The Different Forms of Love in Relation to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Love is a term used daily in one’s life. Many categorize love in many forms. These forms differ from one-another such as the difference between love for food and love for one’s spouse. However, in the play; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, love takes different forms than the ones experienced in reality. One can classify the different types of love used in this play into three different categories; true love, love produced by cupid’s flower, and the state of lust. ‘True love’ is a form of love that has a distinct aura around it and serves as the baseline in the play. One can suggest that the love shared between Hermia and Lysander is ‘true love’ as they decided to elope …show more content…
We the globe can compass soon,
Swifter than the wand’ring moon. (4.1.99-103)
The above shows that Titania and Oberon share a relationship that is inseparable. They swallow their pride and come back together, planning to even bless the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta even though those were the other two in the affairs. Hippolyta proceeds to call Oberon ‘my Lord’ and Oberon calls Hippolyta ‘my Queen’. This shows that their love is still prevalent. ‘True love’ is the baseline in the play and is the primary form of love. The love produced by Cupid’s flower serves as comedic relief in the play and can be considered to be the second form of love. The love produced by the love juice causes one to fall in love with the first living creature they see and do not seem to occupy themselves with anything that does not involve their lover. Titania enamores over Bottom once she wakes up:
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again.
Mine ear is much enamored of thy note,
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape,
And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee. (3.1.139-143)
The above shows the second form of love which is the love produced from the juice of cupid’s flower. It is keen to note that one who is enthralled with cupid’s love does not involve themselves in any other activity that is not flattering their lover. This is emphasised when Titania orders the fairies to respect and be courteous to
Oberon demands, “How can you stand there shamelessly talking about me and Hippolyta, when you know that I know about your love for Theseus? And weren’t you the one who made him cheat on all of his other girlfriends, like Aegles, Ariadne, and Antiopa? (Shakespeare II.ii.76).
Love is such an abstract and intangible thing, yet it is something that everyone longs for. In Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the difficulty of love is explored through the obstacles that characters have to face while pursuing their loved ones. Those characters that are in love in the play were conflicted with troubles; however, the obstacles of love do not seem to stop them from being infatuated with each other. The concept of true love is examined throughout this play. By creating obstacles using authority and a higher power, Shakespeare examines the power of love. Through Hermia and Lysander’s loving words, it is reasonable to conclude that love conquers all if you believe in it.
The artificial love given by Titania to Bottom demonstrates how magic can duplicate the realist atmosphere given from true love as both of those involved are unable to recognise that it is false. True love can cloud judgement and Shakespeare shows how artificial love can do the same, Titania is convinced Bottom is beautiful even though he has the head of a donkey 'Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful'. Bottom responds to the beautiful, magical fairy queen's devotion as nothing out of the ordinary and that all of the trappings of her affection, including having servants attend him, are his proper due. His unawareness of the fact that his head has been transformed into that of an ass parallels his inability to perceive the absurdity of the idea that Titania could ever truly fall in love with him.
What is love? Love is a very powerful emotion! Love is something that can come at any time in your life. It can appear in any way, shape, or form. In the famous play “Midsummer Night's Dream,” by William Shakespeare, love is a major theme that affects many people and causes many challenges. In order for love to conquer these challenges one needs to stay true to their love, they may need the help of some magic, and must be persistent.
True love’s path is paved with every step. Through the assistance of fanciful elements as well as characters Puck and Oberon, the true message of love in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is revealed. The four lovers know the direction in which their hearts are inclined to turn, but when the love potion is administered, the bounds of their rectangle are thrashed without knowledge or consent. The rapid shifts in affection between the play’s “four lovers” is representative of the idea that love isn’t a conscious choice, but a cruel game in which we are the figurines, being controlled by whomever the player may be, relating the characters’ karmic fates.
love thee” (3.1. 117). In act two, Lysander is under the flower’s love spell, and his true
Hermia’s love for Lysander can be seen as genuine as she states ‘I would my father looked but with my eyes’ which means she wishes her father could see Lysander the way she does. This suggests that she is not under his spell as she truly sees him with her own eyes, and loves him. The audience also sees that she is very passionate about Lysander, as she chooses to ‘yield my virgin patent up’ and live the life of a nun or die rather than ‘wed Demetrius’. We also see the love between Lysander and Hermia is genuine later in Act 1 Scene 1 when ‘Exeunt all but Lysander and Hermia’, as it appears that Lysander is finishing Hermia’s sentences, indicating they are very familiar with each other, and he is comforting her lovingly. Lysander also states ‘true love never did run smooth’ which suggests they truly believe what they feel is true love. Another technique used by Shakespeare to emphasise their love is vivid imagery. Hermia’s speech declaring that she would meet Lysander in ‘the wood’ is filled with imagery suggesting love and passion, such as ‘by Cupid’s strongest bow’ and her reference to the Greek Goddess Venus: ‘By the simplicity of Venus’ doves’, emphasises her passion for Lysander.
