Shakespeare writes the most popular plays. One reason why his plays are so popular is due to dramatic irony. Shakespeare uses a great deal of dramatic irony in his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the characters. Therefore there is more than one kind of emotion you get out of it. These are some of the emotions that you would get out of it. Humor is one of the emotions because a character could have said something wrong or is serious in a non serious moment. One example of this is when Bottom uses the wrong word “You should call their names generally, one person at a time in the order in which their names appear on this piece of paper.” (Shakespeare.1.2.8) Another example was how the working …show more content…
Dramatic irony doesn’t just add humor, but it also adds horror. Horror is when the audience knows something is going to happen to the characters. On page (Shakespeare.2.2.22) Hermia said “Help me Lysander, help me! Get this snake off of my chest. Oh my God! What a terrible dream I just had! Lysander look how i’m shaking in fear. I thought a snake was eating my heart while you were watching Lysander! What is he gone . . . ? This is a prime example, because we know Lysander left, and Hermia doesn’t know that. Dramatic irony adds more than just horror and humor, it also adds suspense. Dramatic irony adds suspense because the characters might be fighting and they don’t know why when the audience does. According to the text Hermia says “ . . . Why did you leave me alone so unkindly,” then Lysander says “Why stay when love tells you to go,” Hermia says “But what love can make my, Lysander leave me?” Lysander says “I had to hurry to my love Helena . . .” Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over Helena but in reality they are getting controlled by a love plant. The audience knows that, but the characters don’t so this is an example of suspense. In conclusion, these are three ways dramatic irony adds emotions to the play, which
In act two scene two Lysander continues to insult Hermia. For example in the book it states “ Content with Hermia? No, I do repent…” (2.2.118-120). This shows that Lysander wants Helena’s love, but he is trying to hard to get it. In act three scene two Helena finds that both Lysander and Demetrius are “mocking” her. For example in the book it states “ ...I pray you,though you mock me, gentlemen.” (3.2.314). This shows that Helena doesn’t believe that Demetrius and Lysander “love” her. Oberon and Lysander find it impossible to control love.
A Midsummer Night’s dream was created for the main purpose of showing people what the phrase “love is blind” truly means. Through the combination of the two different types of irony, Shakespeare wasn’t only able to deliver his message, but was also successful in creating a comedy out of it at the same time. By using situational irony, he was able to create plot twists for the audience and make things more interesting. While dramatic irony was used mainly to create a comedic effect for the play.
of this mistake until later when he realizes that he messed up Lysanders and Hermias true love.
Anointing Lysander’s eyes , he leaves, thinking he did his bidding. Helena finds Lysander sleeping, and, without seeing Hermia, she awakes him.... ... middle of paper ...
When Lysander is speaking to Hermia in Act I, Scene I; he is both stating a truth about the mystery of love, as while as foreshadowing the upcoming trouble in the play. Egeus has made his demands that his daughter obey him and marry Demetrius. The tension between the father and the chosen lover of his daughter has set the conflict into motion. Demetrius has left with Theseus, Hippolyta and Egeus to discuss the wedding of the Duke of the Athens. The young lovers Lysander and Hermia are left on stage and he tells her in Lines 132-134: “For aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth.” He speaks these words to comfort Hermia, but neither has any idea of the crazy night that will come in the
She knows the consequences of refusing her father and the Duke, she exclaims, “If I refuse to wed Demetrius”(I.i.66). After she said this, the Duke explained that the law did not include her choice to be with Lysander; consequently, Lysander came up with a plan to get away from Athens which is why they were in the woods at all. Because Hermia chose to disobey her father, she and Lysander had to run away to be together taking a path through the woods. While Helena complains that Demetrius will never love her, Hermia informs Helena that Demetrius will not see her again. As she speaks to Helena telling her the plan, Helena is given the option to tell Demetrius that his potential bride plans to leave. Hermia explains to Helena, “Take comfort: he no more shall see my face. / Lysander and myself will fly this place”(I.i.207-208). Because Demetrius does not love Helena, Hermia reassures her friend that he will no longer see her around, and Helena can have him to
Infatuation causes Helena to lose all sense of dignity, as can be seen when in the woods, she desperately pleads with Demetrius to ?but treat me as your spaniel?. Here, Helena also becomes irrational, obsessed with pursuing Demetrius, though it is obvious that Demetrius is fixated on winning Hermia?s hand in marriage. Helena?s infatuation also causes her to see things from a skewed perspective, for she falsely believes that when she divulges Hermia?s plans for eloping with Lysander, Demetrius? love for Helena will rekindle. As the audience, we know that the most probable course of action for Demetrius upon hearing such news is to pursue Lysander and Hermia, or to report them to Theseus or Egeus. Clearly, infatuation has clouded Helena?s ability to think clearly, and she sees things in her own idealistic way.
