“Love looks not with eyes but with the mind,” laments Helena (23). In this quote, Helena explains that true love isn’t about a person’s looks, but about a person’s disposition; all in all, love is blind. This especially evident in the play that this quote is found, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the play, Titania is tricked by Oberon and Robin to fall in love with Bottom who had a donkey head, but she still loved Bottom, even though he was hideous. Also, Helena, the character mentioned before, is madly in love with Demetrius who doesn’t love her back but she tries constantly to get him to love her. So, Helena’s comment is definitely correct especially in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, because of the romantics between the characters of Bottom and Titania, and the characters of Helena and Demetrius. …show more content…
The quote proves true because of the relationship with Bottom and Titania.
Because Oberon didn’t get the Indian boy from Titania, he and his underling Robin decided to put a nectar that would cause her to fall in love with whatever or whoever that she first look upon, and they did. This soul that her fell in love with was Bottom who also had a donkey face instead of his own because of the Puck, Robin. She commented on how much she loved him, but he denied it and gave a clever reply. Then she commented him by saying “Thou art wise as thou art beautiful” (79). She wasn’t insulting him, because he was actually ugly but complimented him because to her, he was the prettiest and greatest person in the world. She loved him despite his looks. Although it was probably the magic, love was still blind. After Oberon lifted the “spell” on her, her looks at Bottom and said, “O, how mine eyes, do loathe his visage now!” (125) This shows how love can be so blinding. A few hours ago, she loved him and probably thought that he was the hottest person in the world, but now, after the “spell”, she hates even looking at
him. Additionally, Helena and Demetrius’ relationship shows the quote especially well. At the start of the play, Helena is love with Demetrius but he doesn’t feel the same way. So, she is trying to get him to feel the same way, but instead just insults her with remarks like “Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit / For I am sick when I do look on thee” (49). She couldn’t have just liked Demetrius just for his looks because if she did, then she has a bad choice of men because he just insults her. So there is probably something that she likes about his character or personality, otherwise she wouldn’t just take the insults and give clever retorts like her response to the insult before saying “And I am sick when I look not on you” (49). Through the relationship of Bottom and Titania, and the relationship of Helena and Demetrius, the Helena lament of “Love looks not with eyes but with the mind,” is evident (23). By examining the love of Bottom and Titania, love can be blind and looks don’t matter when one is in love. Also, the love of Demetrius and Helena showed that in order to love someone, one needs to be in love of their lover’s personality. All in all, love comes from charisma, not appearances.
In Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream he entices the reader using character development, imagery, and symbolism. These tools help make it a wonderful play for teens, teaching them what a well-written comedy looks like. As well as taking them into a story they won’t soon forget.
Shakespeare’s literature exemplifies creativeness and powerful word use to create bodies of work with strong attributes that grab the reader’s attention. Midsummer’s night dream is an example of some of Shakespeare’s best work. The thesis of this essay is Hermia’s father, Esues wants his daughter to marry someone that he approves of and more importantly he wants someone for her that is respected by the rest of society to admire. This play has love, drama and characters that follow their hearts. Hermia is told she is not allowed to love or marry Lysander by her father. Her father Esues wants her to marry Demetrius. The setting of the play is taken in Athens. Athens is a place of order and royalty and a place where people are supposed to marry
“Love is blind,” says the old cliche. At the very least, that cliche is 400 years old, since it appears in William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream when Helena says, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind” (Shakespeare 1.1.234-235). These lines are also an allusion, which conveniently restate that old cliche of “love is blind.” It is just one of many allusions to Greek mythology in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One could spend days explaining all the allusions in the play, but three of the most well-known are below. Many of the allusions in the play help the audience learn more about the characters or the plot by making
William Shakespeare’s writings are famous for containing timeless, universal themes. A particular theme that is explored frequently in his writings is the relationship between men and women. A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains a multitude of couplings, which are often attributed to the fairies in the play. Each of these pairings has positive and negative aspects, however, some relationships are more ideal than others. From A Midsummer Night’s Dream the optimal pairings are Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, and Oberon and Titania; while the less desirable pairings are Theseus and Hippolyta, Hermia and Demetrius, Lysander and Helena, and Titania and Bottom. Throughout A Midsummer
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.
