Midsummer Night's Dream Quotes

The Vantage of Lysander A Midsummer Night’s Dream tells the story of a young woman named Hermia who defies her father’s orders to marry a wealthy, noble man named Demetrius for the man she loves. Facing death as a consequence of her disobedience, Hermia is convinced by her love, Lysander, to elope with him into the forest in the night. Here, Lysander and Demetrius find themselves under the effects of a fairy-induced love spell, causing both of them to love Helena. In the opening scene, Lysander is trying to prove to Egeus that he is just as propitious of a marriage prospect as Demetrius. “My love is more than his, my fortunes every way as fairly ranked, if not with vantage, as Demetrius,” he claims. Not only is he just as wealthy and respectable as Demetrius, but also there is vantage to choosing Lysander – vantage meaning “advantage, benefit, profit, gain” (OED, “vantage”, noun, sense 1a). “And – which is more than all these boasts can be – I am beloved of beauteous Hermia. Why should not I then prosecute my right?” (1.1.100-105). In the scenes following this quote, Lysander and Demetrius illuminate, through their actions, the vantage Lysander is referring to: the purity of his love for Hermia, his respect for a woman’s body and sexuality, and Demetrius’

Unlike Lysander, Demetrius is not willing to take “no” for an answer. This is expressed not only in his persistent demands to marry Hermia, but also in his interaction with Helena in the woods. “You do impeach your modesty too much, to leave the city and commit yourself into the hands of one that loves you not; to trust the opportunity of night, and the ill counsel of a desert place, with the rich worth of your virginity,” (2.1.214-219). This line, if his previous actions had not done so already, reveals the true character of Demetrius: an arrogant, violent, selfish