Drama - Page 2

Zsófia Szabina Gávris

Act 2, Scene 1

Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA running after him.

HELENA
Oh my dear Demetrius, wait for me and listen to me!
I love you with all my heart and I’ll never give up on you.
Please choose me over beautiful Hermia, who never loved you.

DEMETRIUS
Leave me alone!
Why can’t you understand me, Helena?
I can’t manage to have feelings for you, because my feelings can’t be controlled;
You are asking me to do something I am not able to do.

HELENA
I understand you, but please let my try.
I will make you fall in love if you let me.
We could have a beautiful future and a lovely life together, don’t you think?

DEMETRIUS
No!! I don’t think the same way as you do.
The more you force me to be in love,
The more I am starting to hate you.

Enter a news REPORTER.

REPORTER
My people, my lovebirds, you seem to be playful lovers,
Just the ones I am searching for!
Would you be so kind as to tell me a few words about yourselves, your love life,
And everythiiiing about each other?
It could happen to be a nice article.

DEMETRIUS
First of all, don’t you dare call us either lovers or lovebirds.
There is nothing between us, and there will never be.
I am her platonic love and nothing more.
And if you excuse me,
I have better and more important things to do.

Demetrius exits.

HELENA
Oh, gentle reporter, excuse his reaction.
He is a bit upset and disorganised at the moment,
But on other days he is a lovely, smooth man,
As sweet as honey and shiny as the Sun.
Our relationship is very unique, because he is shy and hasn’t yet confessed his love.
We have our ups and downs, but it is worthwhile to put in the effort.
He is—

The reporter interrupts her.

REPORTER
I am sorry ma’am, maybe I misunderstood something.
Didn’t he say that he is not in love with you?
I mean, he seemed like he was telling the truth.
Have you ever thought about how he doesn’t reciprocate your feelings?
In my opinion, you should see clearly in this situation and think about these things.

HELENA
Noooo, this is absolutely impossible.
It can’t happen … or can it?
Oh my God … what … what if you are right?
No, no, no, no…. it can’t be real!
It can’t be….

Helena bursts into tears.

REPORTER
Dear lady, I didn’t mean to hurt you.
I just thought you deserved to know the whole truth.
I feel sorry for you, honestly.

HELENA
Thank you, but please leave me alone.
I need some time with myself.

Reporter leaves; Helena continues crying.

Gréta Tóth

(Act 2, Scene 1)

TITANIA
It is your choice, Oberon, if you want to see the boy ever again. If so, you can stay with us. But if you decide you are unwilling and try to take him away, I swear by my great-grandmother’s name that I will take the boy somewhere where you cannot find him ever. Mark my words, Oberon, and make a decision!

OBERON
How dare you take the boy away, Titania? It is not your job to raise him. Give him to me, and I will teach him how to become a great man.

TITANIA
I refuse to!                             

She turns away and starts running but bumps into something.

MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
Oh, I’m so sorry, my dear. I didn’t mean to run into you. You know, I’m rather in a hurry right now, but I couldn’t help hearing you and your beloved man arguing. How lucky you are, I came just in time. I bet this must be a sign: a sign that your love is meant to be and it was my fate to come here this night. But wait, let me introduce myself: I am Aloys, the best of all marriage counselors.                                        

He bows to both Titania and Oberon.

I have worked with many young couples, and let me tell you the truth: I’ve never failed so far. So don’t be afraid, beautiful lady, we will save your marriage. But young lovers, would you please tell me the whole story and everything about your partner that bothers you? You know, this is the most efficient therapy, and here I am, a hero who willingly gives up his free time to save your pure love.

TITANIA
I’ve had enough of this nonsense, fairies, come with me!

They exit.

MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
Wait a second! Running away from the problem is the worst thing one could do. Please, come back and we can talk this out. And we can—

OBERON
(Shouting) Run, Titania! Just run away! And you can hide the boy too, but I’ll come chasing after you until I find both of you!

MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
These emotions are so deep, my fellow man. Go ahead, speak your mind. I promise you will feel much better. Let me help you conquer dear Titania’s heart again. We can work this out; just don’t give up your hopes.

