Illusion of Love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

1530 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The theme of love in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Illusion of Love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

The play A Midsummer Night's Dream is centered around themes that are seemingly apparent and clear: those of true love, false love, love's blindness and the inconstancy of love. However, this pattern of the themes of love dissipate to reveal that these themes are only apparent to the reader who wants them to exist. We want Lysander and Hermia to be in love; we want Demetrius to love Helena as she loves him, but the question arises as to whether these lovers are actually in love. Is Shakespeare providing us with a wholesome tale of true love or is he conveying something more raw, more provocative than that? When taking a closer look at this play, one sees a recurring pattern and another common theme - that of lust and sexuality. The love theme in this play is but an illusion, the reality is that this play is centered around sex and desire.

A common focus in A Midsummer Night's Dream is that of eyes and sight. The words "eye," "sight," and "see" occur a total of one hundred seventeen times throughout the play (Berry). One may suggest that this eye imagery conveys the theme of love more strongly as "love is blind" or that love enters through the eyes (Vaughn, 73). However, the eyes are based on the physical world; love is not based on sight alone. The physicality of Shakespeare's use of sight is a direct consequence of lust. One does not love with their eyes, one loves with one's heart and mind; one desires with one's eyes.

Similarly, the physicality of the play is also maintained through the constant profession of physical beauty. Helena laments that she wishes she looked like Hermia:

O, teach me how you look, and with what art,

You sway the motion of Demetr...

... middle of paper ...

...xual undertones and reminds us that often lust and sexual attraction are interpreted as true love and, as humans, we often comply with this illusion of true love and happiness rather than face the realization of the inconstancy sexual attraction.

Bibliography

Benet, Sula. "May Day." Encyclopedia Americana: Deluxe Library Edition. 1992.

Berry, Ralph. Shakespeare's Comedies. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1972.

Fredal, James. "Herm Choppers, the Adonia, and Rhetorical Action in Ancient Greece." Online posting. National Council of Teachers of English. 28 Feb. 2003 http://www.ncte.org/pdfs/subscribers-only/ce/0645-may02/CE0645Herm.pdf

Greenblatt et al., ed. "A Midsumer Night's Dream."The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1997.

Vaughn, Jack A. Shakespeare's Comedies. New York: Frederick Uncar Publishing Co., 1980.

Show More
Related

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream-The Fickle Nature Of Love

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Fickle Nature of Love Love is often a whirlwind of unexpected feelings and emotions, taking people on unpredictable journeys of intense highs and lows - and William Shakespeare knows it. Shakespeare manages to capture this element of unpredictability and unexpectedness within all the relationships displayed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Throughout all of the love relationships that are shown to the audience in the play, the theme “love is unpredictable” manages to be entwined in the midst of it all, be it among the young and rash lovers or in the mature relationships depicted. In the play, Lysander says that “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

    Read More

  • Signs, Symbols and Signals of the Underground Railroad

    3218 Words  | 7 Pages

    As secrecy was a necessity for all involved with the Underground Railroad, those assisting the enslaved were forced to be creative in their methods of communication. All communication was guarded, so it was better not to say too much, or put information into writing, that way if questioned sensitive information would not be revealed. By necessity, written communication used coded words to convey the information. People who helped the slaves find the railroad were referred to as agents, guides were called conductors. A note might refer to a number of packages or cargo (fugitives) being delivered, even going so far as to indicate dry goods, whic...

    Read More

  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and the Dark Shadow Within

    1525 Words  | 4 Pages

    The horror genre is synonymous with images of terror, violence and human carnage; the mere mention of horror movies evokes physical and psychological torture. As remarked by noted author Stephen King “the mythic horror movie…has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized.” (King, 786). At manageable intervals, we choose to live these horrific events vicariously through the characters in horror movies and books as a means of safely experiencing the “what if”. The horror genre allows us to explore our fears, be it spiders, vampires, loss of our identity, or death of a loved, under the most fantastic and horrible circumstances conceivable. King also points out that by watching horror movies we “may allow our emotions a free rein . . . or no rein at all.” (King, 784). According to psychiatrist James Schaller, by vicariously “experiencing contrived fears, a person develops a sense of competence over similar types of fears.” (Schaller). Horror films allow the viewer the opportunity to safely examine their fears safely and to the depth and extent they wish to do so. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 provides the opportunity for the viewer to consider a diverse range of fears, with a little humor thrown in for balance, from the safety of a darkened room, a comfortable seat and in less than 120 minutes.

