Samantha Fried 4/1/18
Ms. Demetriades English
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay 1
Oxford Dictionary defines love as an intense feeling of deep affection. Everyone in their life experiences loves, although not everyone's experience is the same. Someone might love an object or someone might love a person. There are many different types of love. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there is love in the air but not all the same type of love. Some people are forced to love someone, Some people have a one-way love and some have true and forbidden love. William Shakespeare suggests in A Midsummer Night’s Dream that there are many different types of love including forced
…show more content…
Hermia and Lysander display true love although it is forbidden. If Hermia and Lysander get married then Hermia must die. An example of their true love that is forbidden is when Lysander says to Theseus “I am, my lord, as well derived as he, As well possessed. My love is more than his. My fortunes every way as fairly ranked, (If not with vantage) as Demetrius'. And (which is more than all these boasts can be) I am beloved of beauteous Hermia. Why should not I then prosecute my right?” (13). Lysander says to Theseus that he is just as rich as Demetrius is and that he loves Hermia more than Demetrius does. Also, Hermia loves him, which should be the deciding factor although it is not which is unfair. Lysander is confused on why he is not able to marry Hermia. This is true love because Hermia and Lysander love each other unlike the forced love between Hermia and Demetrius. Another example of their true love is when Lysander tells Hermia “There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee. And to that place, the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me then, steal forth thy father’s house tomorrow night. And in the wood, a league without the town Where I did meet thee once with Helena To do observance to a morn of May, There will I stay for thee.” (17) Lysander says to Hermia that he has an aunt who lives about twenty miles from Athens and he could marry her there because there are none of the strict laws …show more content…
In one way love the affection is not reciprocated by the other person. Helena struggles with unrequited love because he loves Demetrius but he does not feel the same way about her. An example that shows the one-sided love is when Helena says to Hermia “O, teach me how you look and with what art you sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart” (19). Helena wants Hermia to teach her how she looks so beautiful and what she does to make Demetrius fall in love with her. Helena is desperate and will do anything for Demetrius’ affection. Another example of the unrequited love and how Helena would do anything to win over Demetrius is when she tells Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's plan. Helena says “I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight. Then to the wood will he tomorrow night pursue her. And for this intelligence, if I have thanks, it is a dear expense. But herein mean I to enrich my pain, to have his sight thither and back again” (23). Helena decides to go tell Demetrius that Lysander and Hermia are planning on running away and getting married. She does this because she thinks that he will be grateful and that Demetrius would love her for sharing this information and telling him about the plan. This shows the one-way love because Helena would do anything to get Demetrius to love her even if it is telling on her sister. Shakespeare exhibits unreciprocated love
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.
True love is the most powerful love in this story as it is the sort that hurts no one and is really from the heart. It is demonstrated when Lysander says " There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee, and to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us. If thou
In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare, three completely different situations that have to do with different topics become intertwined in the magical forest locates in the suburbs of Ancient Athens. Throughout the play, there are many representations of the character’s emotions and feelings, such as jealousy, betrayal, and most importantly, love. The main reason everyone get into their troubles is due to one reason; love. Hermia and Lysander made a decision to elope because of their love for each other; Demetrius chases after her because he loves her; Helena chases Demetrius due to love, etc. In this comedy of Shakespeare’s, love is displayed as something fantastical and bizarre.
With this quote Lysander expresses his love towards Hermia, proving he was an honest and faithful man for her. They were so attracted to each other, that they decided to leave their home, Athens and the beloved people they had, as Hermia left her dad, Egeus because he wanted her to marry Demetrius without her will. Because of this, they decided to escape to the forest and get married in Lysander's aunt's house, so they could spend the rest of their lives together.