OBERON
Enough! Leave me alone, you fool!                                                 

He exits.

Gergely Sülye

TITANIA
…As from a voyage, rich with merchandise.
But she, being mortal, of that boy did die;
And for her sake do I rear up her boy,
And for her sake I will not part with him.

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1

OBERON
And how do you know that boy’s will
To be eagerly under your care is true?
Has he ever conversed with you,
Or asked for protection on his mother’s bill?
I shall see if what has been said holds up,
Because it only takes a word from me;
And the boy will be here.

TITANIA
It is not the boy’s wish nor mine,
His mother’s honor is what commends my
Heart and body to respect what and
Everything she left behind.

Enter the boy.

BOY
Where am I? Who is there?

OBERON
Fear not, it is I the fairy king Oberon
And Titania, my one and only queen.

TITANIA
You have been summoned to answer;
Do you want to stay within my protection,
Or do you wish to join up with Oberon?
Don’t hesitate to talk, dear.

BOY
I don’t want to be here.

OBERON
Do you find her presence unsightly?
Shall we go to a different place,
Like an empty field that’s flowery?

BOY
No, I don’t know who you are. I want to go home.

TITANIA
It seems you have misunderstood the question.
We want to know your opinion:
With which one of us you would be comfortable?
Under whose protection?

BOY
Please! I didn’t do anything wrong! Let me go home!

OBERON
Titania, your faults know no bounds.
You have made an innocent young boy cry
With nothing at that, but words.
I don’t know what your intention is,
But he will have to go back home nigh,
And he shall stay until you have better reasons.

Dorottya Turza

Enter QUINCE, BOTTOM.

QUINCE
Dear Sir Bottom, I hope you have a convincing excuse for why you called for me so unexpectedly. I spend the greater part of my time reading, but your sudden outburst kept me from the pleasure of finishing my most precious book.

BOTTOM
Good evening to you too, dear Sir Peter Quince! If I must ask where you left your manners. Is this the way you should greet such a noble and humble person as myself?

QUINCE
…My apologies for the rude behavior. If you would be so kind to tell me what is the urgency that you can not wait for the first rays of the sun.

BOTTOM
First, Peter Quince, I must say I am very surprised and a little disappointed that you of all people do not know MY trouble.

QUINCE
Dear Sir Bottom, please leave the half sentences and start what you have to say. You assume that I am a patient man, but I can tell you my forbearance is also limited. So if you could be so indulgent and grow to the point, then I would be extremely grateful.

BOTTOM
Peter Quince, I give you my word, for that which I am about to say is truly worth your time. With all my heart, I, Nick Bottom, had time to think over a lot of things. To the point where I came to the conclusion that Pyramus and Thisby is too average to be worthy of my unwordy acting skills.

QUINCE
… Excuse me?

BOTTOM
I must say the first time I came upon this piece, I indeed saw great potential in it. I wished to be a part of this magnificent play full of possibilities. My role Pyramus is an exceptional person. Not just a lover. Nor just a tragic character. His shape is free and easy. One may call him a handsome man. He dresses very well. He is very genteel, he has a good air. He has a fine presence and a noble gait. He is the statue of perfection, but he has not at all pleased me. I can hardly believe it. Why?! Why can not he satisfy me? Now I know the reason. Such a wonderful man can not be a challenge for me, because he reminds me too much of another admirable person, of myself.

QUINCE
So you should like to—

BOTTOM
If I could ask for your full attention, as I have not finished yet—

QUINCE
No! You listen to me, Nick Bottom! I believe I have heard enough to determine your problem. You wish to quit the play for the reason that it is not as challenging as you thought. But I might know how to solve this issue.

BOTTOM
I am all ears.

QUINCE
You shall act the opposite way.

BOTTOM
Ehh?! What are you saying? Such foolishness.

QUINCE
Do not be ignorant! Think of it as the surprise of the century. Just imagine it for a second. The high and mighty Pyramus is not his real self. He is a completely new man. That you could shape into this tragic lover that we could all feel sorry for. You can turn a kind, gentle nobleman into a lonely, abandoned and pathetic person. That could cause such disbelief.

