Relationships In A Midsummer Night's Dream

True love is like a long, grueling adventure, containing many obstacles, but if one perseveres, one will reach his/her destination. The recurring theme of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “the course of true love never did run smooth” (1.1.36), applies to many of the characters, particularly Helena. For Helena, the pursuit of true love weakens her relationships with her friends and makes her face challenging obstacles. First, during the second act of the first scene, Helena shows her undying love for Demetrius by relentlessly chasing him, even though he despises her. Throughout the scene, Helena is cruelly abused and battered by Demetrius. Demetrius’s indifference to Helena’s express love for him, a major obstacle throughout the entire book, does

As demonstrated by Demetrius in the first scene, “I love thee not; therefore pursue me not,” (2.1.195) Helena is not doted upon by Demetrius, yet she still refuses to suppress her emotions. This quote shows one of the major obstacles that Helena overcomes on her path to true love, though it severely damages her relationship with Hermia. Hermia, Helena’s former best friend, is who Demetrius desires to marry, even though she loves a different man. Consequently, Helena feels that it is unfair that everyone must love Hermia and not her. She grows to dislike Hermia because of a “cruel trick” that is played on her. The former best friends grow more distant, fracturing their friendship. Demetrius’ abuse that Helena endures in this scene displays the theme of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “the course of true love never did run smooth,” because it is an obstacle that affects her relationships which she must overcome in her journey towards true love. Furthermore, in the second half of the book, one of the main conflicts between Helena and her quest for true love is Demetrius, Lysander, and Hermia playing a so called trick on Helena. Helena feels as if the other lovers were mocking her for