QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
ACT/SCENE: 2.2
SPEAKER: Lysander
CONTEXT:
HELENA
Do not say so, Lysander. Say not so.
What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?
Yet Hermia still loves you. Then be content.
LYSANDER
Content with Hermia? No. I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia but Helena I love.
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason swayed,
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their season.
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason.
And touching now the point of human skill,
Reason becomes the marshal to my will
And leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlook
Love’s stories written in love’s richest book.

DUTCH:
En heb ik ‘t oordeel nu van onderscheid,
Dan zij ‘t de rede, die mijn keus geleid’;
Die laat mij nu der liefde doen en wezen
In gouden lett’ren uit uw oogen lezen.,

MORE:
What though=What does it matter
Will=Desire
Ripe not=Don’t ripen
Point=Height (of human skill)
Marshal=Officer at arms; officer who established rank at ceremonies
O’erlook=Glance over, read; look over
Reason=Sense of judgement
Compleat:
Will=Wille
Marshal=een Marschalk

Burgersdijk notes:
In gouden lett’ren. Love’s stories, written in love’s richest book. Zooals hier Helena, wordt in Romeo en Julia Graaf Paris met een kostelijk boek vergeleken.

Topics: regret, love, rivalry, nature, reason