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love in a midsummer night's dream
comparison and differences between characters in midsummer's night dream
Dramatic persona of midsummer night dream
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What is love? Love is a very powerful emotion! Love is something that can come at any time in your life. It can appear in any way, shape, or form. In the famous play “Midsummer Night's Dream,” by William Shakespeare, love is a major theme that affects many people and causes many challenges. In order for love to conquer these challenges one needs to stay true to their love, they may need the help of some magic, and must be persistent.
Staying true to one's love is so very important when one believes in their true love with every fibre of their being. Hermia and Lysander are so in love that nothing else seems to matter. They want to be together at all costs and they will not let anything get in their way, this is true especially for Hermia. In this example she is defending her true love and standing up for herself, “I do entreat Your Grace to pardon me./ I know not by what power I am made bold,/ Nor how it may concern my modesty/ In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;/ But I beseech Your Grace that I may know/ The worst that may befall me in this case/ If I refuse to wed Demetrius” (Shakespeare 1.1: 58-64). This shows that although she has no way of controlling what happens to her future she still wants to let others know of her convictions. No woman in that time period would ever attempt to defy the command of her father and the law, but in this case Hermia's true love has taken over. She wants the world to know that her and Lysander share this same true love. She is willing to sacrifice her life and become a nun or even face the ultimate finale of death in order to get what she wants at this point. Lysander also came up with an idea to temporarily get them out of this situation, “A good persuasion. Therefore, hear me, H...
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...ouple that will never be, but finally all is set straight. Because the spell is still on his eyes and no one but the fairies know, Helena is finally free to love him as much as she wants and she is being loved in return. Hermia, as well, had persistence. When the spell was wrongly cast upon Lysander's eyes she kept telling him that he was to be in love with her, and that they are supposed to be together. They were to have a life together, and everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. She knew deep down he did not and could not mean what he said. She never lost her faith and she was right. In the end each couple has their true love.
The lovers finally get what they want and teach one a good lesson about love. Although love has many obstacles, if you stay true in your love, have a bit of magic on your side, and keep persistent, love will overcome any obstacle.
Our perception of Lysander and Hermia’s love develops in the following events: Hermia chooses to become a nun rather than submit to marrying the man her father has chosen for her; Lysander comforts Hermia and shares his plan to elope; They lose their way in the woods and negotiate sleeping arrangements; Lysander deserts Hermia to pursue Helena and to kill his rival, Demetrius.
of this mistake until later when he realizes that he messed up Lysanders and Hermias true love.
To begin, Hermia and Lysander were both madly in love with each other in Midnights Summer Dream however their fairytale love did have its issues. When two people love each other, people often ask, why get in their way? The answer is simple because either you don’t realize what they are feeling and think you know better, or you are unaware of the situation. The first is the case with Hermia and Lysander. Hermia had several problems to solve in order to be with her beloved Lysander. In the beginning, her father disapproved of the love and thought Hermia should marry Demetrius – a man of equal standing and looks as Lysander. In Act 1, Scene 1, in between lines170-180, Hermia says, “…I swear to thee by Cupid’s strongest bow… In that same place thou hast appointed me, Tomorrow truly I will meet with thee.” Here she is saying that she agrees to run away with Lysander. After she solved that issue by deciding to run away, Lysander somehow fell in love with Helena. Little to Hermia’s knowledge Lysander was under a potions control that made him fall madly in love with Helena. Hermia didn’t let this stand in her way though, she persisted on Lysander that sh...
Love is only as strong as the people who share it. In William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are relationships from all different viewpoints of love. Four Athenian lovers are caught in a web of love for the wrong person, according to fellow peevish characters. Along the story line of the play, one will be introduced to additional characters that try to be helpful by committing acts they presume will benefit the young lovers, but these characters actually create plot-twists. Also, there are other characters that have the authority to change whatever they feel is necessary without thinking twice. Furthermore, throughout this humored play, Shakespeare portrays various forms of love through arranged marriages, forbidden love, magically tampered love, and unanticipated romances to show how there’s no right or wrong way to love someone.
First, Shakespeare uses the motif of the seasons early on in the play to solidify the connection between love gone awry and chaos. The initial romantic conflict is established when Egeus brings his daughter, Hermia, to Theseus to try and force her into marrying Demetrius, the man of his choice. Hermia has no interest in Demetrius because she is madly in love with Lysander. Unfortunately for her, Theseus sides with Egeus and threatens to enforce Athenian law if she does not obey him. Obviously, this situation is awful for Hermia; she is being kept from her true love. Her options are dismal: she has the choice of disobeying Egeus, betraying Lysander, or living a lonely life as a nun. Either way, she loses. The situation seems completely hopeless. Shakespeare illustrates this hopelessness by connecting Hermia’s grim future with the winter. When Theseus describes Hermia’s potential future, he calls her a “withering” rose and a “barren sister,” destined to a life of “chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon” (Shakespeare 1.1.75). Essentially, Hermia will be trapped in an endless winter. This unnatural seasonal change will become a reality if she becomes a nun and remains celibate. For a young woman who is passionately in love with a young man...
