Love a Midsummer Nights Dream Essay

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.

verses reality. The flower’s love juice is causing lovers to blindly fall in love, with the

First of all, Helena and Demetrius are two lovers who have a very complicated love life. Helena is a young woman who falls in love with Demetrius and cares about nothing more than indulging in his presence. Helena follows Demitrius into the woods one day and conveys her love by stating that “the more you beat me, I will fawn on you” (II.i.205). Helena wants to be with the man she loves more than anything; she is ready to take any risk just to see his face and be next to him. However Demetrius despises Helena. He acts ill-natured towards her and makes it very clear that she means nothing to him. Demetrius tells Helena about his hatred towards her and states “for I am sick when I look on thee” (II.i.213). He wants Helena to know how much he loathes her and how he would never want anything to do with her. Notwithstanding their original relationship, Demetrius begins to fall in love Helena and starts seeing her in a new vision as the play progresses. Demetrius receives a spell which makes him fall deeply in love with Helena and praise her. However, even after the spell stops being effective, Demetrius develops a desire to be with Helena and even marry her. The relationship between Demetrius and Helena has many erratic times and misunderstandings until the couple finally begins to truly love each other.

The friendship between Hermia and Helena were so close that it was identical to sisterhood except the fact that they did not share the same blood. The love of friendship is one of those types that no one can live without; it is as essential to life as water is. Love surrounds everyone, but when one loses the love of one they also loved, it comes as a shocking unbelievable incident, and sometimes so shocking that it is similar to a bad dream. Times like these are tough, that is when one needs the love and support that family and friends can offer.

Helena and Hermia have this kind of love and would do anything for each other. It happens that Helena is in love with Demetrius who Hermia is being forced to marry. Demetrius does not want Helena but Hermia. Helena loves her friend Hermia but at the same time wants to get her man.

The strong friendship between Helena and Hermia quickly disintegrated when they became involved with the two men. The love potion was meant to help, but Puck's mistake managed to completely reverse the relationship. When both Demetrius and Lysander were under the influence of the "love-in-idleness" flower, Helena believed that both were mocking her.

Fairies, mortals, magic, love, and hate all intertwine to make A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare a very enchanting tale, that takes the reader on a truly dream-like adventure. The action takes place in Athens, Greece in ancient times, but has the atmosphere of a land of fantasy and illusion which could be anywhere. The mischievousness and the emotions exhibited by characters in the play, along with their attempts to double-cross destiny, not only make the tale entertaining, but also help solidify one of the play’s major themes; that true love and it’s cleverly disguised counterparts can drive beings to do seemingly irrational things.

Shakespeare uses many different themes to present love; relationships, conflict, magic, dreams and fate. Overall, he presents it as something with the ability to make us act irrationally and foolishly. Within A Midsummer Night's Dream we see many examples of how being 'in love' can cause someone to change their perspective entirely. 'The path of true love never did run smooth' is a comment made from one of the main characters, Lysander, which sums up the play's idea that lovers always face difficult hurdles on the path to happiness and will usually turn them into madmen.

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

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.

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.

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

From the first act we see that Demetrius only digs Hermia because she is a girl and because he father is wealthy. Demetrius has a history of leaving his lovers in the dust, but Helena is after him for revenge. Helena was Demetrius’ old girlfriend before he had the idea in his mind that he wanted to get with Hermia. Helena is the one who originally brings up the thought that men and women see love differently. She brings this interesting thought to the minds of audiences in her speech of Act 1.

She is facing the most difficult conflict in the story, “The course of true love never did run smooth?” (I. i. 134). And yet all the other plotlines are involving the same issue, which she carries out. Oberon’s jealousy because Titania loves the little Indian boy more than she loves him, his austerity is stopping him from meeting his love. “The lamentable comedy and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe”, also has the same story, both lovers not being able to meet each other because of the cruelty of her father. Most importantly Hermia is facing a conflict on her own, and yet Helena is facing a conflict because of her, Helena loves Demetrius, but he likes Hermia, Helena will do anything for her love because Hermia is also ready to leave everything for Lysander. “You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant. But yet you draw not iron, for my heart, Is true as steel. Leave you your power to draw, And I shall have no power to follow you.” Demetrius “Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or rather, do I not in plainest truth Tell you I do not, nor I cannot, love you?” Helena “And even for that do I love you the more.” (II. i 195-202). Hermia, carries out the main theme of the story, which makes her the protagonist, we see the same theme, throughout the story, but Hermia faces the biggest crisis, which gives her the main role and causes readers to

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.