Case

239. LANGUAGE LESSON

CASE

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Case is a grammatical term used to indicate the relationship of nouns or pronouns to other words in the sentence.

A noun or pronoun that is the subject of a verb is in the nominative case.

A noun or pronoun denoting possession is in the possessive

case.

A noun or pronoun that is the object of a transitive verb is in the objective case.

The personal pronouns (Lesson 209) have separate forms for the different cases. The apostrophe is not used in the possessive case of pronouns.

The pronoun who also has three forms: who, whose, whom. Make four sentences each containing a pronoun in the nominative case; four sentences each containing a pronoun in the possessive case; and four each containing a pronoun in the objective case.

240. ORAL LESSON

A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM

A part of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer-Night's Dream takes place in a forest at night. Thither come many fairies in the trains of Titania, their queen, and Oberon, their king. Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustard seed are the names of some who sing and dance with Titania. The merriest and the most mischievous of all is Puck,

or Robin Goodfellow, the servant of King Oberon.

His pranks make trouble for many mortals, and especially for Titania. Oberon squeezes on Titania's eyelids the juice of a

flower which will make her fall

in love with the first person whom she sees when she awakes. Puck arranges that she shall see a foolish weaver named Bottom, on whose shoulders he places the great head of an ass. Bottom has also been asleep, and when he awakes is greatly bewildered to find that he has a hairy face, an appetite for hay, and a bevy of pretty little fairies to serve

him. A few selections will give some idea of the story of the play, and will show what charming poetry the fairies talked.

Read or recite the selections as if they made a play.

Puck.

Fairy.

A Midsummer-Night's Dream

I. A FAIRY AND PUCK MEET IN THE FOREST

How now, spirit! whither wander you?

Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
These be rubies, fairy favours,

In those freckles live their savours:

I must go and seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone:
Our queen and all her elves come here anon.

II. THE FAIRIES SING A LULLABY FOR TITANIA

First Fairy.

Chorus.

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy queen.

Philomel, with melody

Sing in our sweet lullaby;

Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby:

Never harm,

Nor spell nor charm,

Come our lovely lady nigh;

So, good night, with lullaby.

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First Fairy. Weaving spiders, come not here;

Chorus.

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence!
Beetles black, approach not near;

Worm nor snail, do no offence.

Philomel, with melody, etc.

Second Fairy. Hence, away! now all is well.

One aloof stand sentinel.

Oberon.

Exeunt fairies. Titania sleeps.

Enter Oberon and squeezes the flower on Titania's eyelids.

What thou seest when thou dost wake,

Do it for thy true-love take,

Love and languish for his sake:

Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear
When thou wakest, it is thy dear:

Wake when some vile thing is near.

Exit.

III. BOTTOM AND TITANIA AWAKE

Enter Titania, Bottom (with the head of an ass), and the fairies.
Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,

Titania.

Bottom.

And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.
Where's Peaseblossom?

Peaseblossom. Ready.

Bottom.

Scratch my head, Peaseblossom. Where's Mounsieur Cobweb?

Bottom.

A Midsummer-Night's Dream

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Mounsieur Cobweb, good mounsieur, get you your

weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good Mounsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, mounsieur; and, good mounsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not; I would be loath to have you overflown with a honey-bag, signior. Where's Mounsieur Mustardseed?

Mustardseed. Ready

Bottom.

Mustardseed.

Bottom.

Titania.

Bottom.

Titania.

Bottom.

Titania.

Give me your neaf, Mounsieur Mustard seed. Pray
you, leave your courtesy, good mounsieur.
What's your will?

Nothing, good mounsieur, but to help Cavalery
Cobweb to scratch. I must to the barber's,
mounsieur; for methinks I am marvellous hairy
about the face; and I am such a tender ass, as if
my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch.

What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love? I have a reasonable good ear in music. Let's have the tongs and the bones.

Or say, sweet love, what thou desirest to eat.

Truly, a peck of provender: I could munch your

good dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.

I have a venturous fairy that shall seek the squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts,