A Double Cherry Parted

Puck has mistakenly put some love-juice on Lysander's eyes, so now both he and Demetrius are in love with Helena, while nobody loves Hermia. Helena cannot believe that the two men are in love with her and accuses her best friend, Hermia, of plotting with Lysander and Demetrius to make fun of her.

Act 3, Scene 2: Another part of the wood

hermia: What love could press Lysander from my side?

lysander: Lysander's love, that would not let him bide¹,

Fair Helena, who more engilds² the night

Than all yon fiery oes³ and eyes of light.

[ To hermia] Why seek'st thou me? Could not this make thee know 5

The hate I bare thee⁴ made me leave thee so?

hermia: You speak not as you think; it cannot be.

helena: Lo, she is one of this confederacy⁵.

Now I perceive⁶ they have conjoined⁷ all three

To fashion⁸ this false sport in spite of me⁹. 10

Injurious¹⁰ Hermia, most ungrateful maid¹¹

Have you conspired, have you with these contrived¹²

To bait¹³ me with this foul derision?

Is all the counsel¹⁴ that we two have shared -

The sisters' vows¹⁵, the hours that we have spent 15

When we have chid the hasty-footed time

For parting us¹⁶ - 0, is all forgot?

All schooldays' friendship, childhood innocence?

We, Hermia, like two artificial¹⁷ gods

Have with our needles created both one flower¹⁸, 20

Both on one sampler¹⁹, sitting on one cushion,

Both warbling²⁰ of one song, both in one key,

As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds

Had been incorporate²¹. So we grew together

Like to a double cherry, seeming parted 25

But yet an union in partition,

Two lovely berries moulded²² on one stem,

So with two seeming bodies but one heart,

Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,

Due but to one²³, and crowned with one crest²⁴. 30

And will you rent our ancient love asunder²⁵,

To join with men in scorning²⁶ your poor friend?

It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly.

Our sex as well as I may chide you for it²⁷,

Though I alone do feel the injury. 35

GLOSSARY

1.bide: wait

2. engilds: brightens up, embellishes

3. oes: round, shiny pieces of material used to ornament dresses

4. bare thee: have for you

5. confederacy: conspiracy

6. perceive: see

7. conjoined: joined together

8. fashion: create

9. in spite of me: to spite me, to get at me

10. Injurious: hurtful, causing injury

11. maid: girl

12. contrived: planned in a secret way

13. bait: torment

14. counsel: talking as friends

15. vows: promises

16.When we have... parting us: when we have criticised (chid) time because it went by too quickly (hasty-footed), forcing us to part, even though we would have liked to spend more time together

17. artificial: highly skilled in art

18. Have with our needles … flower: We embroidered a flower together

19. sampler: piece of embroidery

20. warbling: singing like a bird

21. incorporate: of one body

22. moulded: shaped

23. Two of the first... Due but to one: like two bodies in one as on a heraldic shield

24. crest: decoration at the top of a heraldic shield

25. rent asunder: tear apart

26. scorning: rejecting

27. Our sex... for it: all women will condemn you as I do

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