This is evident in the quote where Lysander says, “Athenian law cannot pursue us.” This would not of been a trial for them, but fate had something else in store. “Content with Hermia? No, I do repent The tedious minutes I with her have spent. Not Hermia, but Helena I love” (II.i ll. 118-12). Puck, a fairy, put cupid’s love juice into Lysander’s eyes. This is evident in the quote, “Night and silence! Who is here? Weeds of Athens he doth wear. This is he my master said, despised the Athenian maid, and here the maiden, sleeping on the ground. Pretty soul, she durst not lie near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy. Churl, upon thy eyes I throw all the power of this charm doth owe” (II.i ll. 76-85). As it states in the quote, it made him fall in love with the first person he saw, which happened to be Helena. This is proven when Lysander said, “but Helena I love”. Lysander told Hermia he was in love with Helena, not her, so the elopement was off. This is evident when he says, “I repent the minutes I spent with her.” This is difficult for Hermia because she is confused, and does not know what is going on, or why Lysander was acting this way. This is evident when she takes her
An important passion shown in this story is the passion of friendship from Helena. Lysander and demetrius were both deeply in love with Hermia, but suddenly they became slaves for Helena, under the spell of a love potion. This antagonises Helena and she blames it all on Hermia and her cruel joke. She says to Hermia, “The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent, when we have chid the hasty-footed time for parting us,-o is all forgot” (III.II.199-201)? Helena asks her if she has forgotten about their friendship, about the vows they took to be like sisters and never leave each other. This shows that although Hermia may have forgotten their friendship, Helena will always remember because friendship is really important to her. Friendship is a bond Helena feels really passionate about and takes very seriously. Another quote that shows Helena’s passion for friendship is “ Both warbling of one song, both in one key, as if our hands, our sides, voices and minds have been incorporated”(III. II. 207-208). This represents that Helena took their friendship sincerely and she believed in them and nothing could break their bond. Her last bit of her anger com...
She knows the consequences of refusing her father and the Duke, she exclaims, “If I refuse to wed Demetrius”(I.i.66). After she said this, the Duke explained that the law did not include her choice to be with Lysander; consequently, Lysander came up with a plan to get away from Athens which is why they were in the woods at all. Because Hermia chose to disobey her father, she and Lysander had to run away to be together taking a path through the woods. While Helena complains that Demetrius will never love her, Hermia informs Helena that Demetrius will not see her again. As she speaks to Helena telling her the plan, Helena is given the option to tell Demetrius that his potential bride plans to leave. Hermia explains to Helena, “Take comfort: he no more shall see my face. / Lysander and myself will fly this place”(I.i.207-208). Because Demetrius does not love Helena, Hermia reassures her friend that he will no longer see her around, and Helena can have him to
Love can bring happiness and love can bring sorrow. In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, love brought both. The play is about many lovers who have ups and downs in their relationships. Hernia is the daughter of egeus who wants to marry Lysander, but is being directed to marry Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander run away to the woods. Demetrius and Helena follow. In the woods, they all get mixed up with fairies and love potions. This leads to broken relationships where Shakespeare is able to express his views on love. In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare communicates his views on love by showing that it is chaotic blinding through the main characters of the play.
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.
Love plays a very significant role in this Shakespearian comedy, as it is the driving force of the play: Hermia and Lysander’s forbidden love and their choice to flee Athens is what sets the plot into motion. Love is also what drives many of the characters, and through readers’ perspectives, their actions may seem strange, even comical to us: from Helena pursuing Demetrius and risking her reputation, to fairy queen Titania falling in love with Bottom. However, all these things are done out of love. In conclusion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream displays the blindness of love and how it greatly contradicts with reason.
Infatuation causes Helena to lose all sense of dignity, as can be seen when in the woods, she desperately pleads with Demetrius to ?but treat me as your spaniel?. Here, Helena also becomes irrational, obsessed with pursuing Demetrius, though it is obvious that Demetrius is fixated on winning Hermia?s hand in marriage. Helena?s infatuation also causes her to see things from a skewed perspective, for she falsely believes that when she divulges Hermia?s plans for eloping with Lysander, Demetrius? love for Helena will rekindle. As the audience, we know that the most probable course of action for Demetrius upon hearing such news is to pursue Lysander and Hermia, or to report them to Theseus or Egeus. Clearly, infatuation has clouded Helena?s ability to think clearly, and she sees things in her own idealistic way.
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.
While true love is treasured when achieved, its rarity can be attributed to the multitude of obstacles lovers must face. Couples often have trouble expressing their love for one another or may face challenges within the marriages. Whether it be disagreements, affection of surroundings, friendships lost, or jealousy, the quest for true love has its consequences. This concept is expressed several times in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, in the cases of many of the lovers. However, it can be argued that although complications ensue, true love is worth a life of trouble.
Love, or what is more commonly known as love, can take hold in an instant and feel very much like magic that is being put over you. It can make you do things that you would never of done and makes you feel like your floating in air. It hits you without you knowing that it's going to happen and there is nothing you can do to stop it. That is what A midsummer Night's Dream mostly consists of. But who speaks more completely, eloquently, and most compassionate in this play about love? Before you can come to a conclusion, you have to look at all the kinds of love there is in this play.