Directions: Read the rewritten excerpt from John and Mary Lamb’s version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Shakespeare’s version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

There was a law in the city of Athens which gave to its citizens the power of compelling their daughters to marry whomsoever they pleased. For upon a daughter's refusing to marry the man her father had chosen to be her husband, the father was empowered by this law to cause her to be put to death. This is because fathers do not often desire the death of their own daughters even though they do happen to prove a little refractory. This law was seldom or never put in execution. Perhaps the young ladies of that city were not unfrequently threatened by their parents with the terrors of it.

There was one instance, however, of an old man, whose name was Egeus, who actually did come before Theseus (at that time the reigning duke of Athens), to complain that his daughter Hermia, whom he had commanded to marry Demetrius, a young man of a noble Athenian family, refused to obey him
because she loved another young Athenian named Lysander. Egeus demanded justice of Theseus and desired that this cruel law might be put in force against his daughter.

Hermia pleaded in excuse for her disobedience that Demetrius had formerly professed love for her dear friend Helena. Helena loved Demetrius to distraction, but this honorable reason which Hermia gave for not obeying her father's command moved not the stern Egeus.

William Shakespeare’s Version

EGEUS: Happy be Theseus, our renowned Duke!
  THESEUS: Thanks, good Egeus; what's the news with thee?
  EGEUS: Full of vexation come I, with complaint
    Against my child, my daughter Hermia.
    Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,
    This man hath my consent to marry her.
    Stand forth, Lysander. And, my gracious Duke,
    This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child.
    Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,
    And interchang'd love-tokens with my child;
    Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,
    With feigning voice, verses of feigning love,
    And stol'n the impression of her fantasy
    With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
    Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats- messengers
    Of strong prevailment in unhardened youth;
    With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart;
    Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
    To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious Duke,
    Be it so she will not here before your Grace
    Consent to marry with Demetrius,
    I beg the ancient privilege of Athens:
    As she is mine I may dispose of her;
    Which shall be either to this gentleman
  Or to her death, according to our law
    Immediately provided in that case.
 THESEUS: What say you, Hermia? Be advis'd, fair maid.
    To you your father should be as a god;
    One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one
    To whom you are but as a form in wax,
    By him imprinted, and within his power
    To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
    Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
  HERMIA: So is Lysander.
  THESEUS: In himself he is;
    But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
    The other must be held the worthier.
  HERMIA: I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
  THESEUS:Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
  HERMIA: I do entreat your Grace to pardon me.
    I know not by what power I am made bold,
    Nor how it may concern my modesty
    In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;
    But I beseech your Grace that I may know
    The worst that may befall me in this case,
    If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
  THESEUS. Either to die the death, or to abjure
    For ever the society of men.
    Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,

Note

Only spelling mistakes, if any, in the above passage have been corrected. No other corrections, including grammatical, have been made so that the originality of the passage is maintained.