Description:Shakespeare's source for Theseus praising his hounds in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Shakespeare drew on his memories of Ovid's story of Diana and Actaeon when Duke Theseus praises the barking of his hounds at the end of his play of A Midsummer Night's Dream where Theseus, Duke of Athens, appears hunting in the woods with his betrothed, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.
See: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 4,1, lines 102-125.
Transcript of lines 219 to 255 on this page of Ovid reads:
Such sanguine colour in the face of Phoebe began to glow
There standing naked in his sight. Who though she had her guard ... [III.220]
Of Nymphs about her: yet she turned her body from him ward.
And casting back an angry look, like as she would have sent
An arrow at him had she had her bow there ready bent:
So wrought the water in her hand, and for to wreak the spite,
Besprinckled all the head and face of the unlucky Knight,
And thus forespake the heavy lot that should upon him light.
Now make thy vaunt among thy Mates, thou sawest Diana bare.
Tell if thou can: I give thee leave: tell hardly: doe not spare.
This done, she makes no further threats, but by and by doth spread
A pair of lively old Harts horns upon his sprinckled head. ... [III.230]
She sharpens his ear, she makes his neck both slender, long and lank.
She turns his fingers into feet, his arms to spindle shank.
She wraps him in a hairy hide beset with speckled spots,
And plants in him fearfulness. And so away he trots,
Full greatly wondering to himself what made him in that case
To be so wight [shaped] and swift of foot. But when he saw his face
And horned temples in the brook, he would have cried alas,
But as for then no kind of speech out of his lips could pass.
He sighed and brayed: for that was then the speech that did remain,
And down the eyes that were not his, his bitter tears did rain. ... [III.240]
No part remained (save his mind) of that he earst [recently] had been.
What should he doe? turn home again to Cadmus and the Queen?
Or hide himself among the Woods? Of this he was afraid,
And of the other ill ashamed. While doubting thus he stayed:
His hounds espied him where he was, and Blackfoot first of all
And Stalker special good of sent began aloud to call.
The latter was a hound of Crete, the other was of Sparta.
Then all the kennel fell in round, and everyone for his part,
Did follow freshly in the chase more swifter than the wind,
Spy, Eateal, Scalecliff, three good hounds come all of Arcas kind. ...
Strong Kilbuck, currish Savage, Spring, and Hunter fresh of smell,
And Lightfoot who to lead a chase did bear away the bell.
Fierce Woodman hurt not long ago in hunting of a boar
And Shepherd wont to follow sheep and neat to field afore.
And Laund a fell and eager bitch that had a wolf to sire:
Full title: Publius Ovidius Naso, The XV [15] bookes of P. Ovidius Naso, entituled Metamorphosis. Translated out of Latine into English meeter, by Arthur Golding, Imprinted at London by W. W[hite], 1603.