For example, Egeus stated, “Since she belongs to me, I can do what i want with her- as the law says: I can either make her marry Demetrius or have her killed”( I.i.ll.41-43). This demonstrates that Egeus wants Hermia do what he wants, and since Hermia was so in love with Lysander, she decided to plan something, she planned to escape to the forest and that way Lysander and her can get married. The law states that she must follow her father’s wishes. Hermia refuses to the law and the law decides to give her until the wedding to decide whether to get married or die. Lysander tells Egeus and Theseus that Helena is in love with Demetrius and that she wants to marry him. Helena is so in love with Demetrius that she is very jealous, because Demetrius who she loves, is going to marry Hermia. Hermia gets annoyed with Helena’s attitude and decides to tell her the plan Lysander and her have. Hermia also tells Helena not to reveal the plan, but Helena thinks that if she tells Demetrius the plan he would change his mind and would
Staying true to one's love is so very important when one believes in their true love with every fibre of their being. Hermia and Lysander are so in love that nothing else seems to matter. They want to be together at all costs and they will not let anything get in their way, this is true especially for
Ultimately Hermia is trying to make everyone aware that she would much rather whither away and die than to give up her virginity to someone that she doesn’t love. The audience is also introduced to the love that is portrayed by Lysander to Hermia. Since Lysander loves Hermia and she loves him back he pleads to Theseus,
Love is a theme which reoccurs through many of Shakespeare’s Plays. In ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, the theme ‘Love’ is presented from the very beginning in Act 1 Scene 1, through Shakespeare’s use of poetic language, structure and vivid imagery.
Does Lysander love me anymore? In an attempt to escape Hermia’s duties as a daughter and a woman, Lysander composes the idea of running away into the forest where his aunt lives while being unaware of the effects it may have on his relationship with Hermia as well as their trust for one another. Living so close to the forest allows not only Hermia and Lysander to escape from their problems but as well as the Athenian people looking to commit a crime or freely express themselves. In the Discussion of Egeus marriage arrangement, Lysander gives Hermia immense confidence for a marriage in the forest assuring her “I could marry you there, gentle Hermia, where the strict laws of Athens can’t touch us.”(I.i.ll 160-1) referring to the strict laws of Athens shows the tremendous lack of freedom towards the citizens of Athens especially women forced into marriage. Agreeing with this plan causes a ray of happiness towards Hermia allowing her to share the secret with her lifelong friend Helena soon revealing her plans to Demetrius, her true love, overflowing him with determination to find Hermia before marrying Lysander. As the four lovers scavage through the forest on the hunt for their cravings disaster strikes as a fairy servant is sent to withdraw the love for Hermia from Demetrius into Helena causing a catastrophic change of fate among Lysander and Hermia. As Lysander walks up with the essence of the flower of love on his eyelids to the presence of Helena in front of him, shapes true love into an illusion. The confrontation of disbelief from Hermia assures she feels “Can you hurt me any more than by saying you hate me? Hate me? Why? What’s happened to you, my love? Am I not Hermia? Aren’t you Lysander?...you still loved me when we fell asleep, but when you woke up you left
Different Types of Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy, written in 1595 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This was when the society was dominated by men. During the period, England was ruled by a powerful and well respected queen.
Love is a term used daily in one’s life. Many categorize love in many forms. These forms differ from one-another such as the difference between love for food and love for one’s spouse. However, in the play; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, love takes different forms than the ones experienced in reality. One can classify the different types of love used in this play into three different categories; true love, love produced by cupid’s flower, and the state of lust.
Lysander and Demetrius both love Hermia. Both of them are willing fight for her. “ I am, my lord, as well derived as he, As well possessed. My love is more than his. My fortunes every way as fairly ranked, (If not with vantage) as Demetrius'. And—which is more than all these boasts can be—
Lysander and Hermia also portray true love. Refusing to marry her suitor, Demetrius, she willingly gives up everything and runs away from Athens with her lover, Lysander, “There my Lysander and I shall meet, and thence from Athens turn away our eyes.” In the play within the play, Pyramus and Thisbe also present us with true love. Their situation
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.
In the play the reader gets the truth that Hermia’s father wants her to marry Demetrius, and as a woman living in a patriarchal society, she must obey; at least that is what the reader is lead to believe. Hermia takes a stand for herself and becomes powerless in her love for Lysander. With no reasonable explanation, besides her love for Lysander, she defiantly denies her father’s attempt for an arranged marriage. Since their love for each other is so immense, they prepare for the underlying bad circumstances they are going to suffer from for not obeying the wishes of her father. Hermia’s love for Lysander means so much more to her than the property or social placeholder she would gain by marrying Demetrius. Hermia dedicates herself to Lysander, saying he is worthy of the ultimate consummation of her love. She must convince her father that Demetrius is disgraceful and immoral. At the end of the play, Hermia and Lysander are eloped, and unlike Katherine and Petruccio in TOS, they demonstrate their dedication for each other from the beginning, disregarding a few