Fairies In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lysander and Hermia also portray true love. Refusing to marry her suitor, Demetrius, she willingly gives up everything and runs away from Athens with her lover, Lysander, “There my Lysander and I shall meet, and thence from Athens turn away our eyes.” In the play within the play, Pyramus and Thisbe also present us with true love. Their situation

At the time, Lysander and Hermia were completely smitten with each other. But her father Egeus disapproved of their relation and wishes for Hermia to marry Demetrius. He comes to Theseus with these concerns and uses his Athenian rights to chose the man his daughter wed. Disrespecting his daughter’s feelings and clearly biased against Lysander, Egeus went so far as to dishonor him before the duke and force Hermia into a position where she must follow his wishes, die or become a nun. Hermia refuses every option, but their love is clearly disrupted with this great obstacle. In contrast to Egeus’ claims of Lysander’s trickery, Hermia and Lysander are clearly devoted to each other. Hermia clings onto their love and Lysander comforts her in a manner that gives him the reputation of a romantic. Before concluding, “So quick bright things come to confusion”, he says that “The course of true love never did run smooth” (Shakespeare, P15). Love brings happiness, it nourishes the soul and completes one’s heart, but it can fall short just as easily and bring about even greater hate. Another example of this involves the Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of fairies respectively. They start off as a separate layer in this play and though their fondness for each other isn’t described as thoroughly, their conflict stands

Oberon conjures up a plan in order to get a young child away from Titania, queen of the fairies, whilst doing this he is met with two of our other characters, Helena and Demetrius, “A sweet Athenian lady is in love/ with a huge disdainful youth. Anoint his eyes with the flower as well,” (II.i.268-269) in this point of the story Oberon encounters Helena who is trying to get the attention of Demetrius, who is completely ignoring her. This displays his need to place forceful authority because he is trying to controls Demetrius’s love, by putting him under a spell and making him fall in love with Helena. Unlike Egeus though, Oberon takes control over more than just one character, we see this in act 2 scene 1 lines 83-85 which says “Having once this juice,/ I’ll watch Titania when she is asleep/ And drop the liquor of it in her eyes,” out of the two Oberon would have to be the most controlling, because he in these three lines it shows yet another character Oberon is controlling. In this line though he is attempting to manipulate Titania in order to get the young changeling boy. Thereupon showing that in the face of love, control still will not

Furthermore, the lines earlier shows Oberon’s plan to control and submit Titania to his will. His plan to make her fall in love with animals by using a potion indicates that he wants to embarrass Titania. He wants to use his power to manipulate her feelings. He craves the control that he did not have earlier in the play when Titania did what she wanted to do. Therefore, his desire to gain control results in the changing of Titania’s fate. Titania’s actions are based on Oberon’s power. Likewise, Oberon gains satisfaction by executing his plan which empowers him and gives authority. Further, not only does Oberon make plans to control Titania, but he also becomes the cause of the conflict among Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena. Oberon’s decision to meddle in their affairs directly impacts their fate as they become powerless over their situation. Oberon’s overwhelming sense of entitlement for utter control affects the events that transpire in their lives. Specifically, Oberon’s interference changes how two of the main characters, Lysander and Hermia interact with each other. Their mutual attraction to each other is altered as a result of Lysander’s will becoming influenced by Oberon. Thus, Lysander professes his love for Helena. Then, Hermia verbally attacks Helena:

The two had been on bad terms with each other, constantly arguing. Oberon was acting childish as he refused to join Titania and her fairies in their dance, unless given the chageling boy that he wished for. He thought to play with Titania's feelings after again being told he may not have the boy. He tricked her heart so that he could ask her for the changeling boy without her being in her right mind to refuse. He took things to an extreme, brainwashing her just to obtain the child.

On page 11, It shows that Hermia is very cautious because she states that she does not want to marry Demetrius. She is also very bold because even though Theseus threatens to punish her with death she still states her own position. In addition, on page 17 she says “ If then true lovers have been ever crossed, It stands as an edict in destiny.” This shows that she wants to marry Lysander because she is saying that as an edict “person of authority” in destiny, this means her and Lysander are meant to be together. This action proves that she is a bold person. Also, on page 19 Hermia emphasizes how much she loves Lysander she shows this by stating “ I swear to be thee by Cupid’s strongest bow, By his best arrow with the golden head, By the simplicity of Venus’ doves, By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves, And by that

In spite of that, Oberon and Titania do not show those qualities towards each other. During Oberon and Titania’s argument about the rightful caregiver of the changeling boy, they both throw several accusations at one another, including Titania’s betrayal to her husband. Oberon reveals Titania's affair with Theseus, “Knowing I know thy love to Theseus/ First thought not leave him through the glimmering night/From Perigenia, whom he ravished,/And make him with fair Aegles break his faith,” (II.I.76-79) Titania’s incoherent affair negatively impacts the lives of many, as she persuades Theseus to commit unjust acts of rape and abandonment to numerous women.

