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Literary Analysis Of A Midsummer Night's Dream

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Literary Analysis
In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream the writer William Shakespeare uses many types of figurative language and literary devices to reinforce the major themes of the play. Throughout the play the major theme is love. Readers know this due to how in the play the main conflict is love. The types of figurative language and or literary devices that William Shakespeare uses in the play to reinforce the themes are personification, symbolism, and clichés. A good quote from the play is when Helena was talking to herself after the meeting with the duke and her father. Helena said “How happy some o'er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so. …show more content…

But love cannot “make bad choices” since it is an emotion in which Shakespeare personified. These examples are used to support the theme of love. This leads on to symbolism. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the writer Shakespeare uses symbolism a lot. During the first couple of pages, Shakespeare informed readers about the theme of love. In the same act Shakespeare decide to make love a symbol, this is backed up by Helena’s rant, Helena said “How happy some o'er other 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 do know. And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes, So I, admiring of his qualities. Things base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. Nor hath Love’s mind of any judgment taste— Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste. And therefore is Love said to be a child, Because in choice he is so oft beguiled. As waggish boys in game themselves forswear, So the boy Love is perjured everywhere. For ere Demetrius looked on Hermia’s eyne, He hailed down oaths that he was only mine.”(page 9) This rant told readers that love is a symbol of deception, this is due to during Helena’s rant she said “Because in choice he is so oft

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