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A Midsummer Night 's Dream

Decent Essays

Pranti Ahmed
Blue 4 Brit Lit
April 8 2015 A Midsummer Nights Dream Topic #1

Love is a timeless topic which Shakespeare explores in depth in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream “. Shakespeare utilizes the format of a play within a play to communicate the complexities of love. Love is a force that characters cannot control. The play includes scenes of lovers searching for fulfillment in the arms of characters who are unavailable. The magic love potion wreaks havoc between actual lovers and it is clear just how negatively it is portrayed. The entire play revolves around the difficulties of maintaining love and how foolish and insecure the pursuit of love can make us. It also touches on the fickleness of love, that love can be …show more content…

Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so” (1.1.226-228). Demetrius’s obsession for Hermia makes Helena feel ugly and unwanted. By the time the love potion going around causes both Lysander and Demetrius to fall in love with her, Helena is so used to the hate-filled words and full of insecurity she feels they’re playing a trick on her. Before the love potion she couldn’t even compare to Hermia in Demetrius’s eyes. She couldn 't bring herself to see why they would both be in love with her when she couldn 't even get one of them to love her before. She’s spent so long comparing herself to Hermia and trying to be like her she forgets her own self worth.

Demetrius’s love is a whole other negative portrayal of love. His love can mostly be seen as superficial. Up until meeting Hermia, Demetrius was betrothed to Helena and in love with her as well. “ Demetrius, I 'll avouch it to his head, Made love to Nedar 's daughter, Helena, And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes, Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry, Upon this spotted and inconstant man. “(1.1.2) The way Shakespeare portrays Demetrius’s love vs Helenas love shows the difference in love between men and women. This may not always be the cause, and definitely goes both ways, but in this particular play it is how it’s portrayed. Helena’s love for Demetrius is never ending with her willing to do anything for him. Demetrius on the other hand only loved her until

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