The reading of the present text appears to the left of the square bracket. The earliest sources of readings not in Q1, the quarto of 1600, upon which this edition is based, are indicated as follows: Q2 is the quarto of 1619; Qq is “Q1 and Q2”; F is the Shakespeare First Folio of 1623, in which A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a slightly edited reprint of Q2. Ed. is an earlier editor of Shakespeare, from the editor of the Second Folio of 1632 to the present. No sources are given for emendations of punctuation or for correction of obvious typographical errors, such as turned letters that produce no known word. SD means stage direction; SP means speech heading; ~ refers to a word already quoted. ^ indicates the omission of a punctuation mark.
1.1
4. wanes] Q2, F; waues Q1
10. New] Ed.; Now Qq, F
20. SD Lysander and] F; Lysander and Helena, and Qq
25,
27. Stand forth, Demetrius . . . Stand forth, Lysander] Ed.; set as stage directions in Qq, F
138. low] Ed.; loue Qq, F
154. patience] patienee Q1
190. Yours would] Ed.; Your words Qq, F
195. I’d] Ed.; ile Qq, F
221. sweet] Ed.; sweld Qq, F
224. stranger companies] Ed.; strange companions Qq, F
229. SD 1 line earlier in Qq, F
1.2
1. SP QUINCE] Qnin. Q1
26. rest.—Yet] ~ ^ ~, Qq, F
28–29. split: / The] Ed.; split the Qq, F
43. SP FLUTE] Fla. Q1
2.1
63 and hereafter throughout Act 2. SP TITANIA] Ed.; Qu. Qq, F
63. Fairies] Ed.; Fairy Qq, F
71. steep] Q1 (steppe)
81. Perigouna] Ed.; Perigenia Qq, F
82. Aegles] Ed.; Eagles Qq, F
112. thin] Ed.; chinne Qq, F
158. certain] cettain Q1
160 and hereafter in Act 2. SP ROBIN] Ed.; Puck. Qq, F
164. the] F; omit Q
190. off] Q (of)
201. thee] Q (the)
208. not, nor] F; not, not Qq
253. SD Robin] Ed.; Pucke Qq, F; SD 1 line later in Qq, F
2.2
9. SP FIRST FAIRY] Ed.; omit Qq, F
13,
24. SP CHORUS] Ed.; omit Qq, F
24–30. Philomel . . . lullaby] Ed.; Philomele with melody, &c. Qq, F
44. comfort] comfor Q1
45. Be] Q2, F; Bet Q1
49. good] Q1 (god)
53. is] Q2, F; it Q1
71. SD Robin] Ed.; Pucke Qq, F
156. Methought] Me thoughr Q1
3.1
8. SP QUINCE] Qnin. Q1
50. SP SNOUT] Q1 (Sn.)
55. SP BOTTOM] Q2, F; Cet. Q1
73. your] yonr Q1
81,
83,
104. SP BOTTOM, as Pyramus] Ed.; Pyra. Qq, F
82. odors] F; odorous Qq
87. SP ROBIN] F (Puck); Quin. Qq
88. SP FLUTE] Ed.; Thys. Qq, F
92. SP FLUTE, as Thisbe] Ed.; Thys. Qq, F
101. SP FLUTE] Ed.; Thys. Qq, F
103. SD after line 113 in F “Enter Piramus with the Asse head”; omit Q1
104. fair Thisbe] Ed.; Thysby Qq, F
106. SD Quince . . . exit.] omit Qq; The Clownes all Exit. F
164. SD Enter foure Fairyes. Qq; Enter Peaseblossome, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseede, and foure Fairies. F
