There are four pairs of lovers in As You Like It, such as Orlando and Rosalind, Touchstone and Audrey, Silvius and Phebe, and Oliver and Celia. Orlando and Rosalind’s relationship is romantic, specifically courtly. After the wrestling match, Rosalind, lovestruck, tells Orlando to “wear [the] [chain] for [her], one out of suits with fortune” (I.2.223). The chain that Rosalind gives is a token of her love to Orlando, considering the fact that their fathers are close friends. Another example are the love poetry that Orlando dedicates to Rosalind in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind, as Ganymede, takes notice and confronts Orlando: There is a man haunts the forest that abuses our young plants with carving “Rosalind” on their barks, hangs odes …show more content…
Expressing love to one through writing, specifically poetry, is considered romantic. Through this, Ganymede tests Orlando’s love by portraying as Rosalind to “cure” Orlando’s lovesickness. Touchstone and Audrey’s relationship is bawdy, or lustful instead of romantic. Out of the four types of love, Shakespeare may have a preference to the bawdy love because it is more realistic and does not require the same formalities as romantic love. As Audrey expresses her positive views of her appearance, Touchstone declares, “Well, praised be the gods for thy foulness! / Sluttishness may come hereafter” (III.3.37.38). One may notice that their relationship focuses on the physical side of love which is surface level. Touchstone also states, “Will you dispatch us here under this tree, or shall / we go with you to your chapel?” (III.3.61-62). Clearly, Touchstone wants to marry Audrey immediately, but they do not necessarily have the deep love which means that it is possible that Touchstone may no longer want her at the end. Silvius and Phebe’s relationship is described as unrequited love because Silvius continues to follow Phebe, even if she does not reciprocate the same feelings. One example is during the dispute involving Ganymede. Silvius gets rejected by Phebe and he …show more content…
In fact, he is cynical about the world that he brushes off at the idea of love because he views that love can make people do ridiculous things. However, seeing that the couples are happy at the end makes him change his view of love in a positive light. On example is during the singing session of Amiens. Jacques notices that the group sings pastoral songs, causing him to make a verse about his opinion of love. He
' Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.' Act 1 scene 1.
Love, lust and infatuation all beguile the senses of the characters in this dreamy and whimsical work of Shakespeare, and leads them to act in outlandish ways, which throughly amuses the reader. True love does prevail in the end for Hermia and Lysander, and the initial charm of infatuation ends up proving to have happy consequence for Helena and Demetrius as well. Even when at first the reader thinks that, in theory, the effects the potion will wear off and Lysander will once again reject Helena, Oberon places a blessings on all the couples that they should live happily ever after.
At the start of the play, in Act 1 Scene 1, there is a theme of
Love is a powerful emotion, capable of turning reasonable people into fools. Out of love, ridiculous emotions arise, like jealousy and desperation. Love can shield us from the truth, narrowing a perspective to solely what the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaws and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena, are confronted by love’s challenge, one that becomes increasingly difficult with the interference of the fairy world. Through specific word choice and word order, a struggle between lovers is revealed throughout the play. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses descriptive diction to emphasize the impact love has on reality and one’s own rationality, and how society’s desperate pursuit to find love can turn even strong individuals into fools.
Physical love is portrayed throughout the book as the normal love that everyone needs. For example, on Act 1, Scene 3, lines 65-67 Lady Capulet states "Marry, that “marry” is the very theme I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your disposition to be married?" Even though marriage is supposed to signify emotional connection between two people but in this case, it is a way for families to carry children in their bloodline, which implies physical love. In addition, another example of physical love is in Act 1, Scene 1, lines 199-203 Romeo says about Rosaline. "Well, in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit. And, in strong proof of chastity well armed from love’s weak childish bow, she lives uncharmed." This quote means that Rosaline has sworn herself to be a virgin for eternity, and Romeo is not happy about that because that is what he was looking for from her. He also claims that he loves her, but in reality he just physically loves her. Finally, a lot of bawdy humour is written throughout the book. For example, in Act 1, Scene 1, lines 18-24 a conversation Sampson and Gregory is heard "'Sampson: Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant. When I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids. I will cut off their ...
