How Is Hermia Different In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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There are many dissimilarities between the two characters Helena and Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Hermia has a bold personality while Helena is more pessimistic. During most of the play, Helena is being compared to and comparing herself to Hermia's beauty. The confidence that Hermia has allows Hermia to be mentally strong enabling her to overcome difficulties unlike Helena who is always insecure. Lastly, Hermia's independence is proven to the audience from the beginning of act one when she continuously talks back to her father and Theseus to not be married to Demetrius. Therefore, in William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Hermia is the pretty and independent woman while her friend Helena is the exact opposite. There are many moments throughout the play where there are comparisons between Hermia's and Helena's appearances. Descriptions show that Hermia is the beautiful one out of the two. Having both …show more content…

Helena is insecure whereas Hermia is a fighter. Hermia demonstrates that she is a fighter when she does not back down for her and Lysander's love. "So is Lysander," says Hermia (1:1:57), is how she reacts to Theseus' comment about how she must marry Demetrius because her father owns her and that Demetrius is also a wonderful gentleman. Helena, on the other hand, is very insecure as demonstrated in act 2, scene 2, line 749-754, where she says "Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies; For hath blessed and attractive eyes. How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers. No, no, I am as ugly as a bear; For beasts that meet me run away with fear." Comparing herself to Hermia and saying how she's ugly as a bear, shows how she thinks of herself and the reason for being rejected by Demetrius. Thus, Hermia's and Helena's personalities show audience members their reasons for their actions and

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