165. SP PEASEBLOSSOM] Ed.; Fairies. Qq, F
166. SP COBWEB] Ed.; omit Qq, F
167. SP MOTE] Ed.; omit Qq, F
168. SP MUSTARDSEED] Ed.; omit Qq, F
169. SP ALL] Ed.; omit Qq, F
181. SP PEASEBLOSSOM] Ed.; 1. Fai. Qq, F
182. SP COBWEB] Ed.; omit Qq, F
183. SP MOTE] Ed.; 2. Fai. Qq, F
184. SP MUSTARDSEED] Ed.; 3.Fai. Qq, F
202. of] Ed.; omit Qq, F
3.2
0. SD Enter . . . Fairies.] F (adding “solus”); Qq (adding “and Robin goodfellow.”)
3. SD Enter . . . Goodfellow.] F (Enter Pucke.); omit Qq
6. SP ROBIN] Ed.; Puck Qq, F
6–7. love. . . . bower,] ~, . . . ~. Q1; ~, . . . ~, Q2, F
19. mimic] F; Minnick Q1; Minnock Q2
54. From] Frow Q1
82. so] Ed.; omit Qq, F
86. grow^] ~. Q1
87. sleep] Ed.; slippe Qq, F
111. SD Robin] Puck Qq, F
112 and hereafter until line 418. SP ROBIN] Puck Qq, F
140. waking up] F (Awa.) after l. 139; omit Qq
162. derision! None] Ed.; ~^~ Q1; ~,~ Q2, ~;~ F
218. first, like] Ed.; first life Qq, F
244. sweet] sweeete Q1
257. prayers] Ed.; praise Qq, F
270. off] Q1 (of)
293. Therefore] Thefore Q1
314. gentlemen] Q2, F; gentleman Q1
343. but] Q2, F; hut Q1
365. SD She exits.] Exeunt. Qq; omit F
369. should] shoud Q1
416. notwithstanding] notwiststanding Q1
430. Speak!] Ed.; ~ ^ Qq, F
454. shalt] shat Q1
470. SD 1 line earlier in F
480. To] Ed.; omit Qq, F
4.1
0. SD Bottom] Ed.; Clowne Qq, F. At the end of Act 3 F reads “They sleepe all the Act.”
5 and throughout scene. SP BOTTOM] Ed.; Clown. Qq, F
30. F prints SD “Musicke Tongs, Rurall Musicke.”
42. all ways] Q1 (alwaies)
74. o’er] Q1 (or)
84. sleep ^ . . . these five] Ed.; sleepe: . . . these, fine Qq, F
85. F prints SD “Musick still.”
105. F prints SD “Sleepers Lye still.”
106. SD Oberon . . . Egeus.] Exeunt. Enter Theseus and all his traine. Winde horne. Qq; Exeunt. Winde Hornes. Enter Theseus, Egeus, Hippolita and all his traine. F
121. Seemed] Ed.; Seeme Qq, F
133. is] Q2, F; omit Q1
138. rite] Q1 (right)
143. SD Shout . . . up.] Shoute within: they all start vp. Winde hornes. Qq; Hornes and they wake. Shout within, they all start vp. F
179. saw] Ed.; see Qq, F
193. SD Theseus . . . exit.] Exit Duke and Lords. F
199. found] Q1 (fonnd)
209. let us] Q2, F; lets Q1
210. SD waking up] F (“Bottome wakes.” after line 209)
217. to] Q2, F; omit Q1
219. a patched] F; patcht a Qq
4.2
0. SD Enter . . . Starveling.] Enter Quince, Flute, Thisby and the rabble. Qq; Enter Quince, Flute, Thisbie, Snout, and Starueling. F
3. SP STARVELING] F; Flut. Qq
5 and throughout scene. SP FLUTE] Ed.; Thys[be] Qq, F
5.1
0. SD Enter . . . Attendants.] Q1; Enter Theseus, Hippolita, Egeus and his Lords. F
37. our] F; Or Qq
113. SP THESEUS] Ed.; Duk. Qq, F
113. SD F begins with “Flor. Trum.”
133. SD F begins with “Tawyer with a Trumpet before them.”
133. SD Prologue (Quince)] F at 113 SD has “Prologue. Quince.”
134. SP QUINCE, as Prologue] Ed.; Prologue Qq, F
137. Thisbe] Thsby Q1
150. scare] Ed.; scarre Qq, F
163. SD Lion . . . exit.] Qq; Exit all but Wall. F, 3 lines earlier
164 and hereafter. SP SNOUT, as Wall] Ed.; Wall. Qq, F
165. Snout] F; Flute Qq
178. F prints “Enter Pyramus.”
179 and hereafter. SP BOTTOM, as Pyramus] Py. Qq, F
196. SP BOTTOM] Ed.; Pyr. Qq, F
200 and hereafter. SP FLUTE, as Thisbe] Ed.; This. Qq, F
203. hair] hayire Q1
203. up in thee] F; now againe Qq
218. SD He exits.] Exit Clow. F
219 and hereafter. SP THESEUS] Ed.; Duk. Qq, F
219. wall down] Ed.; morall downe F; Moon vsed Qq
223 and hereafter. SP HIPPOLYTA] Ed.; Dutch. Qq, F
231. beasts^ in,] ~, ~^ Qq, F
232 and hereafter. SP SNUG, as Lion] Ed.; Lyon. Qq, F
253 and hereafter. SP STARVELING, as Moonshine] Ed.; Moone. Qq, F
278,
345. tomb] Q1 (tumbe)
279. SD The . . . off] F; omit Q1
284. SD 2 lines later in Q1
289. gleams] Ed.; beames Qq, F
329–30. before^ Thisbe] ~? ~ Qq, F
331. SD 1 line earlier in F
337. warrant] Q1 (warnd)
368. SP BOTTOM] F; Lyon Qq
387. SD Robin Goodfellow] Ed.; Pucke Qq, F
388. SP ROBIN] Ed.; Puck Qq, F
388. lion] Ed.; Lyons Qq, F
389. behowls] Ed.; beholds Qq, F
418. SP OBERON] Qq; The Song. F
436–37. lines transposed in Qq, F
439. SD All . . . exit.] Ed.; Exeunt. Qq; omit F