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What Is The Theme Of Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and Taming of the Shrew the themes explored in the various plays and consequently emphasized and iterated by the plays within plays are clearly depicted. The themes transpire thanks to plot devices and dialogues between characters.

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the themes of love constrained by society and of death are hinted in Act I, Scene I, in a dialogue between Egeus, Hermia’s father, and Theseus, duke of Athens, “she [Hermia] will not here before your grace consent to marry with Demetrius, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: as she is mine I may dispose of her; which shall be either to this gentleman or to her death” (I.I.38-45). These themes are mirrored and parodied in the mechanicals play, “The most Lamentable Comedy and most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisby” (I.II.11-12), …show more content…

Pyramus and Thisby’s situation is identical to Hermia’s and Lysander’s situation at the beginning of Midsummer Nights Dream: they are two faithful lovers separated by cruel and stubborn parents. Moreover, Pyramus’ and Thisby’s stories links, in a more subtle way, to Demetrius and Helena, they are not divided by the enmity of their families, but by Demetrius’ rejection of Helena. Nevertheless, a similarity can be drawn, just like Pyramus and Thisby are divided by a physical wall, Demetrius and Helena are separated by an insurmountable wall of misunderstanding. Despite this parallelism, Pyramus and Thisby are ridiculous, unlike Hermia and Lysander or Helena and Demetrius. Their solemnity parodies the lovers’ earnestness, and, Quince’s poetry sounds tasteless and cliché, rather than passionate and genuine. Quince’s play is a tragedy that misses sad end and high feelings, however, by showing death for love, Pyramus and Thisby enlightens the possible tragedy hidden in

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