Been death’s most horrid agents, human grace

Affords them dust and shadow.

FIRST QUEEN

But our lords

Lie blist’ring fore the visitating sun,

And were good kings, when living.

THESEUS

It is true,

And I will give you comfort to give your dead lords

graves,

The which to do must make some work with Creon.

FIRST QUEEN

And that work presents itself to th’ doing.

Now ’twill take form, the heats are gone tomorrow.

Then, bootless toil must recompense itself

With its own sweat; now he’s secure,

Not dreams we stand before your puissance

Rinsing our holy begging in our eyes

To make petition clear.

SECOND QUEEN

Now you may take him,

Drunk with his victory.

THIRD QUEEN

And his army full

Of bread and sloth.

THESEUS

Artesius, that best knowest How to draw out, fit to this enterprise

The prim’st for this proceeding and the number

To carry such a business: forth and levy

Our worthiest instruments, whilst we dispatch

This grand act of our life, this daring deed

Of fate in wedlock.

FIRST QUEEN (to the other two Queens)

Dowagers, take hands;

Let us be widows to our woes; delay

Commends us to a famishing hope.

ALL THREE QUEENS

Farewell.

SECOND QUEEN

We come unseasonably, but when could grief

Cull forth, as unpanged judgement can, fitt’st time

For best solicitation?

THESEUS

Why, good ladies,

This is a service whereto I am going

Greater than any war—it more imports me

Than all the actions that I have foregone,

Or futurely can cope.

FIRST QUEEN

The more proclaiming

Our suit shall be neglected when her arms,

Able to lock Jove from a synod, shall

By warranting moonlight corslet thee! O when

Her twinning cherries shall their sweetness fall

Upon thy tasteful lips, what wilt thou think

Of rotten kings or blubbered queens? What care

For what thou feel’st not, what thou feel’st being able

To make Mars spurn his drum? O, if thou couch

But one night with her, every hour in’t will

Take hostage of thee for a hundred, and

Thou shalt remember nothing more than what

That banquet bids thee to.

HIPPOLYTA (to Theseus)

Though much unlike

You should be so transported, as much sorry

I should be such a suitor—yet I think

Did I not by th’abstaining of my joy,

Which breeds a deeper longing, cure their surfeit

That craves a present medicine, I should pluck

All ladies’ scandal on me. ⌈Kneels⌉ Therefore, sir,

As I shall here make trial of my prayers,

Either presuming them to have some force,

Or sentencing for aye their vigour dumb,

Prorogue this business we are going about, and hang

Your shield afore your heart—about that neck

Which is my fee, and which I freely lend

To do these poor queens service.

ALL THREE QUEENS (to Emilia)

O, help now,

Our cause cries for your knee.

EMILIA (kneels to Theseus)

If you grant not

My sister her petition in that force

With that celerity and nature which

She makes it in, from henceforth I’ll not dare

To ask you anything, nor be so hardy

Ever to take a husband.

THESEUS

Pray stand up.

⌈They rise⌉

I am entreating of myself to do

That which you kneel to have me.—Pirithous,

Lead on the bride: get you and pray the gods

For success and return; omit not anything

In the pretended celebration.—Queens,

Follow your soldier. (To Artesius) As before, hence you,

And at the banks of Aulis meet us with

The forces you can raise, where we shall find

The moiety of a number for a business

More bigger looked.

Exit Artesius

(To Hippolyta) Since that our theme is haste,

I stamp this kiss upon thy current lip—

Sweet, keep it as my token. (To the wedding party) Set

you forward,

For I will see you gone.

(To Emilia) Farewell, my beauteous sister.—Pirithous,

Keep the feast full: bate not an hour on’t.

PIRITHOUS

Sir,

I’ll follow you at heels. The feast’s solemnity

Shall want till your return.

THESEUS

Cousin, I charge you

Budge not from Athens. We shall be returning

Ere you can end this feast, of which, I pray you,

Make no abatement.—Once more, farewell all.

Exeunt Hippolyta, Emilia, Pirithous, and train towards the temple

FIRST QUEEN

Thus dost thou still make good the tongue o’th’ world.

SECOND QUEEN

And earn’st a deity equal with Mars—

THIRD QUEEN

If not above him, for Thou being but mortal mak’st affections bend

To godlike honours; they themselves, some say,

Groan under such a mast’ry.

THESEUS

As we are men,

Thus should we do; being sensually subdued

We lose our human title. Good cheer, ladies.

Now turn we towards your comforts.

⌈Flourish.⌉ Exeunt

1.2 Enter Palamon and Arcite

ARCITE

Dear Palamon, dearer in love than blood,

And our prime cousin, yet unhardened in

The crimes of nature, let us leave the city,

Thebes, and the temptings in’t, before we further