Love 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 the play, Helena is heavily portrayed as jealous, neurotic, and persistent. The girl is unconfident and insecure, as she believes her best friend Hermia, is far superior than her. “Happy is Hermia, wheresoe’er she lies,/For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.” (2.2.96-97) She describes Hermia as happy no matter what circumstance occurs, as she is considered a beautiful person. “No, no, I am as ugly as a bear,/For beasts that meet me run away for fear.” (2.2.100-101) Speaking to Demetrius, she continues to put herself down, and describes herself as extremely unattractive that others run away from her. It is worth noting that Helena may have been confident in the past, but when Demetrius made the switch from her to Hermia, she lost that confidence, and felt as if she was not good enough. She

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.”

These words and the entire alliance between Demetrius and Helena have the subtext of a sexually sadistic and masochistic relationship (Greene et al. 151). This correlation leaves little in Helena to be admired by feminist critics. Her only intelligent scene in the play spawns from her discovery of the Athenian lads' infatuation with her as she screams, "Can you not hate me, as I know you do/ But you must join in souls to mock me too?" (III.ii.149-150).

Love is one of the most difficult mysteries of life. The difficulty of love is shown throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the play, the characters have to deal with jealousy that comes along with being in love. Love’s difficulty in the play comes from love being out of balance. Love being out of balance is a romantic situation where a difference gets in the way of happiness in the relationship. William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream demonstrates these conflicts with a little bit of humor and buoyancy. The four young Athenians have many difficulties with love. Hermia loves Lysander and Lysander returns the feelings; Helena loves Demetrius but Demetrius loves Hermia. The two men love the same women, which leaves Hermia

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

Helena is madly in love with Demetrius and would give her life for just one kind word from him.

Helena, portrayed as a poor dopey-eyed woman, in love with a man who does not desire her, symbolizes a trampled woman in need of a self-esteem boost. Helena is not so different than most women depicted in this time period. During the 15th and 16th centuries women were considered inferior to men, property of men, not much more than breeding stock expected to deliver heirs. Helena is depicted as a fool, a needy whiny woman who nobody loves. Helena, who is so consumed with her love of Demetrius, chases him into the wood begging him for attention, “I am your spaniel” ( ). Helena is begging Demetrius to love her again, telling him that the more he tells her no, the more he demands she go away, the stronger her emotions become. Helena cannot allow him to leave, even after he threatens her reputation and safety, she still desires to marry Demetrius. Helena is completely submissive in this scene, proclaiming that her desires mean

Love. Almost everyone experiences this at least one time in their life. But sometimes people can feel as if they are victims of love rather than partners. One example can be seen in a Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare. With the characters of Demetrius, Lysander, and Helena.

There will always be someone trying to change someone’s feelings on who they love. Hermia’s father, Egeus, wants her to marry Demetrius, someone who he picked out, and not Lysander who is the one she is in love with. Hermia then argues that she wants to marry Lysander. Hermia and Lysander then come up with a plan to run away into the woods. Demetrius is actually in love with the person he is forced to marry. He told Hermis that the title of husband would be his. He also told Helena to quit following him in the woods while he was trying to look for Hermia. Theseus also told Hermia that he would give her four days to decide if she wants to marry Lysander or Demetrus. He told Hermia that Demetrius was a lovely gentleman and it wouldn’t be bad if she married him. However, he did not want to

At one time, Demetrius loved Helena, and then he fell in love with someone else. Initially, Demetrius had given his love to Helena: “He hailed down oaths that he was only mine, / And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, / So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt” (MND 1.1.243-245). Helena loved Demetrius, and he promised to be with her forever. However once he met her friend, Hermia, Demetrius left Helena to chase after her friend. Helena’s jealousy of Demetrius’ love drives her to think about what he really wants. Helena believes that Hermia’s beauty is why Demetrius desires her. She tells Hermia, “Demetrius loves your fair”, and she goes further to say, “Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated, / The rest I’d give to be to you translated” (MND 1.1.182, 190-191). Her jealousy of Demetrius’ love has turned into jealousy of Hermia’s beauty. Helena obsesses over having Demetrius back to the point that she continuously follows him around. Demetrius is tired of Helena chasing him: “Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair?” (MND 2.1.199). Demetrius does not understand why she tries so hard to be with him when he does not even compliment her. Demetrius threatens Helena to leave him alone: “I’ll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, / And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts” (MND 2.1.227-228). At this point, he is beyond exhausted with Helena, and he will do anything to get away from her.

Helena is portrayed as a desperate character, her passion being for the love of Demetrius. Helena spends most of the story pursuing Demetrius in hope of receiving any form of affection in return, only receiving affection due to magic. While chasing Demetrius, Helena says “What worser place can I beg your love, - And yet a place of high respect with me, - Than to be usèd as you use your dog?” (II.i.208-210) Helena, knowing demeaning herself to the position of a dog, believes that she is not worthy enough for such authority, therefore hoping she will be given the honour. Helena compares herself to a dog in the sense that the more Demetrius rejects her, the harder she will try to receive any emotion from her master. Although heartbroken by Demetrius’ hatred for her, Helena showers Demetrius with comments, only to be continuously beaten down. This is explicitly shown when Helena comments on Demetrius’ demeanor and is, again rejected, saying, “You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant; But yet you draw not iron, for my heart Is true as steel: leave you your power

Although throughout the first act Helena claims that she is “thought fair as she” (1.1.233), but later begs Hermia to tell her how she woos over Demetrius. She even claims that she is “as ugly as a bear” (2.2.100). Helena says to Demetrius that she is “a spaniel” (2.2.210) and that he could “spurn me, strike me, neglect me, and lose me” (2.2.212-213). This displays the lack of respect that Helena has for herself She also becomes very faithful to Hermia, like when Lysander is placed under the spell that makes him fall in love with Helena. She refuses his love and declares that “These vows are Hermia’s” (3.2.132).

Is love a remedy to one’s sorrow or the unfortunate reason of their unhappiness? Love is a feeling that overtakes a person when they are around something or someone they admire. It is present everywhere, in every form, in every condition and even when one least expect its. Although love is said to bring happiness to a person’s life; in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it led the characters into a world of confusion and misunderstanding. Love is chaotic, unpredictable, and leads to sorrow. It is a hard concept to compromise with and if there are any misunderstandings, it could lead to a complicated and difficult life. In the play, Hermia has her heart broken by Lysander; Helena is confused about the sudden love events of her life, and

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare explores the subjectivity of love. The play shows the absurdity of love through its characters like an episode of “MTV The Real World”: they fall in love, break up, lose friendships, and someone will ultimately look like an ass. Shakespeare’s play examines the combination of both traditional and non-traditional gender roles affecting the character’s perception of their respective romantic relationships. Shakespeare then questions whether love is real through Lysander and Helena. Shakespeare’s play as a whole demonstrates how initial perceptions of love are subject to transformation. Both the characters and the play debunk that love is static, but rather an ever metamorphosing reality.