Love in humans is a powerful element that makes life meaningful. Love with its’ presence, cause, and effect, has our four main couples in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” trying to make sense of love. In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” we find four couple: Helena/Demetrius, Tatiana/Oberon, Theseus/Hippolyta, and Lysander/Hermia who find love after trials and errors for love can be irrational in nature.
Things base and vile, holding no quantity.
Love can transpose to form and dignity.
Love looks, not with the eyes, but with the mind.
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath Love’s mind of any judgment taste.
Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste.
And therefore is Love said to be a child,
Because in choice he so oft beguiled.
As waggish boys in game themselves forswear:
So the boy Love is perjured everywhere. (1.1.234-245)
Helena is frustrated with herself for she is trying to figure out how love is. Love can be different to each individual. They all have their own conclusion of what love is to them. As for Helena, she thinks love is erratic and irrational for it can make someone having bad qualities, and characteristics seem perfect and without fault. Helena knows Hermia from school; “O when she is angry, she is keen and shrewd” (3.2.323) very “vile” in temper; however, Demetrius does not see that. He loves Hermia, and his love for her “…transpose to form and dignity” (1.1.235). He does not care his beloved Hermia has a bad behavior; he loves her as she is. He demonstrates by his choice: “Nor hath Love’s mind of any judgment taste / Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste” (1.1.242-243) he has no rational judgment and is being hasty on his decision towards Hermia. Demetrius does not correspond to Helena’s love and...
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... love’s mistakes and squeeze the love-juice into Demetrius and Lysander eyelids so; “…That every man should take his own / In your waking shall be shown / …The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well” (3.2.453-463) again.
Love is not easy to find or sustain in real life. In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare, did exceptionally well to present love as erratic, inexplicable, and exceptionally powerful for his audiences to grasp an idea of what love is really all about. Love is full of wonder, fantasy, and ecstasy a human cannot really explain in words. In conclusion, love when possible for love can disappear in a dream.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, W. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Ed. Alice Griffin. Literature: An Introduction to Reading And Writing: Ed. Edgar v. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5th Compact ed. Boston: Longman, 2012. 1129-1180. Print
William Shakespeare has a habit of creating complicated plots, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no exception. Three distinct worlds are presented within the play, and the story’s theme is most prevalent when they collide or mirror one another. Shakespeare’s allusions very intentionally cast light on these themes as he uses them to develop characters, settings, and comedy. The point of that development is the effective delivery of the theme that love renders us equals.
Every action made in A Midsummer Night’s Dream revolves around the idea of love. It is a concept which few people can understand because of the extremity a person can go through to go after their love. “Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.” Lovers see the world in a way which everyday people cannot comprehend. The idea of love leads to them making irrational choices which may seem
In conclusion, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare effectively uses the motifs of the seasons, the moon, and dreams to show that love, irrationality, and disobedience directly cause chaos. By calling to mind the seasons in unnatural order, describing the moon behaving strangely, and discussing the dualistic, irrational nature of dreams, Shakespeare effectively evokes a sense of chaos and disorder. Linking each of these motifs to the themes of love, irrationality, and disobedience allows Shakespeare to illustrate the disarray that is bound to result from any romance.
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.
Webster’s Dictionary defines love as a feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preeminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters. By the end of Shakespeare’s play Midsummer Night’s Dream, it goes without saying that Webster’s Dictionary definition was able to hit this definition head on. Shakespeare is able to paint the perfect picture for this play mainly because he is one of the great masters of the English Language.
Burke, Kenneth. “Why A Midsummer Night's Dream?”. Shakespeare Quarterly 57. 3 (2006): 297-308. Web. 25 Apr 2014.
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.
The stance of true love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is fake because the characters in the play were not truly in love. It was Puck who placed the love juice on Demetrius and Titania’s eyelids. When they woke up, they would fall in love with the first living thing they saw. It was not really their heart’s desire. Another couple that supports false true love in “A Midsummer Night’s dream” is Hermia and Lysander. Hermia did not trust Lysander when they were in the woods.
