Examples Of Unrequited Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Throughout beginning of tale, story suffers from imbalance and unrequited love, leading catastrophic, yet helpful events. Helena, is the example of imbalance in the play,

• with her feelings towards Demetrius (A2S1) and the fact that the two men love Hermia, whilst Helena is left with no one for herself.

• The disproportion is throughout the whole play, leaving one too many lovers, and one with too few. Helena and Demetrius is main idea of

• unrequited love/imbalanced love, Helena is completely infatuated towards him, blinded completely by love, saying things like “Use me as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me,

• neglect me lose me” (Scene 2 Act 1), and ignoring his harsh treatment towards her, evident in Scene 2 Act 1 “I love thee not,

therefore pursue me not,”
• whereas Demetrius no interest in loving her or even being in the same proximity as her, apparent in the scene, “Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more”
• (Scene 2 Act 1). Although the imbalance is repaired in the end where Demetrius and Helena are married, it defeats the purpose of true love, as Demetrius is under the
• spell of the potion, where his love is technically not true towards Helena. In here, modern readers can learn how love (cupid) can make people turn so blind, that they completely ignore their imperfections, or rude behaviour, as shown by Helena.

• In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare centres Hermia and Lysander’s relationship for true love, and shows it through the many hurdles and obstacles the two young lovers have to go through, such as parental disapproval, which results to eloping, and the dispute that arises between Demetrius and Lysander concerning Hermia, where she chooses Lysander in the end over Demetrius.

Furthermore, the two Athenian’s obstacles help strengthen their relationship, going past the superficial stage already looking far deeper than the appearance, which corresponds with the quote “love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged cupid painted blind.” In contrast with the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta, which is forced and won over from a sword fight, whereas Lysander and Hermia’s love is full of passion, and not forced. Theseus had clearly not loved Hippolyta originally, as he had won her love through a fight, as stated from Scene 1 Act 1 “Hippolyta, I woo’d thee with my sword, and won thy love thy doing thee injuries.” However, overtime the relationship of Hippolyta and Theseus did bloom, but it wouldn’t technically cross the border of true love, where Lysander and Hermia’s relationship stand. Modern readers are educated, how love looks far deeper than appearances (Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.) Which is predominantly evident in the relationship between Lysander and

Hermia.

• Love at first sight is subtly incorporated in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where Shakespeare symbolises the fact that Love at first sight in the story is the love potion. For instance, the phrase love at first sight, is used quite literally, when the potion is applied on the eyelid, and whomever is seen first, immediate infatuation is captured. This idea however is questionable, as it could be taken as mockery from Shakespeare. Especially evident, when Shakespeare makes Helena and Lysander fall in love because of the potion, but their relationship contradicts the quote “love looks not with the eyes”. Furthering this, Shakespeare does suggest that humans become fools in love, especially when Puck says “Lord, what fools these mortals be” (A3S2). Along with the mockery of love, Shakespeare makes the potion have a complete opposite effect on the person’s feelings. For example, Lysander loved Hermia deeply, however, after being influenced by the potion, he completely detests Hermia, saying things such as “Out, tawny Tartar, out!” which is highly unlikely of Lysander to say, unless influenced by the potion. Another instance, was when Demetrius fell in ‘love’ with Helena after being under the influence of the potion, which was the complete opposite of his feelings towards her, which was hatred. Through this form of love, modern readers can learn that Love at first sight can be so easily manipulated, especially when blinded by love, and that in order for true love to exist, appearance and superficiality needs to be looked past, and much deeper, which is quite the contrast to love at first sight.

Overall, A Midsummer Night’s Dream educates modern readers concerning the complexities love carries.

William Shakespeare does this by the exploration of true love, unrequited/imbalanced love and manipulated, which is used through several symbolisms, such as the potion for love at first sight, Shakespeare also introduces the idea of foolishness that mortals carry when blinded by love. The playwright incorporates all the ideas through the quote “love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged cupid painted blind,” Shakespeare reinforced the idea even more through his explorations, that looking further into the mind, and personality true love is possible for the modern

audience.