A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare – Quotes

“to live a barren sister all your lifeChanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.” -Theseus to Hermia-About her choice with marrying Demetrius and what she would rather do with her life.
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” -Lysander to Hermia-Love is fragile and no true love story can go without a hardship.
“Swift as a shadow, short as any dreamBrief as lightning in the collied night.” -Lysander to Hermia-About how short love can be.
“Nay, faith, let me not play a woman: I have a beard coming” -Flute to Quince-About Flute not wanting to play a woman (Thisby) in the play.
“I am that merry wanderer of the night” -Puck to the other fairies-This is Puck admitting that he is Robin Goodfellow
“Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell;It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love’s woundAnd maidens call it love-in-idleness.” -Oberon to Puck-Where the love potion flower is.
“I’ll put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes.” -Puck to Oberon-This is how quickly Puck claims to get things done
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.” -Oberon to Puck-About where Titania sleeps
“What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?” -Titania to Bottom-When the love flower juice is in her eyes and she falls in love with Bottom.
“So we grew together,Like a double cherry, seeming parted,But yet an union in partition;Two lovely birdies moulded on one stem;So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart” -Helena to Hermia (and Demetrius/Lysander/audience)-About how they were the best of friends and something changed once Helena was getting the attention of the boys.
“O when she’s angry, she is keen and shrewd!She was a vixen when she went to school;Although she be but little, she is fierce” -Helena to Hermia (and Demetrius/Lysander/audience)-About Hermia
“Cupid is knavish lad,Thus to make poor females mad” -Puck to Audience-When the four lovers have run around but now are tired so they lie down 2 and 2. Puck then tries to fix everything.
“My Oberon! What visions have I seen!Methought I was enamoured of an ass” -Titania to Oberon-About waking up and the concept of dreams
“Wherat with blade, with bloody blameful blade.He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast” -Quince to Audience(Duke)-Rambling about the play and Pyramus killing himself
“Use me but as your spaniel – spurn me, strike me,Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leaveUnworthy as I am, to follow you” -Helena to Demetrius-Love is blinding Helena. She loves Demetrius no matter what the circumstances.
“I know you two are rival enemies:How comes this gentle concord in the worldThat hatred is so far from jealousyTo sleep by hate and fear no enmity?” -Theseus to Demetrius and Lysander-When Theseus was in the forest hunting and found them. It’s how they had change of hearts about each other, and they’ve learned to get along.
“Get your apparel together, good strings to your beards,new ribbons to your pumps; meet presently at the palace” -Bottom to the Play Cast-This is Bottom telling the actors to get ready to preform because the show must go on.
“No, my noble lord;It is not for you; I have heard it over,And it is nothing, nothing in the world;Unless you can find sport in their intentsExtremely stretch’d and conn’d with cruel pain, To do you service.” -Philostrate to Theseus-Philostrate was trying to convince Theseus not to pick Pyramus and Thisby for the play for the wedding.
“Not a mouseShall disturb this hallow’d houseI am sent with broom before,To sweep the dust behind the door” -Puck to Audience-This is about the fairies’ blessing
“Now until the break of dayThrough this house each fairy stray.To the best bride-bed will weWhich by us shall blessed be.” -Oberon to Fairies-This is Oberon ordering the Fairies to bless the lovers and protect the offsprings from being blasphemies.
“If we shadows have offended,Think but this and all is mended,That you have slumber’d hereWhile these visions did appear.” -Puck to the Audience-If you were offended or couldn’t believe what was happening, pretend it was all just a dream.