/ I scorn you not. It seems that you scorn me” (III, ii, 220-221). Even she misinterpreted Helena’s actions, not recognizing the depths of her feelings. At the short reply, though, Helena just breaks down further and as the scene progresses so does their friendship deteriorate. It is not put to rights until the love-spell on Lysander is lifted, forcing the four into couples ready for marriage. In the final scene of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the newly weds alongside newly married Theseus and Hippolyta watch the play being performed by the machinals. Theseus, Demetrius, and Lysander actively make snide comments throughout the performance while Helena and Hermia are uncharacteristically quiet. They have now fully slipped into their roles as subservient wives, which explains why now Helena can easily accept how Demetrius is in love with her now. So long as Demetrius acts in the dominate role as Helena believes a husband must, she will believe that their love is
Fairies, mortals, magic, love, and hate all intertwine to make A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare a very enchanting tale, that takes the reader on a truly dream-like adventure. The action takes place in Athens, Greece in ancient times, but has the atmosphere of a land of fantasy and illusion which could be anywhere. The mischievousness and the emotions exhibited by characters in the play, along with their attempts to double-cross destiny, not only make the tale entertaining, but also help solidify one of the play’s major themes; that true love and it’s cleverly disguised counterparts can drive beings to do seemingly irrational things.
During much of the play, Helena relentlessly chases Demetrius, giving him love no matter how many times he spurns her. While in pursuit of him in the woods, where he tells her that he will never reciprocate her feelings, she tells him, “I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius,/The more you beat me, I will fawn on you” (II.i.203-204). She is so desperate to win him over that she lowers her own status, calling herself his dog; no matter how many times he may abuse her, she will always adore him. Out of love, Helena is willing to swallow her pride to prove her devotion to him. More evidence of Helena’s blind love towards Demetrius can be found in her overlooking the flaws in Demetrius’ character. For example, he proves himself to be quite insensitive towards Helena: when they are in the woods, he says he will “leave [her] to the mercy of the wild beasts” (II.i.228) if she doesn’t stop following him. He also says to her, “…I am sick when I do look on thee” (II.i.212). Lastly, he threatens her, saying “…if thou follow me, do not believe/But I shall do thee mischief in the wood” (II.i.237). Helena acknowledges this aspect of his character, though choos...
Helena’s doting, obsessive behavior should be rewarded, since most women do not behave that way, as Helena says (2.1 241). Since Oberon appreciates Helena, he meddles in a way that puts her in control of her peers, whether she wants it or not. Once Demetrius is put under the spell, their roles are swapped--he becomes the complimentary, infatuated, fool, and she the [confused person who receives that attention]. When Demetrius and Lysander drown her in praise, Helena believes they are mocking her (3.2 150-151). However, she now has the upperhand--they both desire her, and if she wishes, she can choose between the two. Before, both men desired Hermia, and she was left helpless and hopeless. Now, with the help of Oberon, she is in control--which is the outcome that he desires for himself by putting Titania under the love spell. She has the power of the men, and she also has the power over Hermia. In the first act, Helena is like holy shit Hermia you’re SO cool like teach me to be like you!!! (1.1 195-197). However, later, Hermia asks “[w]hat love could press Lysander from my side?” (3.2 182). This echoes Helena’s confusion to why Demetrius would not love her. Hermia has now taken on the role Helena occupied at the beginning of the
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.
Demetrius, Helena, Lysander, and Hermia are the for young teens of the story. At the beginning of the play it is Lysander and Helena who are madly in love, and are planning to to escape from Athens to elope. Helena is in love with Demetrius, and Demetrius cared for Helena and liked her a lot but was not in love with her. As soon as Demetrius sees Hermia he immediately stops having any feelings for Helena whatsoever and is deeply in love with Hermia. Demetrius thought that he had fallen in love at first sight, but Helena was determined to show him differently. Demetrius: ³ Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit,/ For I am sick when I do look on thee.² Helena: ³And I am sick when I look not on you.² (Act II, sc. i, lines 218-220) This piece of dialogue shows how much Demetrius is now in love with Hermia from just seeing her, and how disgusted he feels when he looks upon Helena who he used to care about. Helena is simply just expressing how much she is love with Demetrius and how bad she feels that he is treating her in such a manner of hatred.