In A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of the masterpieces of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare explores various aspects of love and friendship. With the help of the main characters such as Lysander, Demetrious Helena and Hermia, he endeavors that the path of love is full of obstacles, however, if one is committed and faithful, he/she can defy those obstacles leading him/her to success. As Lysander says “The course of true love never did run smooth”, the love stories presented in the play undergo difficult situations but eventually the genuine love is recognized by the triumph of the true loves. As in virtually every love story, Lysander and Hermia’s love story has a twist to it: Hermia's father demands Hermia to marry Demetrious. This is a very classical situation. In the past, parents had the rights to arrange their daughter’s marriage to whoever they please. Usually they would exercise their rights which is the very case in Hermia’s life. This creates a big problem and cause a tremendous pressure for Hermia and Lysander, as they love each other. In addition, the Athenian rule that governs father's right to choose groom for his daughter promotes the duke to warn Hermia to make a decision in very short period of four days that either she wants to be a nun for life or marry Demetrious. Furthermore, the absence of Hemia's mother in the story seems to make it difficult for Hermia, however it’s can’t be said that her mother’s presence could have alter the situation. If her mother was alive, as a women herself she might have understood where Hermia stands. At least Hermia would have gotten some more support. Nevertheless, even if her mother had supported her, women had very little to say in any major decisions during those... ... middle of paper ... ...heir love lives. Despite the fact that all the difficulties lovers face, eventually everyone gets along and they get their loves and problems seems to be fixed at least for the time being. The Duke finally supports Lysander and Hermia's marriage and Helena gladly accepts Demetrious although she is skeptical of his unexpected change in his behavior. The Duke changing his mind over Lysander and Helena's love and deciding not to enforce the Athenian rule that requires him to support Hermia’s father’s poition. Even after the opposition from Hermia’s father he allows to Lysander to marry Hermia in his own wedding day along with Demetrious and Helena. The story gets a happy ending unlike many of the Shakespeare work such as Romeo and Juliet. Although the characters journey to their love were full of challenges, ultimately they are victorious in achieving their love.
To begin with, this play is filled with comedy but also conflicts between characters. Helena is the kind of woman who has no self-esteem. This is because she does everything to be loved back by a man that doesn’t love her and that is Demetrius. Helena represents a character of a woman that is desperate of having love. In other words, Helena is different from Hermia because she’s an insecure woman full of jealousy. Helena tries to do everything to get Lysander away from her old best friend Hermia. She thinks that love can be found by letting the one you love do anything to you. Consequently, Hermia believes that lo...
The hilarious play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, tells the twisted love story of four Athenians who are caught between love and lust. The main characters: Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius are in a ‘love square’. Hermia and Lysander are true love enthusiasts, and love each other greatly. Demetrius is in love with Hermia, and Helena, Hermia’s best friend, is deeply and madly in love with Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander try to elope in the woods because Egeus, Hermia’s father, disapproves of Lysander. Helena, hearing about their plans, tells Demetrius, and all four of them end up in the woods where Lysander’s quotation, “The course of true love never did run smooth”(28), becomes extremely evident due to several supernatural mix-ups, authority, and jealousy.
As mentioned above, the world of ancient Athens, men was the dominate gender. Women were not allowed marriage without consent of their father. They didn’t even have the right to choose their lover. In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Egues presented engagement to Hermia and a man she didn’t love. "A respectable woman's main role in ancient Athens was to stay home, keep pretty, and bear children. Her life centered in the house and the children. Most citizen wives had slaves to do the cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping. Once she gave birth, her father could not take her back (Women in Ancient Athens 1)." In ancient Athens society established that it was disrespectful for women to disobey the commands of their father or husband. If her husband thought it necessary, he would have the right to keep her locked in the house if she wasn't behaving as a proper Athenian woman should (Women in Ancient Athens 1). In this case, while Hermia consoled to Theseus, Theseus told Hermia to die or reject the society of men altogether if she shouldn't obey her father.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play based on love. Also in this play, there were three types of love shown−love between friends, family members and lovers. Through this play, man can learn many things such as love is influential and that love is strong enough to change the world both positively and negatively bringing readers to the conclusion that love makes us crazy, but it moves the world.
The story starts with a fight about love. Egeus, who is Hermia’s father, does not want Hermia to be in love or with Lysander at all. Egeus wants his daughter to be with Demetrius who is in love with Hermia, but Hermia does not love him. Egeus goes to Theseus who is the Duke of Athens. Egeus tells him about the situation, and of course the Duke will go with Egeus side since he is the father of Hermia and he decides what she should do. Now Hermia is stuck with marrying Demetrius, becoming a nun, or being put to death. Hermia and Lysander decide to run away in the woods where there are no rules and where nothing can stop them from being in love. Hermia trusting Helena, who is her best friend with the secret she tells her. Helena is in love with Demetrius. She goes to tell Demetrius that Hermia has decided to run to the woods in hopes Demetrius would take her back.
Presented with many obstacles and complications to overcome, we know that Hermia is the protagonist in the play. She has relations with almost all the characters in the play. The first and most important relationship is her love, Lysander. From the very beginning we see that Hermia loves Lysander with all her heart and soul and he loved her the same. The only tragic flaw in their relationship was when Puck put the magic juice in Lysander's eyes and he fell in love with Helena. Hermia felt sad and rejected when that happened. But when Puck finally realized that he had made a mistake and corrected it, Hermia and Lysander were in their heavenly bliss of love once again.
