Preview

A Midsummer Nights Dream - Hermia and Helenas Relationship

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
922 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Midsummer Nights Dream - Hermia and Helenas Relationship
Hermia and Helena's relationship has changed greatly after the intervention of Puck with the love potion. Once best friends, they have become each others enemies, and all for the love of Lysander and Demetrius.
Hermia and Helena were best friends when they were at school.
"All school-days' friendship, childhood innocence?"
(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 201, Helena)

They had complete trust in each other, telling each other their deepest secrets.
"Is all the counsel that we two have shared,
The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent," (Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 198 - 199, Helena)

They worked together on everything they did including sewing and singing.
"Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion,
Both warbling of one song, both in one key," (Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 205 - 206)

To some people, Helena and Hermia became the same person, saying the same things, thinking the same thoughts and having the same morals and principles.
"As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds
Had been incorporate. So we grew together," (Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 207-208)

Behaving in the same way, they spent as much time as possible together. This time passed quickly, whilst the time spent apart was slow and seemed pointless.
"When we have chid the hasty-footed time
For parting us-O, is all forgot?"
(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 200 - 201, Helena)

Although Helena and Hermia were two separate people, they were, "a union in partition", compared to a double cherry.
"Two lovely berries moulded on one stem."
(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 211, Helena)

Their friendship was so strong that they seemed to be connected, the same person in two different bodies.
"So with two seeming bodies, but one heart,"
(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 212, Helena)

This had lasted all their lives until the intervention of Lysander and Demetrius.
The strong friendship between Helena and Hermia quickly disintegrated when they became involved with the two men. The love potion was meant to help, but Puck's

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    O.C.D

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages

    honour I dream not of.” (Act 1 Scene 3 L66). From this scene we can…

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Shoehorn Sonata

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The opening scene, with Bridie demonstrating the deep, subservient bow, the kow-tow, demanded of the prisoners by their Japanese guards during tenko, takes the audience straight into the action. As the interviewer, Rick, poses questions, music and images from the war period flash on the screen behind Bridie, and the audience realises they are watching the filming of a television documentary. The time is now, and Bridie is being asked to recall the events of fifty years earlier. This scene establishes who Bridie is, and introduces the audience to the situation: the recall and in a sense the re-living of memories of the years of imprisonment.…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Midsummer Nights Dream

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages

    At the Start of a Midsummer Night’s Dream the relationships between the lovers, Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius are very confusing. Hermia is being forced by her father, Egeus, to marry Demetrius which she doesn’t love but he loves her. Hermia loves Lysander and he loves her. Helena loves Demetrius In Act 3 scene 2 and nobody loves Helena. The relationships between the lovers change because Puck puts a love potion first, on Lysander’s eyes and then on Demetrius’s eyes so that the first person they saw when they woke up, they loved. So now both Demetrius and Lysander love Helena. Helena still loves Demetrius and, Hermia still loves Lysander. But now nobody loves Hermia.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cathedral & Shiloh

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages

    situation is alot similar. They both have a turning point in their lives, where these two…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Student

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Puck, instead of squeezing the flower juice on Demetrius and making him fall in love with Helena, he squeezed the flower juice on Lysander who was supposed to be in love with Hermia. When Lysander woke up, he saw Helena so that made him fall in love with Helena. This affects him because he said all of those things to her and was supposed…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    They were apparently friends one minute then then something would come up and one would get slashed up with a knife (pg.8)…

    • 2229 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    They both had little mutual contact with each other until the very end of the period…

    • 4003 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oh! It's Juliet! I wish she knew that I love her. She speaks. but says nothing. How strange. She speaks with her eyes. I'll answer her. No, I'd better not since she isn't aware I’m here.…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Demetrius, love is more about gaining power, as opposed to actually obtaining a life partner, and someone who truly cares about you, and will stay by your side the entire time that you reside on this Earth. He continuously attempts to pursue Hermia, who does not love him back, and completely neglects the fact the Helena is begging for his love; telling him she will do anything to make the feeling mutual as stated when she says, “Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave,/Unworthy as I am, to follow you./What worser place can I beg in your love—” (32,1:210-213). Demetrius’ hatred for Lysander is so strong that he is even accused by Hermia of killing him in his sleep, “If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,” (3,2:47), when actually, Lysander just followed Helena when he awoke from his sleep after…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the play, Demetrius shows love and attention to Helena, the woman he rejects, and Lysander leaves and forgets about his beloved Hermia. This is the impact of the magic juice. Lysander and Demetrius even become reckless to fight for Helena’s love, “Now follow, if dar’st, to try whose right, /Of thine or mine, is most in Helena. /‘Follow’? Nay, I’ll go with thee, cheek by jowl.”(3.2.356-368), this quote also tells us that both Lysander and Demetrius are ready to kill each other in return for Helena’s…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ Helena is presented as an extremely lovesick and broken girl. To present Helena, Shakespeare uses carefully crafted language and a range of techniques such as metaphors, similes and hyperboles. The audience’s reaction to Helena changes throughout the play, for example, at different points in the play, we feel sympathetic towards her.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many characteristics that prove that Helena is a foil for Hermia. First, Hermia is always loyal to her friend, while Helena is not. Helena betrayed her friend (Hermia) by telling Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's plan to run away. This shows that she does not care about their friendship very much, since she was throwing it away just to get a bit closer to Demetrius. Hermia, on the other hand, was trying to help Helena when she told her friend her plans, since she wanted to reassure Helena that she was not going to take all of Demetrius's attention anymore. As well, Helena seemed downright cowardly, whereas Hermia is fierce and brave. Hermia was brave to follow Lysander into the forest and give up almost everything she knew for their love. In their argument in the forest, Hermia wanted to fight, while Helena just ran away. Despite all the ways that Hermia insulted her, Helena would rather have Lysander and Demetrius defend her than try to deal with it herself. Finally, Hermia is caring while Helena is selfish. Hermia still prayed for Lysander even after he suddenly loved Helena and hated her, insulting her many ties. Helena telling Demetrius about her friend's play also showed that she did not think at all about how that would affect Hermia, and was very selfish. These events show that Hermia cares about others whether or not they care about her, while Helena only cares about herself. Although they are best friends and are put in similar positions, Hermia and Helena's differences make them good foils for each…

    • 268 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Describe the qualities of each character and how their friendship helped them overcome their hardships.…

    • 271 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    HERMIA : I do entreat your grace to pardon me.I know not by what power I am made bold, nor how it may concern my modesty, In such a presence here to plead my thoughts; But I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me in this case,If I refuse to wed demetrius…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I grew interested in the play’s conflict, since it seems modern day typical. I, for one, enjoy watching love stories and dramas. This play, served just that purpose. Reading of the avenged lover’s, Hermia and Lysander, plan to run into the forest to marry seemed likely to be seen on a Wednesday night, 9:00PM, drama series. Which, I absolutely love! Then, the play takes a twist from reality. Helena acquires information related to Hermia and Lysander’s plan to marry, which provides her initiative to tell Demetrius. She intends on winning back the love of Demetrius. The two of them go out in search of the Lysander and Hermia, and find that they’ve all landed themselves in a forest filled with “fairies.”…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays