The lunatic, lover and the poet - William Shakespeare

The lunatic, the lover and the poet

• It is a part of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595), Act V, Scene 1. 

• The setting is The Palace of Theseus in Athens. 

• Speaker: Theseus

• Theseus says that he may never believe old stories and imaginary toys because they are more strange than true.
• Lovers and madmen have such stuffed/whimsical brains, such shaping fantasies, that they perceive/see more than cool reason ever understands. 

• The imagination of the lunatic, the lover and the poet is all similar/alike. 

• The madman sees more devils than vast hell can hold. 

• The lover, all as frantic, sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt. 

• The poet's eye rolling in fine frenzy glances from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven. The poet's pen converts the unknown forms that imagination brings forth to shapes and gives them a local habitation and a name. 

• Strong imagination has such tricks that if it would but sees some joy, it assumes some bringer of that joy. Or, a bush is easily supposed a bear imagining some fear in the night.

ACT V SCENE I	Athens. The palace of THESEUS.
[ Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, Lords and Attendants ]
HIPPOLYTA	'Tis strange my Theseus, that these
	lovers speak of.
THESEUS	More strange than true: I never may believe
	These antique fables, nor these fairy toys.
	Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,	5
	Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
	More than cool reason ever comprehends.
	The lunatic, the lover and the poet
	Are of imagination all compact:
	One sees more devils than vast hell can hold,	10
	That is, the madman: the lover, all as frantic,
	Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt:
	The poet's eye, in fine frenzy rolling,
	Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
	And as imagination bodies forth	15
	The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
	Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
	A local habitation and a name.
	Such tricks hath strong imagination,
	That if it would but apprehend some joy,	20
	It comprehends some bringer of that joy;
	Or in the night, imagining some fear,
	How easy is a bush supposed a bear!

Summary:

Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The imagination of the lunatic, the lover and the poet is similar/alike. The madman sees more devils than vast hell can hold. The lover in his excited state of mind sees Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt. The poet’s eye rolls from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven in fine frenzy and his imagination gives concrete shape to the forms of unknown things. The poet’s pen turns them to shapes and gives a local habitation and a name to airy nothing. Strong imagination plays such tricks that if it sees some joy then it understands some bringer of that joy. A bush is easily supposed a bear when mind is full of some imaginary fear in the night.