William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known authors in history. His works of literature have been studied for years. Shakespeare’s comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is one of seventeen. Shakespeare knew he was a fantastic author whose work would be admired much after he passed away. He used creative literary devices to add suspense and interest to his writings. One of those includes using a play within a play. Shakespeare uses a play within a play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream to add depth and elaboration to the comedy’s theme. Hermia’s father, Egeus, wants her to marry Demetrius. Hermia is in love with Lysander and does not want to marry Demetrius. Demetrius truly loves Hermia. Helena, who was once engaged to Demetrius, still loves him. The whole story is a convoluted love triangle. Because Egeus will not allow Hermia and Lysander to marry, they are running away to his aunt’s town and eloping. Helena hears word of it and secretly tells Demetrius. They both go into the woods in search of their lover. In Act IV, the reader meets Pyramus and Thisbe. They are facing parental d...
The mood immediately changes and we discover that Hermia rather than being filled with filial love is determined to marry Lysander rather than her father’s choice for her. And so the love theme is made more complex as we have the wrathful love of her father confronted by the love of her daughter for the man who is not her fathers’ choice. The love theme is further complicated by the arrival of Helena. Here we see the platonic love of two friends.
Hermia , Lysander , Helena and Demetrius represent young love in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . They are potrayed as foolish and fickle , acting like children and requiring a parental figure to guide them . The parental figures are Hermia’s father , Egeus , and figuratively Theseus , the mortal ruler , and Oberon , the mystical ruler.
In act 1, Scene 1, we are introduced to the paternal love of Egeus and Hermia. Egeus, being Hermia’s father has all right over who she marries and so he chooses Demetrius as Hermia’s to-be husband however she doesn’t truly love Demetrius and has her heart set in Lysander. This led to troubled times for her as if she didn’t marry Demetrius she had two options: execution or becoming a nun.
Hermia and Demetrius decree that they would rather risk death or Egeus’ discontent than to be split apart. Eventually, Lysander proposes that Hermia should “steal forth thy father’s house to-morrow night” (Act I Scene I) after he formulates a plan for the two of them to run away to Lysander’s aunt’s home in another kingdom. If the two proceed with this plan, they risk execution. Their willingness to risk death for each other's love demonstrates utmost devotion to each other, a crucial trait that leads to a successful marriage. Furthermore, Hermia remains loyal to Lysander, even when Lysander does not reciprocate her love, by choosing to blame Helena for Lysander’s actions rather than Lysander himself. After Lysander falls in love with Helena because of the love potion, Hermia is in denial. Lysander hates her and asks Helena if he should, “hurt her, strike her, kill her dead?”(Act III Scene I). Any compassion he felt towards her has completely dissipated. Although Hermia is hurt, she is still loyal to Lysander and decides to admonish Helena for his actions, claiming she has, “come by the night and stolen my love’s heart from him” (Act III Scene I) and “she
Egeus brings his daughter Hermia to court. She and Lysander want to get married, but Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius, who also wants her. Under Athenian law, Hermia must marry the man of her father's choice or she will be executed. This is just part of the complicated love triangle that the reader faces when reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare.
Hermia’s father Egeus to to force love on her.Hermia loves Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. He gives her the choice to either marry Demetrius, die, or go to a nunnery.Despite her father’s threat, Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius and runs away with Lysander.” For lysander’s love, Hermia is willing to go insist her father’s wishes.Both Hermia and Lysander would rather run away and risk the punishment of Athenian Law if they are
The relationship between Demetrius and Hermia is problematic, in that Demetrius is seeking the affections of Hermia, while she is in love with Lysander. However, Hermia’s father approves of Demetrius and tries to force her to marry him, but Hermia refuses because of her love for Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.22-82). Lysander points out the flaw in the situation through this comment, “You have her father 's love, Demetrius –/Let me have Hermia 's. Do you marry him,” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.93-94). The second flawed relationship is between Lysander and Helena, as a result of an enchantment put on Lysander that made him fall in love with Helena. Helena does not want the affections of Lysander, but rather the love of Demetrius, and believes that Lysander is taunting her. In addition, this relationship creates tensions because Hermia is in love with Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2.2.109-140). Both relationships are not desirable due to a lack of mutual admiration and the creation of non-peaceful and unsatisfying
Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books Inc. 2000.
The story starts with a fight about love. Egeus, who is Hermia’s father, does not want Hermia to be in love or with Lysander at all. Egeus wants his daughter to be with Demetrius who is in love with Hermia, but Hermia does not love him. Egeus goes to Theseus who is the Duke of Athens. Egeus tells him about the situation, and of course the Duke will go with Egeus side since he is the father of Hermia and he decides what she should do. Now Hermia is stuck with marrying Demetrius, becoming a nun, or being put to death. Hermia and Lysander decide to run away in the woods where there are no rules and where nothing can stop them from being in love. Hermia trusting Helena, who is her best friend with the secret she tells her. Helena is in love with Demetrius. She goes to tell Demetrius that Hermia has decided to run to the woods in hopes Demetrius would take her back.
The fairies and the fairy realm have many responsibilities in this play. The most important of which is that they are the cause of much of the conflict and comedy within this story. They represent mischievousness and pleasantry which gives the play most of its emotion and feeling. They relate to humans because they make mistakes but differ in the fact that they do not understand the human world.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. ed. David L. Stevenson. New York: Signet ……….Classic, 1998. Print.
(I.i.132–134). As the play unfolds, Hermia continues to defy her father’s wishes, and in the end, with the king’s blessing, she marries Lysander and faces little consequence. Her father probably was not happy that he was seen as a fool, but a king’s wish is a king’s wish. In contrast, Helena is a woman that has been given the short end of the stick. Demetrius used her, and made her promises he probably knew he wasn’t going to keep.
Love can be crazy and unpredictable to where it becomes a complete mess. Hermia wants to be with Lysander but her dad does not approve of them because he wants her to be with Demetrius. Hermia talks back to her dad about who she can be with and says she can make her own life decisions. Egeus her dad does not like her being like this and wants her with Demetrius. “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
To understand the character Helena the background of what has happened must be shown. Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius and to escape the arranged marriage she and Lysander elope into the woods. Demetrius follows them and he is pursued by Helena, who has an
This is a very different Oberon from which we see at the start of the