Love has effects that make one irrational. The play shows several times with the magical effects of two different flowers how irrational love can make people. The characters under the effects of the magic flower, Demetrius, Queen Titania, and Lysander , fall in and out of love throughout the events of the story and show great irrationality. The Athenian Duke Theseus states when being told of these …show more content…
Shakespeare shows the indiscriminate nature of love by having a common man and a supernatural queen of fairies fall under the effects of the love potion. Love even applies to nobles, such as with Duke Theseus, but with much less drama than other relationships within the play. When the effects of the love potion take hold on Queen Titania, she falls in love Nick Bottom, who has the head of an ass. Queen Titania states, “I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again./Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note,/So is mine eye enthrallèd to thy shape,/And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me/On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee” a highly irrational statement, as an animal would be unable to sing well, nor would an animal have a shape that would appeal to one (Shakespeare III.i.139-143). Even though it is highly irrational, the Queen loves Bottom while under the effects of the magic flower. Also, the common man can fall prey to love, with Demetrius and Lysander as an example. Lysander rejects Hermia with the statement, “Thy love? Out, tawny Tartar, out!/Out, loathèd med'cine! O. hated potion, hence!” which demonstrates Lysander under the effects of the magical flower, and becomes fickle to the nature of love. Shakespeare uses a variety of characters to demonstrate that love affects all. Shakespeare shows with a supernatural fairy queen and two common men that anyone can fall prey to the effects of