Theme Of Helena In A Midsummer Night's Dream

In A Midsummer's Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, There are multiple feelings of sympathy towards the characters in this story. Hermia, Egeus, and Demetrius are three characters often noticed by the reader. As these characters go throughout the story they all meet different conflicts and they all come with different emotions and pity from the reader.

Helena’s first trouble caused by love is that she is lovesick. This is caused by her unreciprocated feelings for Demetrius, and is expressed in the lines “I’ll follow thee and make a heaven of hell / To die upon the hand I love so well,” Shakespeare (2.1.250-251). She says this upon deciding to follow Demetrius into the woods, implying that she feels so miserable, that her life is much like a living Hell. However, she thinks that following him, and being able to see him, will make her feel better.

Therefore, no marvel though Demetrius. Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.” (2.2.110-13). Helena reveals that a beast more fearsome than a bear would run from her tormented self. Her comparison to Demetrius acting as a monster flying from her may represent an underlying and unrecognized disdain felt for him not loving her in return. These are majorly complex emotions running through my favorite afflicted female in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Helena’s comparison to Hermia is particularly relevant. Humans have a tendency of comparing and questioning why they should bother to contend with someone. Helena complains of a “wicked and dissembling glass” which made her compete with Hermia’s beauty (2.2.104-5). In A Midsummer Night's Dream, there is the presence of unrequited love, which is shown by Helena and Demetrius' relationship: "The more I love, the more he hateth me" (1.1.199). This evidently shows Helena's love for Demetrius, and yet her love for him is not returned for he is blinded by his love for Hermia. This unrequited love shows the cruel nature of love which is represented when Demetrius say, “Tell you I do not nor I cannot love you” (2.1.201). “Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit, for I am sick when I do look on thee” (2.1.211). Demetrius ignores Helena in an attempt to push her away, when she is madly in love with him. However, his plan backfires and only causes her love and desperate desire for him to grow,

As an insecure jealous dog, hated Helena dotes in idolatry upon Demetrius, but her love remains unreturned. Helena is like the dog at the shelter, who nobody will adopt and everybody shuns. She worships Demetrius with all her heart and pleads for him to love her back, or at least allow her near him. She lowers herself to a crawling creature when she whimpers to Demetrius that she will obey him as his spaniel. Helena learns of Hermia’s plan to escape the grip of Athens. Helena carries the news to Demetrius hoping she will gain respect from him. Helena’s crush follows Hermia, and Helena follows Demetrius on a wild goose chase through the woods. When Demetrius and Lysander’s love changes to Helena, she will not believe the sudden change of

Helena is first introduced storming past Hermia and Lysander, being quick to accuse Hermia of stealing Demetrius’ love from her. Helena’s lengthy response, use of exclamations, sarcastic and whiney tone, and admitted jealousy, portray her perfectly. In fact, the audience better comes to understand the character in her following monologue containing phrases such as: “…how happy some o’er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought to be as fair as she”; “…he hailed down oaths that he was only mine… heat from Hermia…dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt”; “I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight…if I have thanks, it is a dear expense.” This shows that Helena isn’t just a jealous friend, but a hurt girl with low self-esteem; she is desperate to have love and happiness again to extent of giving Demetrius what he wants at the expense of her friends’ wellbeing. Despite the late hours, dangers of the night, and Demetrius’ annoyance with her, Hermia expresses her desperation and relentless love for him by proclaiming “…you [Demetrius] draw me, you hard-hearted adamant”, “I love you the more”, and “… spurn me, strike me…only give me leave… to follow you”. Humorously enough, even when Demetrius does not grant Helena permission, she still devotedly follows him. Due to the constant flow of insults and abuses from Demetrius, Helena’s character is pushed to the point where she wallows in self-pity and despair as well as further compare her darker, less attractive complexion to Hermia’s. When Lysander awakens under a love spell and professes his undying love for her, she runs away in distress believing he is implementing a cruel joke on her. When Demetrius follows in the same love-struck manner, she becomes exasperated and falls further into her self-pity. Helena’s tone even become satirical towards the two men and Hermia which not only offends

When Demetrius becomes more infatuated with Hermia’s beauty and kicks Helena to the curb, her heart and self-confidence become pulverized. She thinks that she is no longer beautiful, compared to Hermia at least. “No, no, I am ugly as a bear,/ For beasts that meet me run away for fear” (2.2.100-101). If Demetrius is no longer enamored by her beauty, then she convinces herself that she has none. Also, since, in her eyes, Demetrius is some righteous, benevolent man, she believes that she is ineligible of anyone so perfect.

Helena and Titania have similar but different personalities, they both play different roles in the play but they’re both related in certain ways. In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare, the characters have very confusing personalitlies but they relate to one another. The play is about two worlds that collide on this one specific night during midsummer. When they collide lots of love mishaps, confusing problems, and weird scenarios take place. Magic flower dust, fairies, and ass heads play a significant but weird role in the story other than the characters. Although Helena and Titania are both caring and determined, Helena is self conscious about herself, while Titania is very confident about herself.