BOTTOM
Peter Quince… that is brilliant! The turn that nobody suspects. I love it! A Pyramus just as pitiful as a slave girl… That’s a sight for sore eyes. With this I would make the audience fill up with tears and sobs. Now I have an idea! We shall all act differently!

QUINCE
Though ever so willing, we cannot.

BOTTOM
What prevents us?

QUINCE
It surely would be a chaos that we could not manage. If we go on the stage like that, we may pass away before the curtain is drawn.

BOTTOM
Well, there’s no accounting for taste.

Exeunt.

(Author’s note: I used English Dialogues Upon the Most Common Subjects of Life. Dr. Johann Christian Fick, 1813 to gather ideas for using the older English style in the conversation between Quince and Bottom.)

Dávid Csáki

BOTTOM
I will roar, that I will do any man’s heart good to hear me; I will roar,
that I will make the duke say ‘Let him roar again, let him roar again.’

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, Scene 2

QUINCE
That’s very brave of you, but are you sure you’re as good as a real lion?

BOTTOM
Not just any lion, but the greatest lion of them all. If you don’t believe me, let us put my skills to test. I demand you bring me a real lion so we can compare our roars.

QUINCE
That is ridiculous! Where are we going to find one, anyway?

BOTTOM
I am glad you asked, because I heard rumors about a wild lion rampaging in a nearby village. The situation seems to be out of control, and that beast has killed over thirty people there.

QUINCE
Are you speaking the truth? And if you are, are your sources reliable? If that is the case. it is our lucky day.

BOTTOM
My source gave his word for it; both he and I are speaking the plain truth.

QUINCE
Very well. Let us go on a journey to capture the beast. We will help the people of the village, and you can have your little showdown with the lion afterwards. Don’t let us down, or we might end up giving the part to the lion after all.

BOTTOM
It is a profitable solution for both ends. You will see that my roars are no different, if not better, than those of a wild lion. You will be convinced that at least one of my parents has to be a beast. That I can guarantee. If I end up failing you, I will surrender myself for the lion to eat.

QUINCE
We’re leaving no later than tomorrow morning. I like your confidence and bravery. Reminds me of some kind of animal.

Exeunt.

Bertalan Szegi

Theseus and Hermia are arguing.

HERMIA

So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,
Ere I will my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke
My soul consents not to give sovereignty.

THESEUS                           

Take time to pause; and, by the next new moon–
The sealing-day betwixt my love and me,
For everlasting bond of fellowship–
Upon that day either prepare to die
For disobedience to your father’s will,
Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana’s altar to protest
For aye austerity and single life.

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, Scene 1.

                                                        He exits.

                                                  Enter Hermia’s mother.   

HERMIA’S MOTHER
Hey my dear. Its been a long time since I saw you. How are your things going? Hey, what’s the problem? I see you are sad.

HERMIA
Oh, you know I’m in love with Lysander, but my father wants me to marry Demetrius. Recently Theseus told me that if I withstand my father I have two choices; the first one is lifelong chastity as a nun worshipping the goddess Artemis; and the second one is death. I just want to love Lysander; you know that I don’t want to marry Demetrius, but I don’t wanna die or go into lifelong chastity. I don’t know… maybe I will run away with Lysander.

HERMIA’S MOTHER
Chill, my dear. Sit down and let me tell you a story about your father and me. It will be such a disappointing story, so please sit down and listen carefully. Preferably please don’t inerrupt me, because I don’t want to leave anything out of the story.

HERMIA
Oh Mom, I have become curious!

