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William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Essays

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William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream In the following essay I am aiming to show how Lysander's claim that 'the course of true love never did run smooth' is supported by other events in the play. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written by William Shakespeare. No one knows the exact date it was written but we know it was between 1589 and 1595. He combines romance with comedy to produce this popular story. When he was writing the play superstition about nature and spirits played an important part in people's lives, therefore Shakespeare included these ideas in his play. It was believed that fairies lived in a kingdom of their own and came into people's houses where they then …show more content…

Hippolyta is the queen of Amazons and Theseus is the duke of Athens. Because they are of a high class they talk in blank verse. This is a form of poetry that is rhythmic lines without a rhyme. Shakespeare uses this to emphasise their nobility. Theseus opens with the lines: 'Now fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour/ Draws on apace.' From this we can see that they are getting married and therefore love is running smoothly for them. Their relationship signifies what all the other couples in the play want; to have overcome their problems. However they once had their own problems. 'I wooed thee with my sword.' Here we begin to learn that Theseus went to war for Hippolyta's love. Shakespeare doesn't go into detail about this event as he assumes we already know the myth. An Elizabethan audience would be more familiar with mythology as entertainment was limited and story telling was popular. We can see that problems can be overcome when love isn't running smoothly, but every relationship goes through its 'ups and downs'. This is the first event, which shows the audience the type of irrational thing that love will make you do when in love. Later on in the story there is a link between what Theseus has already done and what Demetrius and Lysander threaten to do. 'I will loose for thee.' Lysander states he is prepared to die for Helena and offers Demetrius a battle for her love. This

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