Hermia and Helena's relationship has changed greatly after the intervention of Puck with the love potion. Once best friends, they have become each others enemies, and all for the love of Lysander and Demetrius.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play of conflicted love. Thus semi-comedy displays the notion of, the spiritual and natural world working together. The play begins with a noble family discussing a planned marriage. Hermia is arranged to marry a man she does not love. In rebellion she and her lover (Lysander) flees to the woods so they can avoid Athenian law. Before leaving Hermia tells her sister about her plans to run away. In desire to gain revenge and find love herself Helena (Hermia’s sister) chases Hermia and her intended mate into the woods. The forest is where the spirits live, the fairy king, Oberon, is desperate to gain the affection of the fairy queen. He saw cupid shoot his love arrow, which landed on a flower. He is determined that,
The entire cast of A Midsummer Night Dream was full of many, many fun and interesting characters. They kept the play alive and intriguing as they each had very separate personalities. Each person was alive and left a very vivid impression in our brains after reading through the play. It is very hard just to choose one particular favorite character as they all are amazing. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, my personal favorite character would have to be Hermia because she is loving, virtuous, and patient.
Throughout the events which unfold in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare delivers several messages on love. Through this play, one of the significant ideas he suggests is that love is blind, often defying logic and overriding other emotions and priorities. Helena loves Demetrius unconditionally and pursues him despite knowing that he loathes her; conflict arises between Helena and Hermia, childhood best friends, over Demetrius and Lysander; and because she is in love, Queen Titania is able to see beauty and virtue in the ass-headed Nick Bottom.
Some of the characters are fairies, kings, queens, and even lower class people. It is
Then Shakespeare also expresses in Act 3, Scene 1, when Titania wakes up and she falls in love in love with Nick Bottom the weaver. This shows that belief of ‘Beauty is only skin deep’ is irrelevant to that particular scene. Titania immediately falls head over heels for the boy and she chases him with every word. She sends her fairies to wait on him hand and foot to show her affection. Without even knowing him Titania wants him because of the evil spell the King of the fairies puts her under. He wants to embarrass her with something he knows will work, this shows that they know of the fact of love at first sight. Love at first sight is a saying people use on first opinions.
The Role of the Fairies in A Midsummer Nights Dream Introduction = == == == ==
To emphasize, in Act III, the reader is presented with the play’s most extraordinary contrast, the relationship between Titania and Bottom. “What wakes me from my flow’ry bed?” (III.i.131). Titania is awoken by the so-called melodic singing of Bottom. In the present scene, both characters are under some particular sort of spell. Titania’s eyes were anointed with the nectar of the love flower, thus causing her to fall in love with the next living thing she encounters. In the meantime, Puck pulled a prank on Bottom, turning his head into that of an ass. Both characters of the play are interpreted as complete opposites. Titania, characterized as the beautiful, graceful fairy queen; Bottom is portrayed as overdramatic, self centered, and as of now, not keen on the eyes. However, the love nectar never fails and seems to bring the two into a state of lust. The contrast between the two is overwhelming. An important scene in the pl...
William Shakespeare, born in 1594, is one of the greatest writers in literature. He dies in 1616 after completing many sonnets and plays. One of which is "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." They say that this play is the most purely romantic of Shakespeare’s comedies. The themes of the play are dreams and reality, love and magic. This extraordinary play is a play-with-in-a-play, which master writers only write successfully. Shakespeare proves here to be a master writer. Critics find it a task to explain the intricateness of the play, audiences find it very pleasing to read and watch. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a comedy combining elements of love, fairies, magic, and dreams. This play is a comedy about five couples who suffer through love’s strange games and the evil behind the devious tricks. This play begins as Theseus, the Duke, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. He woos her with his sword. Hermia is in love with Lysander. Egeus, Hermia’s father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father’s command, Hermia and Lysander run away together. Amidst all the problems in the human world, Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king, continually argue about their various relationships that they have taken part in. (Scott 336) Titania leaves Oberon as a result of the arguments. Oberon is hurt and wants revenge on Titania. So he tells Puck, Oberon’s servant, to put a magic flower juice on her eyelids while she is sleeping. This potion causes the victim to desperately in love with the first creature that they see. Oberon’s plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander’s eyes. Lysander awakes to see Helena, who is aimlessly walking through the woods, and instantly falls in love with her. She thinks that he is making fun of her being in love with Demetrius, so she leaves and Lysander follows. This leaves Hermia to wake up alone. Puck now has journeyed to the area where several actors are rehearsing. He uses his magic to turn one of them into a donkey, in hopes that Titania will awake to see it.
In Williams Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," many of the play's female characters have strong similarities and differences among one another. Although many of the main female characters in the play come from dissimilar backgrounds, their similarities are brought together by common problems associated with society and love. Of the four main female characters, Hippolyta, Titania, Helena, and Hermia, both Hippolyta and Titania are royalty while Helena and Hermia are commoners. However, a common theme associated with Hippolyta, Titania, Helena, and Hermia, regardless of their social caste, is their similarities and differences in dealing with love in a patriarchal society. Nevertheless, the patriarchal society in which Hippolyta, Titania, Helena, and Hermia live in struggles to hinder the feelings and attitudes which provide them with a distinct conception for love in a male dominated society.