"Ay me, for that I could ever read, / Could ever read by tale or history, / The course of true love never did run smooth."
Lysander speaks these words to Hermia at the beginning of the play, as they are faced with the challenge of Hermia's father and his chosen suitor for his daughter. These words in many ways encompass one of the major themes of the play, which is that love is always tried and tested. Lysander here argues that in the history of the world, love has never been an easy enterprise.
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, / And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
Here, Helena comments on the irrational nature of love. She notes that lovers do not see one another for how they truly are, but are instead "blinded" by their feelings of desire for each other. Helena's speech closely echoes themes from early modern English poetry and even Shakespeare's own poems, in which a speaker expresses desire for someone others may deem imperfect or undesirable.
"To you your father should be as a god; / One that composed your beauties, yea, and one / To whom you are but as form in wax / By him imprinted and within his power / To leave the figure or disfigure it."
When Hermia protests against marrying Demetrius, Theseus says these words to her about obeying her father. He describes Hermia as a shape made in wax by her own father, suggesting that she is wholly dependent on him and at the mercy of his decisions. However, Hermia's decision to run into the woods with Lysander showcases her own sense of autonomy and serves as a challenge to this patriarchal way of thinking.
"Full often hath she gossip'd by my side, / And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, / Marking the embarked traders on the flood, / When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive / And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind."
Here, Titania describes to Oberon where the changeling child came from, attempting to explain why she deserves to have him. This memory of hers – in which she spent intimate time with the child's mother before her death – lends Titania a surprisingly human element to her otherwise supernatural character. Furthermore, this moment hints more deeply at the gender dynamics operative in the play, suggesting another instance of intimate love between two women.
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
This is perhaps one of the most famous quotations from A Midsummer Night's Dream, as it comments ironically on the events of the play and the broader culture of love and devotion that existed in early modern English literature. Puck describes the humans in the play as "fools," showcasing how their behavior is fundamentally illogical and even entertaining for the fairy world. This quotation subtly encourages the audience to reevaluate aspects of humanity that they deem important.
“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”
Helena speaks these words about her friend, Hermia, describing how quickly she can transform from a sweet and innocent girl to a strong and formidable opponent. This quotation underscores the friendship and trust between Helena and Hermia. It also raises questions about the gender dynamics in the play, as the patriarchal system of control that exists in Act One begins to disintegrate as the play unfolds.
"...I never heard / So musical a discord, such sweet thunder."
This is one of the few lines in the poem spoken by Theseus's new wife, Hippolyta. Here, she reminisces about an event from her past involving hunting dogs and the sounds they made. Her oxymoronic description of the sounds as "musical discord" is emblematic of the play's interest in indulging whimsicality and chaos in its own plot.
"Are you sure / That we are awake? It seems to me / That yet we sleep, we dream."
This quote from Demetrius reflects the play's larger investment in dreams and dreamlike states, as well as the nature of performance. When the characters are unsure whether they are awake or dreaming, the play comments on how the theater can operate in a similar manner, transporting audiences to a familiar yet unfamiliar setting for their entertainment.
"I have had a most rare vision. I had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was… The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was."
This quotation is often used as evidence of Bottom's narcissism and ego, which serve to lend his character a comedic presence in the play. Bottom speaks in prose rather than verse, indicating his lower rank among the other characters. Here, he imagines his experience so unique and incomprehensible that it can barely be communicated to people on earth. Ironically, however, Bottom's experience has been observed by the audience who knows that he was merely being tricked by the fairies for their own purposes.
"If we shadows have offended, / Think but this, and all is mended: / That you have but slumbered here, / While these visions did appear; / And this weak and idle theme, / No more yielding but a dream, / Gentles, do not reprehend. / If you pardon, we will mend."
These are the concluding lines of the play. Here, Puck asks the audience to replace any offense they feel about the play with the illusion that they were simply dreaming. These lines help reinforce the play's investment in its dreamscape setting and playfully encourages the audience not to take the performance, or themselves, too seriously.
