Love, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person, which is mutual.” In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, there are three couples who are in love, but all under very different circumstances. At the beginning of the play, Egeus forbids his daughter Hermia to marry Lysander, her true love, in favor Demetrius. Puck, a hobgoblin and mischief-maker, puts a spell on Lysander and Demetrius to make them fall in love with Helena. Throughout, the story we see three couples who wed because of external force, not mutual affection which negatively affects the story; one for the sake of peace as is the case of Hippolyta and Theseus, the second between Demetrius and Helena due to a love potion and finally, and a third couple who lives up to the definition of love, Hermia and Lysander.…
Shakespeare’s most popular play, A Midsummer Night’s dream, is a romantic comedy that features young lovers that fall deeply in and out of love in a brief period of time. This play is unique because it demonstrates tragedy and comedy at the same time. The comedy not only provides amusement and laughter but also helps ease tension between characters. In the play, A “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, William Shakespeare produces a comedy through foolish characters and mistaken identities.…
In Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, I learned that relationships are tested in situations with drastic outcomes. For example, a scene occurs where Egeus is angry at his daughter Hermia for wanting to marry someone without his consent (22). Egeus then threatens to kill Hermia if she didn't marry Demetrius, the man he gave his consent to. This relates back to the theme because Egeus put his father-daughter relationship on the line so he could get his way. As Egeus said "As she is mine I may dispose of her," meaning he is willing to let his daughter die rather than allow her to marry freely. Another example of this theme occurring is when Helena accuses Hermia of partaking in a prank where Hermia's lovers taunt her (106-107). Helena…
“That’s the way of the world… for every man that is faithful to his true love, a million end up running after a different lover.” (pg. 91) Shakespeare uses the comedy of Midsummer’s Night Dream to show the many complexities of love. For example, Egeus wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius, but she is in love with Lysander and him with her. Meanwhile Helena is in love with Demetrius, who obviously does not feel the same about her. Even the play that the rude mechanicals put on for Theseus is based around the humor and complexities of love.…
So in class we just read the play Midsummer night's dream. I thought that the play was very interesting because this play was taken place a long time ago. But in this essay I got the question. What is Shakespeare saying about love?…
In the play a Midsummer Night's Dream written by William Shakespeare, there are many lovers that are drawn to each other in various ways. One can fall in love at any age. The definition of love is a deep affection for someone or something. In the Shakespeare's play the three pairs of lovers encounter issues where Oberon instructs Puck to sprinkle "love juice" on an Athenian man's eyes. However, he did it to the wrong man, and the other lovers started turning on their loved ones and showing love and affection for another; in Titania's case it was an ass. While reclining with Titania, Bottom states the quote," reason and love keep little company nowadays". This quote is very significant to how love worked in the play and even in normal teenage life today. The quote is greatly signified by Garrett and Caroline,who both liked each other in high school but could not find reason of why.…
People of the twenty first century do not understand the real meaning of love. Men and women want love for the same reason today as they did in the sixteenth century. In William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” he proves how people use love for the wrong reasons such as forced love, parental love, and romantic love.…
William Shakespeare presents love in many complex ways in the first three scenes of A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. The first three scenes introduce us to eight lovers. A part of the comic plot comes from a father, Egeus, attempting to thwart his daughter’s and Lysander’s relationship. Egeus threatens his daughter with life in a Nunnery if she refuses to marry his chosen suitor Demetrius. He does not paint a picture of this being a happy life, referring to it as “barren”, “cold” and “fruitless”. Despite him knowing that Hermia would rather die, “so die, my lord, ere I will yield my virgin patent up” than marry Demetrius, her father believes that he is doing the loving thing as he thinks that Lysander “hath bewitched the bosom of my child.”…
The couple who shows the thematic idea and human condition of love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Hermia and Lysander because they’re unbreakable. An example of this is when hermia father tells her she has to marry demetrius’, she says, “I would my father looked but with my eyes”(1.1.56) Hermia is wanting her father to see the two boys as she see them. She wants to marry Lysander but she doesn’t have the choice of marrying Lysander. Her father wants her to marry Demetrius’ if she didn’t she had the choices of getting killed or being a nun besides marrying Demetrius’. Another example is when hermia realize what her choices were, she says, “If thou lovest me then, steal forth thy father’s house tomorrow night” (1.1.163-164). They planned to…
In Shakespeare's "a Midsummer Nights Dream" love is shown in many different ways. During the play there are many different sub-stories and extra plots that it is easy for Shakespeare to add many different ideas, these sub-stories in the play are the story of Pyrimus & Thisbee and also the story of the Fairy King and Queen Oberon and Titania. With these added plots in place Shakespeare adds the themes of deceit, magic and confusion.…
The play"Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare is about four young Athenian lovers who were lost on a summer night in a forest ruled by fairies. Helena, Lysander, Demetrius and Hermia these four lovers ran away from Athens and enter in a land of fairies. The major theme is love, there is plenty of comedy as well if some are not interested in love. Another theme is friendship, most people will have experience that are shown in this play. Difficulties have you thinking in this theme for example is friendship stronger than love. This mischievous comedy about love draw's the children's love for each other. Shakespeare shows how women in the 16th century were negatively treated from society.…
In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, the characters Demetrius and Titania review their actions of their previous infatuations in Act 4. Although they believe that their love for another is true, Shakespeare illustrates that when it comes to love, ultimately, one follows their heart, not thinking or showing any concern for the consequences of their actions. Demetrius loves Hermia instead of Helena at first, but he becomes infatuated with Helena after Puck uses his magic flower on Demetrius and Lysander. Even though he is under the effect of Puck’s flower, he accepts that Hermia does not love him. After Puck removes the spell from Lysander, and Demetrius confirms to Egeus that Helena is his love, “Fair Helena in fancy following me. But, my good lord, I wot…
Some people say love is a feeling, others believe that love is a choice. Many people discuss, challenge, and write about the definition of love. “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” demonstrates that perfect love does not exist.…
What would you be willing to do for love? The characters in the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, prove they will doing anything it takes. This causes much conflict between them surrounding the concept of love. Love is thrown and shifted around multiple times between the characters throughout the comedy, primarily due to magical interference. However, these fickle interferences provoke them to ponder their morals and values regarding love.…
Throughout the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare uses both fate and free will to present his philosophy towards the nature of love. The characters struggle through confusion and conflicts to be with the one they love. Although the course of their love did not go well, love ultimately triumphs over all at the end of the play. The chaos reaches a climax causing great disruption among the lovers. However, the turmoil is eventually resolved by Puck, who fixes his mistake. The confusion then ends and the lovers are with their true love. Throughout the play Shakespeare's philosophy was displayed in various scenes, and his concept still holds true in modern society.…