QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
ACT/SCENE: 4.2
SPEAKER: Bottom
CONTEXT:
BOTTOM
Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is that the
duke hath dined. Get your apparel together, good strings
to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps. Meet
presently at the palace. Every man look o’er his part.
For the short and the long is, our play is preferred. In
any case, let Thisbe have clean linen. And let not him
that plays the lion pair his nails, for they shall hang
out for the lion’s claws. And most dear actors, eat no
onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath. And
I do not doubt but to hear them say, “It is a sweet
comedy.” No more words. Away, go away!

DUTCH:
En, mijn allerliefste spelers, eet toch geen uien of knoflook, want wij moeten een liefelijken adem uitblazen en ik twijfel er niet aan, of we zullen ze hooren zeggen, het is een liefelijke komedie! Nu geen woord meer; voort! gaat! voort!

MORE:
Proverb: The long and the short of it

Strings=To attach beards
Presently=Immediately
Preferred=Selected
Compleat:
Presently=Terstond, opstaandevoet
Preferred=Voorgetrokken, meer geacht, bevorderd, verhoogd

Topics: proverbs and idioms, appearance, preparation