The relationship between Demetrius and Hermia is problematic, in that Demetrius is seeking the affections of Hermia, while she is in love with Lysander. However, Hermia’s father approves of Demetrius and tries to force her to marry him, but Hermia refuses because of her love for Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.22-82). Lysander points out the flaw in the situation through this comment, “You have her father 's love, Demetrius –/Let me have Hermia 's. Do you marry him,” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.93-94). The second flawed relationship is between Lysander and Helena, as a result of an enchantment put on Lysander that made him fall in love with Helena. Helena does not want the affections of Lysander, but rather the love of Demetrius, and believes that Lysander is taunting her. In addition, this relationship creates tensions because Hermia is in love with Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2.2.109-140). Both relationships are not desirable due to a lack of mutual admiration and the creation of non-peaceful and unsatisfying
Hermia is the daughter of Egeus. She is a tiny woman that possessed sparkling eyes and a lovely voice. Hermia is very adamant about what she wants from the balance of the play. She has only eyes for Lysander and is very faithful, even when faced with the obstacles of death or the nunnery. Throughout the play Hermia emotions were confused at times. She even says "Am I not Hermia? Are you not Lysander? (Act III Scene 2 Line 292). We see at this point that she is confused and her feelings are hurt. At that very moment I think she feels like she has lost part of herself, a part that she has given to Lysander. So when Lysander returns to her, she is her self once again.
Then along come Helena and Demetrius to this spot. They are still arguing and Demetrius leaves her with the sleeping Lysander and Hermia. Helena notices them there and tries to wake Lysander. Lysander wakes and the first thing he sees is Helena. " And run through fire for thy sweat sake.
Helena was the younger sister of Hermia. It often bothered her that her sister got all the attention, and she even want it. Helena was madly in love with Demetrius, However Demetrius was arranged to marry Hermia. Helena truly believe she was not good enough, and could not understand why Demetrius did now want
In this scene, Lysander wants to rest near Hermia but she tells him to back off because they're not married yet. Lysander tries to persuade Hermia, however she's not having it. Lysander becomes a bit deceitful to Hermia when he is in the woods with her. Lysander says Lysander says “ O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence “ ( 2. 2. 699 ). The diction “ sweet, of my innocence “ suggests that Lysander is trying to give an impression to Hermia that he didn’t mean anything naughty. Further, Lysander says “ Then by your side no bed-room me deny; For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie “ ( 2.2.705 - 706 ). Lysander is being dishonest to her in this scene. When Lysander was in front of Duke Theseus, he dared not say this to Hermia. Lysander demonstrates
If Hermia’s father Egeus finds out that, she does not want to be with him and she wants to be with Lysander, her dad is going to kill her. Egeus decides to talk to Theseus because he is the duke of Athens. He wanted Theseus to talk to Hermia so she will make the right decision and marry Demetrius. Hermia says “But please, tell me the worst thing that could happened to me if I refuse to marry Demetrius” she does not know who to handle the situation that is happening to her. She does not want to die but she loves Lysander and want to be with him the rest of her life, not with
The love of Hermia and Lysander is put to the test when many events cause disruptions in the course of their true love. Hermia’s father, Egeus, is a very powerful figure in the life of Hermia and greatly impacts the love of Hermia and Lysander. However, he greatly disapproves of Lysander and instead wishes his daughter marry Demetrius so much that if Hermia does not marry Demetrius she will, “either to die the death, or to abjure for ever the society of men” (24). This quotation, said by Theseus, the Duke of Athens acting as Egeus’s messenger, means that if Hermia does not marry Demetrius, “a worthy gentleman”(24) in Egeus’s eyes, she will face death or fore...
Hermia is a bold, strong-willed woman who has her own ideas of life, love, and marriage. In the Ancient Athenian time period, women were considered to be property, and their fathers or husbands controlled them. Women were treated unfairly as they were not allowed to have their own thoughts and opinions. Hermia is owned by her father, Egeus, and is supposed to obey his demand of marrying Demetrius instead of Lysander, the man she loves. Egeus tells Hermia that she has no choice, and if she defies his order, he could send her to her death. Hermia questions Theseus who agrees with Egeus: “I do entreat your Grace to pardon me. / I know not by what power I am made bold / Nor how it may concern my modesty / In such a presence here to plead my thoughts” (I.i.60-63). She explains to the Duke about her courage and determination and even questions her fate. Women were never daring enough to testify their beliefs as they would just obey any rules given.