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of the masterpieces of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare explores various aspects of love and friendship. With the help of the main characters such as Lysander, Demetrious Helena and Hermia, he endeavors that the path of love is full of obstacles, however, if one is committed and faithful, he/she can defy those obstacles leading him/her to success. As Lysander says “The course of true love never did run smooth”, the love stories presented in the play undergo difficult situations but eventually the genuine love is recognized by the triumph of the true loves.
In "A Midsummer Night's Dream," William Shakespeare explains the difficulties of the nature of love. Both false love and true love prevail in the end, leading the reader to come to the conclusion that all types of love can triumph. Hermia and Lysander represent the existence of a "true love", while Helena and Demertrius represent the opposite extreme. Shakespeare presents the idea that love is unpredictable and can cause great confusion. Love is something that cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. Shakespeare challenges us to develop our own idea of what love truly is.
However, we can safely conclude that his ‘love’ for Rosaline was only a passing infatuation as she pales to insignificance when he sets eyes on Juliet. The language he us...
Exploring Love in Much Ado About Nothing In Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare depicts different kinds of loving relationships - romantic love, family support and loyal friendship - and shows how various characters react to love and marriage. By exploring the effects of this powerful emotion Shakespeare highlights its universal relevance, a relevance that transcends time. The main plot of Much Ado About Nothing is that of the relationship between Claudio and Hero. Their story is a melodramatic saga concerning the realities of relationships based on love at first sight.
Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 34, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1994), pp. 341-356 Published by: Rice University http://www.jstor.org/stable/450905
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the views of love held by the character Romeo contrast sharply with the views of Mercutio. Romeo's character seems to suffer from a type of manic depression. He is in love with his sadness, quickly enraptured and easily crushed again on a passionate roller coaster of emotion. Mercutio, by contrast is much more practical and level headed. His perceptions are clear and quick, characterized by precise thought and careful evaluation. Romeo, true to his character begins his appearance in the play by wallowing in his depression over Rosaline who does not return his love:
Another type of love we are exposed to during the same scene is the love of Lady Capulet. Lady Capulet, as well as The Nurse, believes love comes from appearance, both physical and political, and has nothing to do with emotion. She shows this when she speaks favorably of Paris's looks and his nobility. She also shows that it is a superficial love by the way she treats Capulet when she publicly denounces him. “ CAP: What noise is this?
Even for the briefest moment, Rosalind regretted to dress up like a man. But luckily, using her quick-wit, in Act 3 Scene 3, she cunningly persuaded Orlando into love-counselling by letting him pretend to woo her. She states that love is merely madness and deserves to be whipped. Then she intelligently said about the marks of a love which Orlando did not have.
Romeo and Juliet is a play that explains the strong love between two teenagers that soon results in their demise. This play is categorized as one of Shakespeare’s tragedy plays. Yet, many people prefer categorize this play as a romance or play about love. What does this really mean you might be asking. I think that a play about love means that this play is attempting to explain what love is and why it makes people do the things they do. I believe this because throughout the first act it discusses Romeo’s past love and how it affected him. It also describes the love that begins to develop between Romeo and Juliet just through a single conversation and a kiss. However, there are many different views on love throughout just the first act.
Romeo’s relationship with Rosaline shows he is deeply infatuated and passionate. In act 1, scene 1, Romeo compares his love for her to being, ‘strucken blind’. He uses this hyperbole which empathizes his strong feelings towards Rosaline. He says long speeches, where he repeats the phrase ‘O’. These speeches imply that he is obsessed with Rosaline. ‘With Cupid arrow, she hath Dian’s wit;’. This proves that she does not the feel the same way about him, which shows his unrequited love for her. He often refers to Rosaline’s beauty, ‘that when she dies, with beauty dies her store’. This suggests that he feels lust for her and how Romeo is immature and confuses this lust for love. Shakespeare says that there are many different types of love in the play, in this case, infatuation.