein a cranie, To talke together secretly, and through the same did go Stood often drawing one of them the pleasant breath from other: O thou envious wall (they sayed), why letst thou lovers thus ; In armes each other to embrace: or if thou think that this Were over-much, yet mightest thou at least make roome to kisse. Our sayings to our friendly eares thus freely come and go. Next morning with her cheerefull light had driven the starres aside, Which was a faire high mulberie with fruite as white as snow, Hard by a coole and trickling spring. This bargaine pleased them both. Love made her bold. But see the chance; there comes besmerde with blood, From slaughter lately made of kine, to staunch her bloody thirst And when he had bewept, and kist the garment which he knew, That like as of thy death I was the onely cause and blame, So am I thy companion eke and partner in the same. This said, she tooke the sword yet warme with slaughter of her love, Her prayer with the Gods and with their parents tooke effect, The "Life of Theseus" in North's Plutarch has also been mentioned as one of the sources from which Shakespeare drew some small part of his material. The only passages that can be cited as illustrating the play are the following: "And so going on further, in the straits of Peloponnesus he killed another [robber], called Sinnis, surnamed Pityocamtes, that is to say, a wreather or bower of pine-apple trees: whom he put to death in that self cruel manner that Sinnis had slain many other travellers before. This Sinnis had a goodly fair daughter called Perigouna, which fled away when she saw her father slain; whom he followed and sought all about. But she had hidden herself in a grove full of certain kinds of wild pricking rushes called stabe, and wild sperage, which she simply like a child intreated to hide her, as if they had heard, and had sense to understand her: promising them with an oath, that if they saved her from being found, she would never cut them down, nor burn them. But Theseus finding her, called her, and sware by his faith he would use her gently, and do her no hurt, nor displeasure at all. Upon which promise she came out of the bush, and bare unto him a goodly boy, which was called Menalippus. . . . 66 Furthermore, after he was arrived in Creta, he slew there the Minotaur (as the most part of ancient authors do write) by the means and help of Ariadne: who being fallen in fancy with him, did give him a clue of thread, by the help whereof she taught him, how he might easily wind out of the turnings and crancks of the labyrinth.... They report many other things also touching this matter, and specially of Ariadne: but there is no troth nor certainty in it. For some say, that Ariadne hung herself for sorrow, when she saw that Theseus had cast her off. Others write, that she was transported by mariners into the ile of Naxos, where she was married unto Enarus the priest of Bacchus : and they think that Theseus left her, because he was in love with another, as by these verses should appear: Ægles, the nymph, was loved of Theseus, "Touching the voyage he made by the sea Major, Philochorus, and some other hold opinion, that he went thither with Hercules against the Amazons: and that to honour his valiantness, Hercules gave him Antiopa the Amazon. But the more part of the other historiographers, namely, Hellanicus, Pherecides, and Herodotus, do write, that Theseus went thither alone, after Hercules' voyage, and that he took this Amazon prisoner which is likeliest to be true. : For we do not find that any other who went this journey with him, had taken any Amazon prisoner beside himself. Bion also the historiographer, this notwithstanding, saith, that he brought her away by deceit and stealth. For the Amazons (saith he) naturally loving men, did not fly at all when they saw them land in their country, but sent them presents, and that Theseus enticed her to come into his ship, who brought him a present: and so soon as she was aboard, he hoised his sail, and so carried her away. ... "Now, whether they [the Amazons] came by land from so far a country, or that they passed over an arm of the sea, which is called Bosphorus Cimmericus, being frozen as Hellanicus saith: it is hardly to be credited. But that they camped within the precinct of the very city itself, the names of the places which continue yet to this present day do witness it, and the graves also of the women which died there. But so it is, that both armies lay a great time one in the face of the other, ere they came to battle. Howbeit at the length Theseus, having first made sacrifice unto Fear the goddess, according to the counsel of a prophecy he had received, he gave them battle in the month of August, on the same day in the which the Athenians do even at this present solemnise the feast which they call Boedromia. . . . Afterwards, at the end of four months, peace was taken between them by means of one of the women called Hippolyta. For this historiographer calleth the Amazon which Theseus married, Hippolyta, and not Antiopa." Halliwell points out certain "anachronisms" in the play : "For instance, Theseus marries Hippolyta on the night of the new moon; but how does this agree with the discourse of the clowns (iii. I. 45-51) at the rehearsal ? Again, the period of action is four days, concluding with the night of the new moon. But Hermia and Lysander receive the edict of Theseus four days before the new moon; they fly from Athens 'to-morrow night; they become the sport of the fairies, along with Helena and Demetrius, during one night only, for Oberon accomplishes all in one night, before the first cock crows; and the lovers are discovered by Theseus the morning before that which would have rendered this portion of the plot chronologically consistent. For, although Oberon, addressing his queen, says, 'Now thou and I are new in amity; And will, to-morrow midnight, solemnly, Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly,' yet Theseus, when he discovers the lovers, asks Egeus, 'is not this the day That Hermia should give answer of her choice?' and the answer of Egeus, 'It is, my Lord,' coupled with what Theseus says to Hermia, i. 1. 83 fol. 'Take time to pause; and by the next new moon,' etc. proves that the action of the remaining part of the play is not intended to consist of two days. "The preparation and rehearsal of the interlude present similar inconsistencies. In i. 2. 9-55, Quince is the only one who has any knowledge of the most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby,' and he selects actors for Thisby's mother, Pyramus's father, and Thisby's father, none of whom appear in the interlude itself. In iii. 1. 73-93, we have the commencement of the play in rehearsal, none of which appears in the piece itself. Again, the play could have been but partially rehearsed once; for Bottom only returns in time to advise 'every man look o'er his part;' and immediately before his companions were lamenting the failure of their 'sport.' How then could the 'merry tears' of Philostrate be shed at its rehearsal ?" |