Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (Webster, 1955) William Shakespeare writes about several different types of love in his play, “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. At first glance, one might assume that love is love. However, a person will learn as they experience the play that this assumption is inaccurate. In the play, Shakespeare successfully illustrates just how diverse this complex emotion is and just how many different forms love can assume.
Romantic Love
Shakespeare starts out the play with the romantic love displayed between two betrothed lovers, Theseus and Hippolyta. In Act I, Scene I Theseus joyfully announces, “Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace; Four happy days bring in another moon,” (Shakespeare, 1610-11/2014). …show more content…

Exercising his will as her father and someone who knows what is best for her, Egeus pledges Hermia’s hand in marriage, “I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: as she is mine, I may dispose of her,” (Shakespeare, 1610-11/2014) much to Hermia’s chagrin. It is here Egeus relays to Theseus about Demetrius, “This man hath my consent to marry her,” (Shakespeare, 1610-11/2014). Hermia boldly responds, “But I beseech Your Grace that I may know the worst that may befall me in this case if I refuse to wed Demetrius,” (Shakespeare, 1610-11/2014). Hermia, is in fact, passionately in love with Lysander; which is yet another type of love displayed in the …show more content…

Her feelings of tender love were born of a solemn vow she made to the child’s mother upon her deathbed to, “…rear up her boy and for her sake, I shall not part with him,” (Shakespeare, 1610-11/2014). She protects the child from King Oberon, who wishes to make him his, “henchman,” (Shakespeare, 1610-11/2014). Using his magical powers, King Oberon acts upon his jealousy and takes measures to sever Titania’s guardianship over the child. Uttering his enchantment as he squeezed the juice of a flower onto her eyelids (Bevington, 2014), “What thou see’st when thou dost wake, do It for thy true love take. Love and languish for his sake. Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, pard, or boar with bristled hair, in thy eye that shall appear when thou wak’st, it is thy dear. Wake when some vile thing is near,” (Frank, 2015). The result of his meddling was disastrous. Queen Titania awakened from her sleep to singing by the weaver, Bottom. In a sterling example of conjured love, Queen Titania commanded, “I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again. Mine ear is much enamored of thy note; so is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; and thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me on the first view to say, to swear, I love thee,” (Shakespeare,

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