    Read More

  • Identity Theft and Possible Risk in Technology

    1697 Words  | 4 Pages

    Identity theft is a term used for describing criminal that uses individual’s identity without consent. A common crime of identity theft would be identity fraud. Many of the crimes are regularly connected with money-related issues (Reyns, 2013). With technology being commonly used nowadays we are getting more dependent on it for business, financial, medical, and other forms. As a result this became a target for identity thieves as well. The Internet provides us information and accessibility, but information being stored on the Internet eas...

    Read More

  • Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Power of Love

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Theme of Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare In the play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ many aspects of love are explored. In this essay I will be exploring how Shakespeare conveys the theme of love including illusion, confusion, escape, harmony and lust. Historically, it has been suggested that ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was written for a wedding, signifying the importance of love in this play, however there is no real evidence to prove this myth. Rather, the Lord Chamberlain’s men performed ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on the London stage.

    Read More

  • Essay On Identity Theft

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in both the US and abroad. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that identity theft costs consumers as much as $50 billion annually and that this number will likely keep growing (Finklea, 2010, p. 1). Additionally, the FTC receives in excess 250,000 consumer complaints of identity theft each year and this is believed to be only a fraction of the total number of victims (Finklea, 2010, p. 9). There are several types and methods of identity theft and these methods continue to increase as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated. Understanding the types and methods of identity theft can reduce potential victimization.

    Read More

  • Love, Lust and Infatuation in Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Love is defined as a strong affection, attachment, or devotion to a person or persons. Many people tend to think that if you are young , you cannot possibly be in love at thee same time. It is believed that especially when you are in your teenage year that you are too young to know whether or not you are really in love, but who can really say that they know the true meaning of love whether they are young or old. Despite all of this, there are still those people out there that believe in love at first sight and love being blind. In William Shakespear¹s play ³A Midsummer Night¹s Dream² he tells the story of four young Athenian teens who fall in love with each other, the queen of the fairies who falls in love with a man who has the head of a donkey, and the queen of the Amazons who falls in love with the duke of Athens who captures her from the rest of the Amazons. Sight plays a significant role to the to all of these circumstances that occur within the story.

    Read More

  • The Theme of True Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Identity Theft Case Study

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are a lot of fears in the world. Some fear dying and public speaking, but several people fear being a victim of identity theft. Identity theft or also known as identity fraud is a cyber-crime in which a person’s social identity or a business identity is compromised or leaked in various ways and result in devastating consequences. These consequences can ultimately destroy the personal identity or business (cited in Carbajo). Around the United States, numerous consumers and business owners are losing substantial amounts of money due to identity theft. There have been several organizations that been targeted such

    Read More

  • Identity And Identity Theft

    1954 Words  | 4 Pages

    Identity theft is done by a broad scope of offenders. Technology has brought about new vulnerabilities. The aim of our report is to better define identity and identity theft. Define the role of technology in aiding the crime. The report also states some legal issues and legislations both national and local.

    Read More

  • Essay On Identity Theft

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identity theft impacts our society and people’s businesses. Identity thieves will use business owner’s personal information to open up new lines of credit, new accounts, and make large purchases. Unjustifiable accounts and unpaid purchases will result in collectors holding you personally accountable for the business debt until you can p...

    Read More

  • Online Identity Theft

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is identity? The word itself can have so many connotations, definitions, and subjects tied to it. However, the most basic definition of our identity would be the qualities, beliefs, and baggage that make up each person. An identity is something that each of us have a claim to from the moment we are born to even past our death. Through the recent technology surges however, our most basic claim is now threatened. We have all heard about crime on the streets but with the creation of social networking websites, online shopping, and just interaction websites we are making ourselves vulnerable to a new type of crime: online identity theft. Identity theft is the term for the criminal act of stealing your personal information to clone your identity with the intent to use it without your knowledge or permission to commit fraud or other crimes. This is when thieves typically obtain and exploit personally identifiable information about individuals or various credentials they use to authenticate themselves, in order to impersonate them. In today’s world this is a very serious issue due to all the repercussions it may have such as, the ruination of credit scores, bankruptcy, and many other consequences. Online identity theft is a very serious problem which we are facing in the 21st century and we should begin taking steps to protect our identities such as placing personal information on the internet should be censored and limited.

    Read More

More about Illusion of Love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Open Document