Lysander Quotes

LYSANDER: Why seek’st thou me? Could not this make thee know
The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?
HERMIA: You speak not as you think. It cannot be.

– William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, Scene 2. Lysander is under the spell of the fairies’ magic love potion. As a result he now loves Helena and believes he hates Hermia and questions why she is looking for him. A loyal but dumbfounded Hermia, so sure of Lysander’s love for her, cannot believe his sudden reversal of affections. She declares that he cannot possibly believe what he is saying.

LYSANDER: Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! Vile thing, let loose,
Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent.
HERMIA: Why are you grown so rude? What change is this,
Sweet love?
LYSANDER: Thy love? Out, tawny Tartar, out!
Out, loathèd med’cine! O. hated potion, hence!

– William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, Scene 2. Lysander uses a series of metaphors to insult Hermia, calling her cat, a burr, a Tartar and disgusting medicine. He compares her to a serpent, using a simile. Referring to Hermia as "loathèd med’cine" and "hated potion" is ironic, seeing as Lysander is the one drugged by Oberon’s love juice. A confused Hermia cannot understand the transformation in her "sweet love" and why he is now so mean to her.

LYSANDER: Where art thou, proud Demetrius? Speak thou now.
PUCK [in Demetrius’ voice]: Here, villain, drawn and ready. Where art thou?
LYSANDER: I will be with thee straight.
PUCK [in Demetrius’ voice]: Follow me, then, to plainer ground.

– William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, Scene 2. Puck’s ability to transform himself is not confined to shapeshifting. He can also mimic other people’s voices. Here he tricks Lysander by disguising his voice to sound like Demetrius. Since the audience is in on the deception, this is an example of dramatic irony.

My lord, I shall reply amazèdly,
Half sleep, half waking. But as yet, I swear,
I cannot truly say how I came here.

– William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 4, Scene 1. The lines between reality and illusion are blurred for the Athenian couples when they wake up in the wood after the previous night’s strange events. A confused Lysander responds to Theseus’ question of how he came to be on the ground sleeping near his arch enemy Demetrius. He admits to being baffled and feels that he is half asleep, half awake.

THESEUS: This fellow does not stand upon points.
LYSANDER: He hath rid his prologue like a rough colt. He knows not the stop. A good moral, my lord: it is not enough to speak, but to speak true.

– William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5, Scene 1. Theseus and Lysander comment on Quince’s dreadful Prologue speech. Theseus says that he doesn’t adhere to proper punctuation. Lysander uses a simile to compare Quince’s performance to riding a wild colt, he didn’t know how to stop. It’s not enough to speak, but you need to speak correctly, Lysander says.

THESEUS: A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience.
DEMETRIUS: The very best at a beast, my lord, that e’er I saw.
LYSANDER: This lion is a very fox for his valour.
THESEUS: True, and a goose for his discretion.
DEMETRIUS: Not so, my lord, for his valour cannot carry his discretion, and the fox carries the goose.
THESEUS: His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour, for the goose carries not the fox; it is well. Leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to the moon.

– William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5, Scene 1. After Snug tells the women that he is not a real lion and doesn’t want to frighten them, there is a bit of banter and wordplay from members of the audience. Using metaphors they compliment him on being "fox for his valour" and "goose for his discretion." These are sarcastic references to fables, where the fox is crafty and not valorous, and the goose silly and not discreet.
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