MovieChat Forums > A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) Discussion > Hermia help, please!

Hermia help, please!

posted 16 years ago by jpuprtni
7 replies | jump to latest

Im auditioning for Hermia this Monday and I'd really appreciate some key characteristics of her's- personality-wise. Can you please help me? Im just so unsure as to play her. I've gotten "stuck-up" from a fellow student.

Help?

Im doing these three monologues:

HERMIA

My good Lysander!
I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow,
By his best arrow with the golden head,
By the simplicity of Venus' doves,
By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves,
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen,
When the false Troyan under sail was seen,
By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke,
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.

HERMIA

And in the wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie,
Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet,
There my Lysander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To seek new friends and stranger companies.
Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us;
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius!
Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight
From lovers' food till morrow deep midnight.

HERMIA

[Awaking] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear:
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel pray.
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you speak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.
No? then I well perceive you all not nigh
Either death or you I'll find immediately.

[Last one's my favorite].

I know this is almost unacceptable, but any suggestions I should watch out of youtube?

Just a note: We're setting the play in 1967 San Fransisco =D
THANK YOU!
Please help!
I've wanted to be Hermia since I was eleven!

[–] liberalmedia 16 years ago

I don't have any YouTube suggestions, but I have thoughts on the character of Hermia. She's feisty, spirited, rebellious. Some would even call her a spitfire. Watch how she defies the convention of the times to marry the man she loves.

And she's passionately in love with Lysander, but that doesn't mean she lacks what we used to call maidenly modesty. She runs away with her fiance but will not bed down with him in the woods when he makes the suggestion. Lysander, being a good guy, agrees to sleeping apart "as becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid." At least I think that's how Hermia puts it.

And she's loyal to Helena up to a point. As the speech you posted above shows, she and Helena have been BFF, and of course Helena is the only person Hermia trusts with the news that she and Lysander are going to elope. You could even make the case that Hermia is doing Helena a favor by leaving Demetrius behind, and in fact she wishes Helena good luck with the man.

But when all the confusion starts due to Puck's applying the love charm to both Lysander and Demetrius (causing them both to fall for Helena), it's Helena, not Lysander, whom Hermia singles out as the object of her anger, and she's ready to launch a catfight. Helena, characteristically, wimps out.

But here's the thing. It's Hermia who's depicted as the little she-devil for being ready to fight Helena, but it's Helena who risks their lives by cluing Demetrius in to the elopement scheme.

I hope this is of use in your preparations.

First rule of movie-going: never confuse the actor with his role.

[–] jpuprtni 16 years ago

Thank you so, so much!
I actually got the role of Titania! Ha, I think I can get her fine... but any brilliant advice for her as well?
=D

[–] liberalmedia 16 years ago

Wow! Congratulations. That's a great part. What is your director telling you about preparation?

Well, Titania is an otherwordly being, but like Hermia she is passionate, angry, and willful. On top of that she is powerful, but her mate, Oberon, eventually gets the better of her.

It is generally understood that she is beautiful and sensual, though the 1968 adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring a young Judi Dench, has the fairies wearing green body paint and, in some cases, leaves. I hope you get a nicer costume.

You can check out Michelle Pfeiffer's performance in the 1999 film, too -- a very different take on the character from Dench's.

Here's also a YouTube clip from the 1981 version with beautiful Helen Mirren (who played Hermia in the 1968 film!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gleDhAQcYJ0

Break a leg!

First rule of movie-going: never confuse the actor with his role.

[–] rebeccakscope 16 years ago

Congratulations! I got the part of Titania in our version too! Has your group decided to do the doubling-up Titania and Hippolyta? We, unfortunately, are... Meaning I have even MORE lines to learn, but whatever...

How did you come up with the 1960's San Francisco thing? We're doing modern-day art gallery, with the fairies as paintings that come to life.

And, liberalmedia, I think leaves would be a better costume choice for what we have to wear... Titania and her fairies are prostitutes.... >_< Oberon gets cooler ones, he gets shadows... grrr!

Oh well, good luck with your role! I bet you'll do great!

[–] jpuprtni 16 years ago

We are starting rehearsal on Wednesday! Its really cool because Curt Hanson [played Mr Perkins in the "Goonies"] is Oberon and he's absolutely mind-blowing- just from the first read-through.
Yes, I saw the Judi Dench version- she was good, but I think she somewhat got swallowed by the language as so many people who do Shakespeare do. Yes, since we're setting the play in '67, the three main fairies [Titania, Oberon, Puck] will be wearing outfits like the Beatles in "Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts"- the bright band-type costumes. The fairies will be in fitted tees that cover their bums- either matching colors or tie-dye with leggings. I guess it's an interesting approach; I really wanted the fairies to be more flower children with billowy and beautiful kind of whites and creams [for the women]. Oh, Puck, is a girl in this.

I wasnt a fan at all of Michelle Pfeiffer's performance in the 1999 film, she just didnt know what the heck she was saying- it seemed, most of the time.

Helen Mirren was pretty great though, in the original screen version.

rebeccakscope, that is really an awesome idea! I really like that- the modern-day gallery. Its much better than the takes just trying to be "modern"- blah.
Huh, shadows and prostitutes... interesting....

THANK YOU both of you! Break a leg too, rebeccakscope!

[–] rebeccakscope 16 years ago

Thanks very much!

I totally agree with your "Michelle Pfeiffer didn't understand her lines" thing. She was running through her "forgeries of jealousies" monologue as though she didn't have the foggiest idea of what she was saying...!

We had a minor mishap in our rehearsal a few days ago, though... In the last scene where Oberon and Titania dance, me and my fellow actor got a little bit too much into character and er... well... we ended up kissing :s

Fortunately, our director (teacher, lol :)) thought we were acting throughout the whole thing and decided to keep the kiss in the scene... Phew, talk about a close shave... lol

[–] flour_child 16 years ago

Don't watch any videos on YouTube they all SUCK also your setting is not desirable and makes no sense. Please explain.

Happiness is like peeing yourself...everyone can see it but only you can feel its warmth.