As Lysander tells Hermia, the course of true love never did run smooth. Often swift, short, and brief, love is besieged by class differences, by age differences, by war, by death, and by sickness. Helena's love is plagued by a different demon: indifference. The more ardently she loves Demetrius, the more thoroughly he hates her. And there seems to be no reason for his disdain: She is as beautiful as Hermia, as wealthy, as similar to Hermia as "double cherries" on a single stem. Helena's meditations present love in its guise as the childish, blindfolded Cupid, a constantly repeated image in this dream, who playfully transforms the vile into something pure and dignified. The image of blind Cupid is repeated when Titania falls in love with Bottom, the ass. Oberon's love-potion works much as Cupid's arrows are reputed to do: by impairing vision. The juice charms Titania's sight, so she is unable to see her lover for what he really is.
Love's arbitrary, irrational nature is the subject of one of Theseus' speeches. In Act V, he famously creates a connection between the imaginations of lovers, lunatics, and poets: All three see beyond the limitation of "cool reason," and all are beset by fantasies. While the lunatic's imagination makes heaven into a hell, the lover shapes beauty in the ugliest face. The poet, meanwhile, creates entire worlds from the "airy nothing" of imagination. In Theseus' opinion, all of these fantasies lack the stamp of truth; does this mean Theseus' love for Hippolyta is equally specious? The Duke would probably say no - without reasons or evidence to back up his claim - but his comments lead us deeper into the question of what constitutes love. If his love for Hippolyta is based on seemingly clear vision, what has caused him to fall in love with her rather than with someone else? Was it a deep understanding of her personality? or A reverence for her compassion or her kindness? The play doesn't tell us, but its overall logic suggests a loud "no" to both questions. In this drama, love is based entirely upon looks, upon attractiveness, or upon the love-potion that charms the eyes. Thus, for example, Hermia accounts for Lysander's surprising loss of affection by assessing her height; she is shorter and, therefore, less appealing than Helena. Like too many teenage girls in contemporary society, Hermia is plagued by doubts about her desirability. It's not surprising that body image is such a vexing issue in Western society when love is so often based on appearance, rather than essence.
Even when love is mutual and seemingly based in clear vision, it is often hampered by family disapproval. For Lysander and Hermia, love is marred by her father's desire for her to marry Demetrius. The law is on Egeus' side. All of the relationships in the play, but this one in particular, emphasizes the conflict of love and law. The "ancient privilege of Athens" allows Egeus to "dispose" of his daughter as he wishes; she is his property, so he can "estate" her to anyone. His words show the violence that often supports law and points out a discord within the
The Comedies (Option One) William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, is a comedic themed play that interprets the events that surround the wedding of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and Hippolyta. Which, includes the journeys of four young Athenian lovers as well as a group of six amateur actors, who are coordinated and influenced by the fairies who live in the forest in where a great portion of the story and/or play takes place. "A Midsummer Night's Dream”, is a comedy themed play that has…
Midsummer Night's Dream -- Tragic Death of Pyramus & Thisbe filled the theatre with uproarious laughter or which I feel our theatre has lately been starved. Pyramus and Thisbe are two lovers who are kept apart, but they chat secretly through a hole in a wall and agree that by moonlight that they'll meet at the tomb. Thisbe arrives first, but then he is frightened off by a lion. When she runs away, she leaves behind her cape and the lion it and covers it in blood. Pyramus then shows up, a bit…
Kimberly Benavides British Literature II Mr. Eidson 12-5-2013 Best of Both Worlds Everyone and everything in the world undergo changes. Such changes may be good and bad, or old and new. Regardless, there are two sides to all things. Since both stories take place in the Victorian era, the themes and ideas within each go against certain views of morals or codes of conduct that existed in that time period. The general public may argue that because these values are not typical in Victorian society…
Anan Mejid Ms. Donald ENG1DO-B January 13, 2013 William Shakespeare: View of True Love In William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” he illustrates his perspective on what he thinks to be true love. His play sets in a mystical forest where there are two couples who end up having odd and ill fates because of the forest’s fairies that meddle in their lives and make their love paths go astray. Through his characters, Hermia, Lysander and Helena, Shakespeare demonstrates that the…
Summary of Act II This Act starts off with Puck and a Fairy and the fairy points out who he is. Which is a trickster. Then Puck goes on to say how the king Oberon is jealous of this boy that the queen Titania has been watching in the forest for quite some time. Soon after Oberon and Titania enter and they are arguing over the boy, and the fact that Titania will not hand to boy over to Oberon to be trained that she will just stay in the forest with him. This makes Oberon very angry so he tells Puck…
A Midsummer Night’s Nightmare Titania: Fairies, I just got a call from spy central. There is a villain on the loose who wants to end all love in the world. We must stop him. Fairy: Yes Queen, otherwise the world would be a horrible place to live in. Titania: Take out my gear. Let’s fight this villain! BLACKOUT Oberon: I need that Indian boy from Titania. And I will do whatever I can to get him. Hey Puck, remember a few nights ago, I told you about a flower that once put on sleeping eyelids, erases…
How Does Sh Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595) is many people’s favorite Shakespeare comedy. The whole world likes this play, and it is often used in schools to introduce children to the Bard because its fairies are perceived as charming and considered harmless. In the modern scientific era which only accepts truth based on empirical evidence, the menace of the supernatural has lost its power to frighten and intimidate to such an extent that children masquerade as ghosts, witches, and hobgoblins on…
Dreaming A Reality Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, the realm of reality and dreams is explored as an emotional conflict between characters that develop the reality of the play as a dream. By starting with the end in mind that the entire play is a dream, one is able to make a distinction between reality and the dream as a series of events. Psychologist, Sigmund Freud studied dreams to be unconscious efforts of the mind to perceive what is happening in reality and then…
Tayts 1 Daniel Tayts Mr. Slonaker English 12 16 March 2015 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Comparison Essay Love is a very powerful and compelling force, and this is exemplified in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. All of the characters are intertwined in a massive web of love, and desire. However, there is a great deal of conflict within this web. The main character, Hermia, is madly in love with Lysander. She is not the least bit interested in Demetrius – however, Demetrius has no intention of stopping chasing…
pleasures that will happen on their wedding night. He implores, “Four nights will quickly dream away the time/ And then the moon, like a silver bow/ Now; bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities/” (1.1.8). This moment implies that the moon is connected to the union of lovers. Not just in marriage but in body. The moon is also often associated with fertility and chastity. It is fitting that Theseus blames the moon for his loveless nights, when he later in the scene warns Hermia about…