Midsummer Night's Dream Love Quotes

The Faces of love

What is love? Different people have different characteristics and adjectives of love. For example new lovers might think that love is the only hope, while people who have had some experience might think that it is a pain. In the Book A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare writes about the different types of love. Shakespeare uses his characters to show how people different people may view love.

In the play A Midsummer’s Night's Dream, Shakespeare shows the different types of love. One of the most noticeable types of love he shows is that love is blind. One way that Shakespeare shows that love is blind is when Helena says “I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight. Then to the wood will he tomorrow night Pursue her. And

for this intelligence If I have thanks, it is a dear expense.But herein mean I to enrich my pain,To have his sight thither and back again.” (Shakespeare 1.1.245-25). Shakespeare writes about how Hermia is will to die than to marry Demetrius.

This quote shows that Helena was so blinded by her love of Demetrius that she was willing to ruin her best friends chances of love. Another way that shakespeare shows that love is blind is in the following quote. The way that Shakespeare shows this when he writes “Having once this juice, I’ll watch Titania when she is asleep And drop the liquor of it in her eyes. The next thing then she waking looks upon—Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, On meddling monkey or on busy ape—She shall pursue it with the soul of love. And ere I take this charm from of her sight—As I can take it with another herb—I’ll make her render up her page to me. But who comes here?”(Shakespeare 2.1.161-171). Oberon is planning to make his wife love someone else in order to get the child. In this quote Oberon was so blinded in love with the idea of having the changeling child that he was willing to ruin his relationship with his wife just to get him. One last example of the way Shakespeare shows that love is blind is when he writes “With cunning hast thou filched my daughter’s heart, Turn'd her obedience (which is due to me) To stubborn

harshness.—And, my gracious duke, Be it so she will not here before your grace Consent to marry with Demetrius, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens. As she is mine, I may dispose of her—Which shall be either to this gentleman Or to her death—according to our law Immediately provided in that case.”(Shakespeare 1.1.37-46). Egeus is telling the Duke that he wants his daughter killed if she refuses to marry the man he chooses. Egeus loves his daughter so much that he was more willing to have her killed than to have her marry someone he didn’t think was worthy.

Also in the book A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare shows that love has no boundaries.

One way the author shows this is when he writes “So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent up Unto his lordship, whose unwishèd yoke My soul consents not to give sovereignty.”(Shakespeare 1.1.79-82). Hermia is saying that she would rather die than give herself to someone that she does not love. In this quote Hermia’s love goes deeper than the boundaries of love. Another way that Shakespeare shows that love knows no boundaries is when he writes, “Take thou some of it and seek through this grove: A sweet Athenian lady is in love With a disdainful youth. Anoint his eyes. But do it when the next thing he espies May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man By the Athenian garments he hath on.”(Shakespeare 2.1,246-251) In this quote Oberon is tell Puck to intervene in Helena and demetrius’ love life. This quotes show that love knows no boundaries because of Oberon’s love of playing cupid he invaded someone he did not know personal life. One last way that Shakespeare showed that love has no boundaries is when he writes: “You do impeach your modesty too much,To leave the city and commit yourself Into the hands of one that loves you not,To trust the opportunity of night And the ill counsel of a desert place.With the rich worth of your virginity.”(Shakespeare 2.1.199-204) Demetrius is trying to get Helena away from him by telling her that if people find out this

will not be good for her reputation. The way that this shows that love has no boundaries is by Helena letting her love for demetrius bypass the boundaries of herself.

The last example of the different types of love that Shakespeare shows in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is that love is determine. One example of how Shakespeare shows that love is determine is when he writes “And even for that do I love you the more.I am your spaniel. And, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel—spurn me, strike me,Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave, Unworthy as I am, to follow you. What worser place can I beg in your love—And yet a place of high respect with me—Than to be usèd as you use your dog?” (Shakespeare 2.1.187-195). Helena is trying to get Demetrius to allow her to be in his life. Shakespeare is showing how Helena is so determine to be in Demetrius’ life that she is willing to be his dog. Another example of Shakespeare showing that love is determine is when Shakespeare says “Give me that boy and I will go with thee.” (Shakespeare 2.1.128) Oberon is try to convince Titania to give him the human boy. This shows that Oberon is so determine to get the human child that he was more will to be separate from his wife first than not have the child. One last example of how Shakespeare show that love is determine is when he writes “You speak not as you think. It cannot be.” (Shakespeare 3.2.194) Hermia is trying to convince Lysander that he loves her. Hermia is so determined to prove that lysander love her that she is denying all the facts.

Shakespeare uses his characters to show how people different people may view love. In this book there is both successful love and love that has failed. One thing that every love story in this play has in common is that they all had people who view love differently. This story leaves you with the question of, what is love.