Exploring Love's Complexity: A Shakespearean Perspective

Pulitzer Prize award winning author Theodore Geisel writes, “You know you are in love when you cannot fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Famed playwright William Shakespeare’s classic tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a tale that covers the romantic pursuits of a slew of characters such as, an ass named Bottom and a beautiful fairy queen, Demetrius and Helena , and Lysander and Hermia. Shakespeare uses the utterly complex feeling of love in order to empower a plot that captivates the reader’s attention. There are vast usages of romance in this tale, but what aspects of love manipulate the reader into the insatiable desire to keep on reading. Love is a human emotion distinguished by its strength and ability to cause wars. For instance, the Trojan War, an infamous war, revolved around the abduction of the very beautiful Queen Helena of Sparta by the Trojan Prince Paris. It resulted in a war that lasted ten years and ultimately

Hermia and Lysander are forbidden by their families, Helena and Demetrius qquwkare engaged to different people. Bottom and Titania both love each other despite the circumstances. Shakespeare shows that anything can happen in a dream, as a dream is not natural. Love is not only apparent in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but also in anyone of Shakespeare’s plays. Love is found everywhere and is the conflict to almost every good film. The recipe for a good tale is one with a protagonist who has a love interest. From The Titanic to Scarface, from The Great Gatsby to The Scarlet Letter, love can be found in each of these masterpieces. It is what grasps the audience’s attention. A decent love story can make someone feel alive, heartbroken, or exasperated. What is life without love? A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an existing tale that contradicts Geisel’s opinion. It shows that even sometimes, dreams are better than