Jealousy And Insecurity In A Midsummer Night's Dream

In Shakespeare’s, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, there is a constant conflict among the characters over jealousy and insecurity. There are four lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius in the play who cannot be with their lovers. At the start of the play, Hermia’s father wants her to marry Demetrius who loves her, but Hermia loves Lysander. Demetrius used to love Helena but when he met her best friend Hermia, he fell in love with her. Helena still loves Demetrius and throughout the play she tries to win him back. Lysander and Hermia decide to run away together so that they can elope. Helena tells Demetrius of their plan, so he decides to go after them while Helena follows. While all the lovers are sleeping, a fairy puts love potion on

Namely, Helena is very jealous of others, especially her best friend Hermia. Helena says to Hermia, “O, teach me how you look and with what art/You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart!/O, that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill” (1.1.196-200). Helena is jealous because both Lysander and Demetrius love Hermia. Her jealousy hurts her because it makes her selfish wanting Demetrius more. Considering this, Helena also has problems trusting others. Helena does not believe that Hermia will let her have Demetrius. Helena says, “He hailed down oaths that he was only mine” (1.1.249). Demetrius used to love Helena but then fell in love with Hermia. Now Helena has lost her trust in others. She does not trust that Hermia will stay with Lysander and not take Demetrius. She still believes that Hermia and Demetrius will marry because of her insecurities. Similarly, Helena is also insecure on how she looks. She claims, “Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that?/Demetrius thinks not so” (1.1.233-234). Demetrius was in love with Helena but once he met her best friend Hermia, he fell in love with her. Helena’s jealousy allows her to hurt her own friend because she is insecure. For Helena to find love she must move past her insecurities and focus on herself rather than

Due to this, Helena easily gives up her friends in their times of need. Helena mentions, “I will go tell [Demetrius] of fair Hermia’s flight” (1.1.252). Rather than letting her friends be happy, Helena wants Demetrius to trust her. Thus, she is willing to give up her friends because she is selfish. Because of this, Helena also spends less time focusing on her relationship and spends more time on other’s relationships. She outs Lysander and Hermia and tries to ruin their relationship instead of trying to improve her relationship with Demetrius. Helena says, “Pursue her. And, for this intelligence/If I have thanks, it is a dear expense./But herein mean I to enrich my pain,/To have his sight thither and back again” (1.1.254-257). Helena should be focusing on her own problems and her own relationship with Demetrius instead of hurting her friends. Helena just wants what Hermia has because she is selfish. Lastly, Helena runs away from her problems. When she finds that both Demetrius and Lysander love her she believes they are mocking her. She cries to them, “You are both rivals and love Hermia, And now both rivals to mock Helena” (3.2.158-159). When Helena finally has love she is too blinded to see it. She cannot believe that two men would truly love her, so she runs away. Hence, Helena is incapable of making reasonable decisions because of her