Did you ever think that somebodies life could be transformed forever because of love; that is just what happens in one of Shakespeare’s play. In the play, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, four lovers travel into the woods only to be met by magic and fairies. The fairies mix up the mortal’s love and cause havoc. In the end, the mortals end up in two couples and they vaguely remember a crazy dream. Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander demonstrate the power of love and how it can transform someone when they least expect it.

Hippolyta is the type of person who will do anything for her kingdom. But, when loving a kingdom so much, there are some consequences. Correspondingly, she has to marry Theseus in order to keep the peace between the two kingdoms. This quote is evidence of how she was forced to marry Theseus. He stated, “ Hippolyta I wooed thee with my sword and won they love doing thee injuries” ( Shakespeare 1.1.16).

Katharine M. Briggs states that Shakespeare did not in fact make up his fairies but "drew straight from his native folklore some elements that had hardly appeared in literature before" (45). She states that the "fairy smallness [was] not new to folk-lore, but nearly new in literature" (45), and makes comparison to the Scandinavian Light Elves who were not only small in size but also took a special care of flowers (46). She also notes that the kindly nature of these fairies does not violate folk tradition for "folk-lore is full of kindly fairies" (46). This ambiguity of his fairy creatures lends to something to the illusion that Shakespeare weaves throughout the play by showing the audience something that they had never seen in fairies before and that they might wonder about, being mixed as it was by a heavy dose of the "real" fairies of folk

Lysander wants to sleep near Hermia, "One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; one heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth... O, take the sense sweet, of my innocence” (II, ii, 47) except, Hermia declines and asks Lysander to have respect for her and sleep at his distance from her in the grass. Another type of “love” shown is a one way street type of love. Helena is madly in love with Demetrius and would do absolutely anything to get him, while Demetrius was infatuated with Hermia, but Hermia loves Lysander. This love becomes even more complicated when Puck applied the love potion on Demetrius’ eyes and caused him to fall for

Then everything will be peaceful again.” (3.2.375-377) Later oberon tells robin, “I asked for the stolen indian child. She said yes right away… and now I have the boy, ill undo the spell that makes her vision so discustingly wrong.” (4.1.55-61) As you can see, oberon was able to temporarily gain control over titania, however, it was short lived because he felt bad for tricking her in such a

However, Titania is in denial, replying that Oberon is making up lies. In addition, Oberon explains. “The next thing then she waking looks upon—Be it on a lion,or wolf,or bull, she shall pursue it with the soul of love.” (II.i.177-180).

Theseus rules by trying to make everyone happy while abiding by the old Athenian law. Theseus says, “Look you arm yourself to fit the fancies your father’s will.” (1.1.117-118) In this scene, Theseus is telling Hermia to marry Demetrius or to get ready to die. Egeus says that she is his property by the Athenian law. This causes Hermia to run away with her love, Lysander. At the end of the play, Theseus says, “Egeus, I will overbear your will.” (4.1.182) He is telling Hermia’s father that the law will be void for this marriage. This tells that Theseus will override it for the happiness of the four lovers. Oberon rules in a way where he is happy even if it sacrifices someone else's happiness. He will do mischievous things and blackmail others, including Titania, for his own satisfaction or gain. Oberon says, “Give me that boy, and I will go with thee.” (2.1.143) Here, he is telling Titania that if she doesn’t give him the boy, he will not dance with he at Theseus’s and Hippolyta’s wedding. They are supposed to dance at the wedding to tell them that they bless their marriage. Oberon is blackmailing her so that if she doesn’t give him the boy, they won’t dance, thus giving the couples the impression that they don’t bless them. Also, right after he squeezes the love flowers juice on Titania’s eyelid, Oberon says, “Wake when some vile

As the play opens, Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, his fiancée discuss their upcoming wedding. With the introduction of Theseus and