preview

Love In James Wells A Midsummer Night's Dream

Decent Essays

As suggested by the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream[,]” written by William Shakespeare, and the Article “A Midsummer Night's Dream: Key Passages[,]” written by James Wells, the theme of love is but a game of chance is delineated through Helena’s speech. This is made apparent in scene i of act I, during Helena’s soliloquy, when she professes, “‘How happy some o'erother some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so; he will not know what all but he doth know’” (1.1.232-235). During her piece, Helena ponders why Demetrius loves Hermia over herself “given that their beauty is equal” (Wells). She states that according to “‘Athens’” she and Hermia are thought to be “‘as fair’” as the other. However, Helena is distraught due to the fact that there is but one person who sees past this: her true love, Demetrius. …show more content…

With this in mind, the diction of Helena’s soliloquy exemplifies her sorrow. As stated by James Wells, “This analysis resides in the term she chooses as a point of comparison, the word happy. As it does now, the word then could mean a state of contentment, but the stronger connotation in Shakespeare's day was that of being "fortunate" or having been randomly selected by chance. In other words, Helena is arguing that happiness in love is mere chance” (Wells). In regards to this, Wells claims that through Helena’s choice of words, specifically “the word happy[,]” the theme of “love is [a] mere chance” is exhibited. The implication that, by the use of this word, Helena meant “fortunate” would further display her self-conscious

Get Access