How Does Love Cause Conflict In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hermia, originally the Apple of all Athens’ eye, put on an impossible pedestal by both Lysander and Demetrius, seems to trade social standings with the outcast Helena. It seems that Hermia doesn’t fully appreciate the quality of her state. She complains that her father will not allow her to merry her true love Lysander, and pawns her off to the inadequate Demetrius. Never can she accept the flattery of Demetrius’ unrequited love which her best friend would do anything to sincerely receive. Instead she revels in wonderment: “The more I [Hermia] hate, the more he [Demetrius] follows me” (I.i.198). Her unhappiness is far heightened when her two followers are given the love potion, turning them against her and beckoning to Helena. The cruel swap of fates lets the two female characters feel as though in the others’ shoes. It’s Hermia’s karma for being ungrateful at the attention bestowed upon her all these years that leads her to this harsh lesson.

In these lines Lysander tells Hermia that, never did he desire to be with someone more. He also tells her to not question or doubt, but to be certain that he hates her and loves Helena. With Hermia shocked and heartbroken she shows her confusion and jealously to Helena. He states, “O me! You juggler, you canker blossom, / You thief of love! What, have you come by night/ And stol’n my love’s heart from him?” (3.2.282). In these lines Hermia is telling Helena that she is a trickster/cheater, and a love thief. She also asks what have Helena done to steal Lysander’s love from her. Although all of these Characters show acts of Jealously, They find happiness in the end.

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.”

Although love is typically a positive emotion or concept, it is most often truly a more negative notion, due to its consequences. Love is known to bring people together in the beginning, but also tends to customarily pull or even break people apart by causing chaos and rivalry. The loss of love could even cause insecurities to surface. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the lovers, Helena, is scorched by love’s misfortunes when it comes between her and her ex-lover, Demetrius.The misfortunes of love force Helena into becoming an insecure woman who allows her emotions to cloud her judgement.

Occurring in Act 2 scene 1, Helena informs Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander’s plans to run away together in hopes of winning Demetrius’s heart. After hearing about their plan, Demetrius is determined to stop Hermia and pursues after her into the woods. Helena isn’t far behind and tries to reason with Demetrius. Once again she expresses her love for him and even offers him to do anything

Four lovers each with his or her own challenge in love, Lysander and Hermia who love each other but may never be together, and Demetrius who loves Hermia and rejects Helena’s truthful devotion. Shakespeare’s writing style is the essence that brings forth the emotions within his works. Throughout a Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, commonplace literary devices are used to emphasize his style of writing. , Shakespeare depicts the theme of love’s difficulty, especially with the use of figurative language, such as metaphor and personification, to show that though complications arise in complex situations, the ability to overcome becomes the true meaning of love. wise

To provide some context, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream interferes with love through the deception of fairies. When Hermia’s father insists she marry Demetrius, she runs away with Hermia and Lysander. Contrastingly, Helena chases after an uninterested Demetrius, helplessly in love. The fairies meddle with these two couples by accidentally casting a love

Both female lovers, Helena and Hermia, feel the loss of their male companions love at one point within the comedy. In the beginning Demetrius cannot stand the sight of Helena. To prove his hatred he says, “I love thee not, therefore pursue me not fair Helena”(II.i.173). Accordingly Lysander ,further into the play, loses his love for Hermia. To her he says “Ay, by my life, find never did desire thee more, therefore be out of hope of question of doubt, be certain, nothing truer, ‘Tis no jest that do hate thee and love Helena”(III.i.284-287. Both

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,

In the play “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Lysander says “The course of true love never did run smooth” In response to Hermia being distressed over her father's opposition to her and Lysander getting married. Shakespeare's play “A Midsummer Night's Dream” is a comedic masterpiece. Not only is it hilarious, it also tackles real world problems, that are still problems in modern society today. One of these problems is love. In this play the character Lysanders quote foreshadows multiple events throughout the play and proves this to be true.

As Helena learns of Lysander and Hermia's plan to run off and be happy, she instantly gets jealous and agonizes over her heartbreaking situation with Demetrius, the man who loves an already happy Hermia and not her. While by herself, Helena realizes love is flawed and has a mind of its own.

Hermia and Lysander are one of the many couples that are madly in love. Even more in love since they aren’t supposed to be, as Hermia’s father wants her to marry a different man, Demetrius, else being forced into nunnery, or even killing her. When the couple

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Hermia was hurt and suffering because her Lysander left her unpredictably and so sudden. Was she not good enough, who is to blame? Hermia’s answer to these questions were Helena, her dear childhood friend. Hermia blamed her for the chaos that was brought into her life and the sudden loss of her loved one’s interest. But unfortunately, Hermia was unaware that Helena had nothing to do with this chaos. It was all love that twisted a perfect relationship of true love into a chaotic monster.

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” comments Lysander of love’s complications in an exchange with Hermia (Shakespeare I.i.136). Although the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream certainly deals with the difficulty of romance, it is not considered a true love story like Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare, as he unfolds the story, intentionally distances the audience from the emotions of the characters so he can caricature the anguish and burdens endured by the lovers. Through his masterful use of figurative language, Shakespeare examines the theme of the capricious and irrational nature of love.