One of the many themes of the play is that of love. Many different types of love are depicted in the book. There is: Parental Love (Egeus and Hermia, Titania and Little Indian Boy), Friendly Love (Helena and Hermia, The Workmen), Unrequited Love (Helena and Demetrius), Official Love (Hermia and Demetrius), Argumentative Love (Oberon and Titania), Mad Sexual Love (Bottom and Titania),Passionate Love (Hermia
He needs her too, so he wins the boy for himself to make her feel inferior. In other words, Titania gave up something that she loved to make her husband happy. This is seen in everyday life, women give up their wants to make their men happy. Titania's sacrifice for Oberon cost her to lose both her Indian boy and his mother, her women lover. When men don't make women happy, they turn to their friends for what they need, whatever it may be. (Scott 370-373) Male domination not only exists between husband and wife, but also between father and daughter. Theseus will not allow Hermia to marry Lysander. Theseus wants her to marry Demetrius. Egeus, a ruler, will force Hermia to become a nun unless she marries Demetrius. In retaliation to his demands, Lysander and Hermia run away together. Hermia is scolded by Egeus for being in love with the man she chooses. This suggests that men cause women to feel forced and obligated to do as they say. (Scott 373) Another example of male domination is the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Theseus' first wife was frail and yielding, and he divorced her. Hippolyta has been a warrior, and Theseus' victory over her makes her unable to resist. By conquering the female warrior and marrying her, he fulfills his need for the exclusive love of a woman while satisfying his homoerotic desires. Close bonding fulfills this homoerotic desire with a male companion, such as Demetrius and
William Shakespeare portrays how sometimes love changes as the circumstances change, which indicates that it could not be true love. Throughout the play, several characters change their minds about who they love. For example, when Oberon gives Titania the love potion, she immediately falls in love with Bottom, whom Robin turned into an ass. However, when Oberon gives her the antidote, she “wakes” and her eyes “loathe his visage now” (Shakespeare 4.1.77). Shakespeare puts a comedic twist on the power of “love at first sight,” relating Titania’s bout with Bottom ending as quick as it begun. Often people believe they found their true love only to discover that person is not what’s best for them. Likewise, when Lysander falls victim to the same potion, he declares: “Not Hermia, but Helena I love. Who will not change a raven for a dove?” (2.2.120). Lysander’s fatuation suddenly switches from Hermia to Helena, with his reason being that she’s better looking. Shakespeare is hinting at the fact that people are always chasing the latest and the greatest, be it goods to accessories to love partners, so when someone seemingly better comes around, people often leave whom they previously loved without warning. Additionally, when Demetrius falls under the spell, he denounces his love for Hermia, for now he loves Helena. He claims, “If e’er I loved her, all that love is gone” (3.2.173). Demetrius completely changes his stance on who he loves, and assures Helena he is hers. Shakespeare creates a picture of how people who are quick to love sound in a new relationship, and depicts how fragile their relationship is. Thus, throughout the play and through numerous examples,
Love is a very common theme that is seen in literature, and love is one of the most powerful things that can be felt for someone or something. Love can drive a person to do incredible or horrible things, and we see many forms of love that take place in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is demonstrated in the book by many characters including Hermia and Lysander who demonstrate true love. Titania and Bottom show magical love. In the play, love is also the cause of a few broken hearts. While there is no one common definition of love that suits all of the characters, the romantic relationship in the play all leans to one simple rule laid out by Lysander, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”
In Twelfth Night, Feste asks the “most simple and at the same time most complex of questions,” “What is Love?” (The English Review). Some people believe that love is easy, effortless, and leads to fairytale endings. However, in Twelfth Night, Shakespeare shows the other side of love. Love is not a simple feeling, and it is a confusing emotion which leads to heartbreak, or pure happiness. These two polar opposites are derived from either true or false love. Shakespeare portrays the idea that love is not always easy, and differentiates between false and true love in Twelfth Night.
The most long lasting love is Oberon and Titania's. You would expect Oberon and Titania to be the most stable relationship, although this is not the case, as Oberon's desire to own the Indian boy outweighs his desire to make Titania remain absolutely faithful to him. This is a perfect example of true love not running smoothly, although at the end, Oberon declares that he and Titania are "...new in
When love is in attendance it brings care, faith, affection and intimacy. This is proved true in the spectacular play A Midsummer Night's Dream written by William Shakespeare. This play displays the facts about lust, hatred, jealousy and their roles in something powerfully desirable. It is entitled love. Love is present everywhere, in every form, in every condition and even when one least expects it.
Outside circumstances often play a role in love, but in the case of Titania and Bottom, an outside circumstance brought them together completely. A flower hit by cupid’s bow has the power to cause a person to fall