Casting Actors to Play Helena and Hermia from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hermia is mocked for her looks. She lacks height but is a young beautiful woman with a dark complexion. Once Helena and Hermia were quarrelling in the woods, Hermia says this in regards to height, ‘Now I perceive that she hath made compare between our statures she hath urged her height, And with her personage, her tall personage, Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him’. (Act 3 Scene 2 Line 292). So obviously she is aware of her lack of height and it seems to cause her a bit of pain. Though Helena is taller than her, Hermia has beautiful eyes and a sweet voice.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare detailed the story between warring characters. From couple conflicts to love quadrilaterals and the interference of outsiders, the story played out as a comedy, with Helena on the receiving end of a running joke. Introduced in Act One as the jealous friend of Hermia, as she was in love with Demetrius, who decided to marry Hermia despite Hermia’s love for Lysander. Hermia appears rather guilty as she confirms her distaste to Demetrius to her friend. However, her father disapproves of her relationship with Lysander. Despite her co-dependent aspirations, Helena exemplifies progressive ideals that counter the societal norms of Midsummer’s era.

Therefore, no marvel though Demetrius. Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.” (2.2.110-13). Helena reveals that a beast more fearsome than a bear would run from her tormented self. Her comparison to Demetrius acting as a monster flying from her may represent an underlying and unrecognized disdain felt for him not loving her in return. These are majorly complex emotions running through my favorite afflicted female in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Helena’s comparison to Hermia is particularly relevant. Humans have a tendency of comparing and questioning why they should bother to contend with someone. Helena complains of a “wicked and dissembling glass” which made her compete with Hermia’s beauty (2.2.104-5). In A Midsummer Night's Dream, there is the presence of unrequited love, which is shown by Helena and Demetrius' relationship: "The more I love, the more he hateth me" (1.1.199). This evidently shows Helena's love for Demetrius, and yet her love for him is not returned for he is blinded by his love for Hermia. This unrequited love shows the cruel nature of love which is represented when Demetrius say, “Tell you I do not nor I cannot love you” (2.1.201). “Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit, for I am sick when I do look on thee” (2.1.211). Demetrius ignores Helena in an attempt to push her away, when she is madly in love with him. However, his plan backfires and only causes her love and desperate desire for him to grow,

Hermia of course is in love with Lysander , and Lysander is in love with Hermia. But there is also, Demetrius who is also in love with Hermia and Helena who is in love with Demetrius. They have been through many obstacles, like in the Act 3 scene 2. After Puck put the love potion on Lysander and he fell in love with Helena, he has followed her around nonstop. As Helena goes to find Hermia, Lysander follows close behind. “Lys: Why should you think that I should woo in scorn? Hel: You do advance your cunning more and more.” This is Lysander and Helena talking to each other, Lysander saying why would I mock you if I love you and Helena saying you just get better and better at your jokes, but in a sarcastic way. This shows the relationship between Hermia and Helena in Shakespeare's a Midsummer’s Night Dream.

In Midsummer Night 's Dream, the story starts with Theseus, duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. While preparing for their wedding, Theseus is confronted by Egeus, who brings criticism about his daughter Hermia, who refuses his wishes to marry Demetrius, for she is in love with Lysander. Egeus demands that either Hermia respects his wishes or be punished by the Athenian law. While Hermia is in love with Lysander and vice versa, Demetrius is in love with Hermia and ignores Helena, Hermia 's childhood friend, unrequited love.

Aspects of Hermia’s strong personality shine through once again that night in the woods. Hermia once again stands up for herself, however, in this case to her lover. That night while in the woods, Hermia does not want to sleep next to Lysander, to which he replies with “One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth.” Instead of giving in to what her boyfriend wants, Hermia continues to say no, “Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet, do not lie so near.” Regardless to the overwhelming lust and love the two were feeling, Hermia still persisted on not doing anything remotely sexual with Lysander, even refusing to do something as small as lying in the same bed with him.