HERMIA’S MOTHER
Our story begins two years before you born. Me and your father were twenty years old when we met at a theatrical performance. It was love at first sight. We talked a lot and had a lot of fun together. A bit later my father told me that I should marry Maximus, the son of a rich gentleman. I told my parents that I wanted to be Egeus’s wife. They were disappointed and asked me why. I told them the truth, I told them that I love Egeus and I don’t want to marry Maximus because he is ugly. I told them that Maximus could be the richest person in the world, I couldn’t love him my whole life. After this conversation they gave me the same choices as Theseus gave you recently: lifelong chastity or death. I told them that I’d rather die than marry Maximus. My mother started to cry, and my father tried to comfort her. He told me to change my way of thinking by the next week. I didn’t want to wait till the next week, so I went to Egeus and we figured out a plan. We were to meet at the border of our town and escape from the city at night and live a worryless life together. Our plan was perfect. No one guessed what we were planning. We successfully reached the border of our town and started to walk towards the forest. We were on the road for three days when our food and water supply ran out, so we started to search after some food. Its took us seven days to find another town where we could settle down, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough money to buy a house so both of us worked hard to earn a lot of money to buy a place where we could live. It took us almost one year to escape and settle down, and when there were no problems in our lives, our parents found us. They were mad and tried to bring us back to our town. We told them that if they brought us back, somehow, we would run away again and they couldn’t stop us. We told them that they didn’t need to worry about us because we had a house and a good income so we could live a worryless life. Our parents had a two-hour-long conversation, and finally they agreed with us. That’s how we escaped with our love, and that’s how we settled down in a different town.

HERMIA
Oh my god Mom…

HERMIA’S MOM
So don’t worry, my dear, I will talk about this with your father. He will understand your problem, and he will let you be with your love.

HERMIA
Thanks, Mom, I don’t know how can I thank you.

HERMIA’S MOM
You do not need to thank me for such a thing.

                                                             They exit.

Áron Antal

LYSANDER and HERMIA enter.

HERMIA
Oh, my dear love Lysander,
I got on this way here so tired,
Where shall we rest, my dear?

LYSANDER
Well my dear Hermia,
If you got tired,then
I must go to sleep as well,
‘Cause our heart and blood
Will be the same by next month.

HERMIA
Then here we’ll lie
Here next the river bank
Where you can rest
Your head on my breast.

LYSANDER
Hermia, don’t you think
That we should remain innocent!
Till the day of the marriage
I can’t do such perv things.

HERMIA
Shall it be as you wish,
Then here, have this
Sleep on the moss
Instead of my bosom.

LYSANDER
I got tired as you
So we shall sleep
To get the time passed
Until the marrie day.

They rest and fall asleep.

HELENA and DEMETRIUS arrive in the forest.

DEMETRIUS
You can’t outrun me, my love.

HELENA
You perv, leave me alone!

HELENA hides behind a tree.

DEMETRIUS
You can run, but you can’t hide!

DEMETRIUS exits.

HELENA
For my luck I can hide
So saving my own hide
From that jerk Demetrius.
I got so tired in the chase
That I must go to sleep here
Along this bank where
Demetrius can’t find me.

Falls asleep, not recognising that next to her lie LYSANDER and HERMIA.

ROBIN GOODFELLOW enters.

ROBIN
I searched for hours now
But could not find no
Athenian woman lying
On the ground.

He falls over.

ROBIN
What is this, oh,
I found what I have
Searched for all night
That Athenian woman
Oberon told me about!
I shall do what I’m meant
And squeeze this flower’s nect—

Squeezes the flower into Helena’s eyes.

ROBIN
I did what I had to
But just look:
There is some flower left.
So what should I do with that?
I think the best
Is to throw it away, alas.

Throws the flower away, and it lands in HERMIA’S eyes.

DEMETRIUS enters, searching for HELENA, waking up both HELENA and HERMIA; both of them see him first.

HERMIA
Oh my dear love, stranger,
I don’t know a way to say
Something even stranger,
But I feel true love for you!

DEMETRIUS
Who are…..

HELENA
Oh dear Demetrius,
I’ve been a fool
To reject your love!

HERMIA
What dare you say about
My lover, my dear stranger?

DEMETRIUS
My heart is meant for Hermia.
Leave me alone you strange
Woman, whom I just met.

HERMIA chases DEMETRIUS, followed by HELENA, who chases them both.

LYSANDER starts waking up.

LYSANDER
Hermia my dear, what’s
That noise I just heard?
Hermia! Hermia!? Hermia?
Where have you gone,
She must have thought
From how I acted
That I don’t love her
And ran away, leaving me here,
For some animal to eat.
Where did you go, Hermia?

Exits, to search for HERMIA.