Hermia showed lack of concern for authority and consequences because of her love for Lysander. Immediately, Hermia showed rebellion against not only her father who had literal ownership over her, but also against the Duke Theseus. Despite her father and the Duke’s orders Hermia was willing to put her life on the line out of her love for Lysander. She was even bold enough to say, “I know not by what power I am made bold, nor how it may concern my modesty…but I beseech your Grace that I may know the worst that may befall me in this case… (3).” Hermia
Hermia is a tender lover who prefers to share her love with Lysander instead of Demetrius. By doing this, she is oppressed by her own father and the patriarchal institutions of
In the first part of the play Egeus has asked the Duke of Athens, Theseus, to rule in favor of his parental rights to have his daughter Hermia marry the suitor he has chosen, Demetrius, or for her to be punished. Lysander, who is desperately in love with Hermia, pleads with Egeus and Theseus for the maiden’s hand, but Theseus’, who obviously believes that women do not have a choice in the matter of their own marriage, sides with Egeus, and tells Hermia she must either consent to marrying Demetrius, be killed, or enter a nunnery. In order to escape from the tragic dilemma facing Hermia, Lysander devises a plan for him and his love to meet the next evening and run-off to Lysander’s aunt’s home and be wed, and Hermia agrees to the plan. It is at this point in the story that the plot becomes intriguing, as the reader becomes somewhat emotionally “attached’’ to the young lovers and sympathetic of their plight. However, when the couple enters the forest, en route to Lysander’s aunt’s, it is other mischievous characters that take the story into a whole new realm of humorous entertainment...
Demetrius and Lysander both speak in figurative language and both are very handsome. Their love for Helena and Hernia deal mainly with physical attraction and flirtatious acts than love that captures body, mind, and soul. If any of the four characters posses anything of realistic love, it would be Hermia. She was willing to risk death in order to be with Lysander. This act of love goes beyond any other in this play, and demonstrates Hermia’s devotion to Lysander. "My good Lysander, I swear to thee by Cupid’s strongest bow- Tomorrow truly will I meet with thee" (Act 1, Scene 1, Line #).
The main conflict in the play and propellant for the action is when, Egeus, the father of Hermia has chosen Demetrius as the man he wants her to marry. His decision is most likely based on economic, political, and social factors. Egeus believes he is making a reasonable decision based on Hermia's future in their society. Unfortunately Hermia is in love with a gentleman named Lysander and vice versa. Her father may have made his decision with good intension to try and keep with the traditional customs of his day and even perhaps taking into consideration such things as attractiveness. However, he fails to foresee that his daughter might actually love someone else. Lysander, like many young men, shows little regard for the rules of society and is willing to break tradition and flee At...
The commencement to both relationships are very different. Lysander and Hermia are in love from the very beginning and decide to run away to get married when they find out Hermia will be killed if she does not marry Demetrius. These two are truly in love that they will even risk their lives to be together. Their counterparts Demetrius and Helena start at a much different place in their relationship. Demetrius is in love with Hermia and chases her and Lysander into the
Demetrius is willing to go to any extent to have Hermia marry him, even allowing Hermia to be subject to a life of a nun or death, if she does not marry him. Demetrius? infatuation with Hermia brings out the tyrannical and possessive part of his character, as can be seen when he says ?and, Lysander, yield thy crazed title to my certain right?
The principal power struggle present in the play exists between Egeus/Theseus and Hermia. In Act 1 Scene 1, Hermia straightforwardly resists Egeus' wishes for her to marry Demetrius rather than Lysander. Through Egeus' eyes, Hermia is seen to have a 'stubborn harshness' (I.i.38) and she won't 'consent to marry with Demetrius' (I.i.40). She challenges Egeus despite knowing that tradition allows the father to wed his daughter off to whoever he wishes. Anyhow, she plots with Lysander and consents to his arrangement of leaving Athens to Lysander's widow aunt whose house is out of reach from the 'sharp Athenian law' (I.i.162). While fleeing may appear like a nuanced and modest form of insubordination, it is still a corroboration of Hermia's rights and opportunity as a woman to pick who she
Lysander is a fool because he persuades Hermia to avoid death and run away with him. Hermia must marry Demetrius or she will be put to death. (I i,line 83-88) Theseus says, "Take time to pause, and, by the next new moon- The sealing-day betwixt my love and me, For everlasting bond fellowship- Upon that day either prepare to die For disobedience to your father's will, Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would," Hermia does not love Demetrius. (I i,line 140) Hermia says, "O hell! To choose love by another's eyes." Hermia loves Lysander. (I i,line 150-155) "If then true lovers have been ever crossed, It stands as an edict in destiny. Then let us teach or trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, As due to love, as thoughts and dreams and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers." Lysander has an alternative idea. (I i,line 157-159) Lysander says, "I have a widow aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child; >From Athens is her house remote seven leagues." (I i,line 164- 165) "Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night, And in the wood, a league without the town." Lysander is a fool because he convinces Hermia to risk death and run away with him.