Hermia’s speech in Act 2, Scene 2, of Shakespeare 's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, contains an abundance of dream imagery. She has awoken from a terrible dream after falling asleep in the forest with Lysander. They were lost and tired so they decided to rest. Lysander wanted to sleep beside her but, she refused since they are not yet married and while they slept Puck applied a love potion on Lysander’s eyes thinking he was Demetrius. Lysander wakes and is repulsed by the sight of Hermia and never wants to see her again because he is now in love with Helena. Hermia awakes from her terrible dream and retells it thinking that Lysander is nearby listening. Then she realizes that he is not there and she does not see him anywhere. Hermia expresses the sentiment that she will find Lysander or she will surely die. She stated,

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

For example, she follows Demetrius into the woods even after he threatens to beat her. She says, “And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel. And, Demetrius, the more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel—spurn me, strike me, neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave, unworthy as I am, to follow you. What worser place can I beg in your love — and yet a place of high respect with me — than to be usèd as you use your dog?” (2.1.187-195). Helena is telling Demetrius that even if he beats her, she will still love him. She says that she will accept him beating her, even being happy. This shows that Helena is very desperately longing for Demetrius even though he threatens her. Helena never truly gets over Demetrius because in the end of the play he loves

She is thought of as less of a woman because of her choice to have sex with Demetrius when they weren’t married. She is constantly insulted and belittled, while Demetrius doesn’t get any negative treatment from the news. She later becomes desperate to be with him because the mistreatment that she often faces has led her to believe that she isn’t good enough for anyone else. Because she was judged for making her own decision to sleep with Demetrius, she thinks that allowing him to control her will be a solution to all of the issues she faced that far. She uses the option to control her as a way to entice Demetrius, and believes that she will be judged less if she dates him. Later on in the story on page 19, LIne 184-197, it is described how internal misogyny and constantly hearing men compare her to other women causes her to do it to herself. She compares herself to Hermia, who is often adored. This causes her to think of herself as less important when she realizes that she isn’t thought of as well as Hermia is. Because Hermia is more loved and adored by men that she is, Helena pictures herself as worse and doesn’t think she is worthy of love unless she hands over all of her self control to another person. She is taught to think that she must compete with other women, and eventually she does. Although she faces many intense gender roles, Helena still remains herself, even though she may not always like

In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Helena says that love is blind. This foreshadows how Demetrius and Bottom act. When he is talking, he says that he can play different roles, “In that case if I can wear a mask, let me play Thisbe too!” (1.2.42). This connects with love is being blind because Bottom thinks he is good enough to play 2 roles in the play. Demetrius says that he loves Helena by saying, “O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect divine! To what, my love, shall I compare thine Eyne.” (3.2.137). The human condition shown is love. They are blinded by love because of the flower.

Shakespeare’s usage of metaphor and simile in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is best understood as an attempt to provide some useful context for relationships and emotions, most often love and friendship, or the lack thereof. One example of such a usage is in Act 3, Scene 2 of the play. Here, the two Athenian couples wake up in the forest and fall under the effects of the flower, thus confusing the romantic relationships between them. Hermia comes to find her Lysander has fallen for Helena. Hermia suspects that the two have both conspired against her in some cruel joke, and begins lashing out against Helena. She says “We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, / Have with our needles created both one flower, / Both one sampler sitting on one cushion, / Both warbling of one song, both in one key; / As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds, / Had been incorporate. So we grew together, / Like a double cherry, seeming parted; / But yet a union in partition / Two lovely berries moulded on one stem: / So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart; / Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, / Due but to one, and crowned with one crest.” (Shakespeare 2.3.206-13). Shakespeare writes this list of vibrant metaphors to establish the prior relationship between these two characters and to make it evident how affected Helena is by this unexpected turn of events, as well as to add a greater range of emotion to the comedy, thereby lending it more literary and popular appeal.

Shakespeare uses hyperbole to twist the reality of the play into something entirely different. An outstanding part of the play which shows this, is Helen’s pity party for herself. She complains “No, I am an ugly as a bear, for beasts that meet me run away from fear, therefore no marvel though Demetrius, do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.” Obviously, Helena is not ugly, nor do monsters run away in her presence. The comical aspects

These pictures Identify the dreams Helena is having for example they explain confusion because now both Lysander and Demetrius are in love with her and she thinks this is a joke. The feeling of being lost is also associated with Helena because she feels she is being played on and not knowing what to do in her life, it is hard for her to find the right path and figure out who truly loves her. The image of feeling upset is highly connected with Helena since she has the feeling that these two men don’t really love her and just messing with her heart which highly makes her feel upset and unwanted. Lastly the feeling of angry in her dreams would connect to Helena because the fact that Lysander and Demetrius were in love with Hermia makes her