Helena and Hermia quarrel as Helena calls Hermia “something lower than [her]self” (III.ii.303), and Hermia threatening her as her “nails can reach unto thine eyes”. (III.ii.298). Afterwards, the men also pick fights with each other, “try[ing] whose right […] is most in Helena” (III.ii.336-7). In these two situations, the women, who are not under an enchantment, are perceived as foolish as the guys, who are under enchantment. This suggests that women who are in love are just naturally foolish and are willing to pick fights with other women for stealing their lovers in comparison to men who are much more calm and reasonable until they have been cast under a literal spell where they cannot help but act foolish and aggressive. Women are also seen as naturally emotional and hysterical when it comes to love. Helena begs Demetrius to “spurn me, strike me, neglect me” (II.i.205) and that she will still “fawn on you” (II.i.204). Helena is over the top with her love for Demetrius that she does not realize what she is saying which indicates how emotional women naturally are for the ones they love and that men are much more level-headed as Demetrius shuts her down, saying that she “impeach [her] modesty too much” (II.i.214). Lastly, the women in this play, specifically Hermia, are irrational and do not think consciously. For example, when Hermia exclaims to “kill me too” (III.i.49) to Demetrius when she thought he

play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia and Lysander were in love with each other when a

In the beginning of the play, Egeus, Hermia’s father, complains to the duke of Athens, Theseus, about his daughter not wanting to marry the man he picked out for her, Demetrius. Theseus comes to a conclusion of either sending Hermia to a nunnery or executing her. Hermia does not want to go through with either of those choices, so she and Lysander, the man Hermia really loves, plan to run away from the city of Athens to be married. Everything is arranged for their escape and all is well until Helena enters the scene. Hermia

In this point in the play we find Helena begging to be loved by Demetrius. She constantly follows Demetrius around but he is madly in love with Hermia a long with Lysander. Hermia is the daughter of Egeus and he demands she marries Demetrius even though she is in love with Lysander. Even though Helena knows Demetrius does not love her she will forever try to win him over. Demetrius tries to tell Helena that he loves Hermia.

She is able to still love Lysander even after he told Hermia that he no longer loved her. She has proven herself over countless times that she will do anything for her lover. Hermia's sheer will and determination help her get what she deserves in the

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be considered an archetypal comedy due in large part to the ill-defined characters. Part of what makes this play work so well is that rather than becoming too invested in any one character’s hopes and fears or desires and struggles, the audience is simply rooting for things to work out well in general. If the audience became too attached to any one character, they might lose sight of the bigger picture in their concern over, for example, Demetrius remaining drugged at the end of the play, or the disturbing repercussions of Helena marrying a man who only a few acts earlier she had urged to “Use me but as your spaniel…” (2.i.212). The

She is thought of as less of a woman because of her choice to have sex with Demetrius when they weren’t married. She is constantly insulted and belittled, while Demetrius doesn’t get any negative treatment from the news. She later becomes desperate to be with him because the mistreatment that she often faces has led her to believe that she isn’t good enough for anyone else. Because she was judged for making her own decision to sleep with Demetrius, she thinks that allowing him to control her will be a solution to all of the issues she faced that far. She uses the option to control her as a way to entice Demetrius, and believes that she will be judged less if she dates him. Later on in the story on page 19, LIne 184-197, it is described how internal misogyny and constantly hearing men compare her to other women causes her to do it to herself. She compares herself to Hermia, who is often adored. This causes her to think of herself as less important when she realizes that she isn’t thought of as well as Hermia is. Because Hermia is more loved and adored by men that she is, Helena pictures herself as worse and doesn’t think she is worthy of love unless she hands over all of her self control to another person. She is taught to think that she must compete with other women, and eventually she does. Although she faces many intense gender roles, Helena still remains herself, even though she may not always like

The biggest obstacle in this play occurs when the power of love is challenged by authority. The play starts with Theseus, duke of Athens, being eager to marry Hippolyta, who he wooed with his sword in combat. Although Theseus promises Hippolyta that he will wed her “with pomp, with triumph, with reveling,” true love between them is questionable. By starting the play with Theseus and Hippolyta, Shakespeare hints the audience of the authority involved in their marriage and leaves the audience wonder if they actually love each other. The focus is then shifted to the four lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena - by establishing the story of Hermia being forced by her father, Egeus, to marry Demetrius, when the person she actually wants to marry is Lysander. However, Egeus

We have all seen those movie, plays, or books that have that amazing, strong female character right? Aren't those ones always the New York Best Sellers? Ya! It’s because they are always so good and inspiring. Those female characters like Bella and katniss just make these shows so much more interesting to watch. Shakespeare caught this element really well in his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream with his two strong female characters. The two female roles are Hermia and Helena which are both cool and I like but When it comes to picking my favorite it would have to be Helena. Last, Helena is my favorite character because she is always determined to accomplish what ever she sets her mind to.