People can become jealous by wanting something that someone else has. Overzealous jealousy leads to desperation in which people act irrationally to obtain the object of their desire. With irrational actions, people can ruin their relationships to ensure that they will never get what they want; however, other factors could intervene to help them get it. William Shakespeare explores these ideas in his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Two characters that he uses to show these qualities are Oberon and Helena. According to Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, jealousy turns people to take desperate measures to get what they want, and they may need intervention to obtain what they desire. Shakespeare suggests that jealousy comes from not being able to have something that another person has. Oberon wants a boy that Titania has. Titania is looking after an Indian boy because of a promise to his mother to protect him, but Oberon wants the child to be a knight with him in the woods (MND 2.1.21-25). Oberon is selfish and wants the boy for himself. This jealousy causes a conflict in their relationship. Oberon asks Titania for him again, and she fiercely declines. She says that she will not give the boy up, not even “for thy fairy kingdom” (MND 2.1.144). She stands up to Oberon and does not give in. Her stubbornness to not give in to Oberon’s jealous request pushes them further apart. Titania chooses to distance herself from Oberon. She has “forsworn his bed and company”, and if she stays near him they “shall chide downright” (MND 2.1.62, 145). Oberon’s jealousy has turned Titania away from him. She is disgusted with him so much that she does not want to be near him. Oberon’s jealousy for Titania’s boy has caused a conflict in their rel... ... middle of paper ... ...on and Robin’s intervention, Demetrius has love for Helena again. Without the outside influences, Oberon and Helena would not have gotten what they wanted. William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, explores the actions of jealousy, desperation, and intervention to obtain something desired by a person. With the intervention of the love spell flower, both Oberon and Helena were able to get what they wanted. How they went about this was different though; Oberon was selfish and deceiving, and Helena was envious and self-degrading. Even still, jealousy led to desperation and irrationality, and neither character would have gotten what they wanted if there were not the interference of the flower. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt et al. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2008. 849-896. Print.
Every time that Oberon attempts to control someone, it ended up causing chaos. This even caused Demetrius and Lysander to fight over Helena. Not to mention how Hermia felt when Lysander suddenly stopped loving her for Helena. She was miserable that Lysander had done this. Since most of the control in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a result of
Exerting the type of power that is influenced by malicious intentions can cause one to make decisions that are not beneficial to others. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is written within a time period and setting that favors men instead of woman. In other words, men have all the authority to control the events that occur in their own lives as well as the lives of others whom are considered insignificant. The plot displays the catalysts that ignite many characters’ desire for control that is misused by higher status people. Shakespeare’s use of characterization demonstrates how the wanting of control causes the characters to act irrationally through the misuse of power. Shakespeare’s use of setting, plot and characterization causes the ordeals that the characters ultimately face. In turn, the deceitful choices of a few individuals with status impacts whether the lives of lower status people are enhanced.
Every action made in A Midsummer Night’s Dream revolves around the idea of love. It is a concept which few people can understand because of the extremity a person can go through to go after their love. “Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.” Lovers see the world in a way which everyday people cannot comprehend. The idea of love leads to them making irrational choices which may seem
Fairies, mortals, magic, love, and hate all intertwine to make A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare a very enchanting tale, that takes the reader on a truly dream-like adventure. The action takes place in Athens, Greece in ancient times, but has the atmosphere of a land of fantasy and illusion which could be anywhere. The mischievousness and the emotions exhibited by characters in the play, along with their attempts to double-cross destiny, not only make the tale entertaining, but also help solidify one of the play’s major themes; that true love and it’s cleverly disguised counterparts can drive beings to do seemingly irrational things.
Infatuation causes Helena to lose all sense of dignity, as can be seen when in the woods, she desperately pleads with Demetrius to ?but treat me as your spaniel?. Here, Helena also becomes irrational, obsessed with pursuing Demetrius, though it is obvious that Demetrius is fixated on winning Hermia?s hand in marriage. Helena?s infatuation also causes her to see things from a skewed perspective, for she falsely believes that when she divulges Hermia?s plans for eloping with Lysander, Demetrius? love for Helena will rekindle. As the audience, we know that the most probable course of action for Demetrius upon hearing such news is to pursue Lysander and Hermia, or to report them to Theseus or Egeus. Clearly, infatuation has clouded Helena?s ability to think clearly, and she sees things in her own idealistic way.
...interactions toward their subjects, they do however both mean well. While Oberon is slightly more irrational he still fixes problems in the end allowing for a resolution to the comedy. Likewise, Theseus is not perfect either, he may be lacking passion and emotion when it is needed; however, he still shows sympathy for Hermia against the law and her father, and love for his wife. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” mixes two worlds, one of order and reason and the other of imagination or impulse. These worlds come together to bring happiness and love in the end, although when separated cause chaos and conflict.
William Shakespeare, an illustrious and eminent playwright from the Elizabethan Age (16th Century) and part owner of the Globe theatre wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream in which he portrays the theme of love in many different ways. These include the paternal love seen in the troubled times for Egeus and his rebellious daughter Hermia, true Love displayed with the valiant acts of Lysander and Hermia and the destructive love present in the agonizing acts of Titania towards her desperate lover Oberon. Through the highs and lows of love, the first love we clasp is the paternal love from our family.
Extreme passion results in irrational actions with horrifying consequences. The indecisive and fervent whims regarding love and the human heart are often selfish and fickle. For the victims of love, destruction is often inevitable. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, unrequited love forces both Romeo and Juliet to commit suicide, as neither one believes it is possible to continue life without the other. Both, through mere days of desperation, elation, deception, and grief, were ultimately cheated out of their lives by their love. Shakespeare develops a similar opinion through Helena in A Midsummers Night’s Dream. Helena is able to recognize love as a volatile creature, yet with uncontrollable power over the heart.The transient nature of love is channeled through deception and clouded judgement.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. ed. David L. Stevenson. New York: Signet ……….Classic, 1998. Print.
Throughout the events which unfold in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare delivers several messages on love. Through this play, one of the significant ideas he suggests is that love is blind, often defying logic and overriding other emotions and priorities. Helena loves Demetrius unconditionally and pursues him despite knowing that he loathes her; conflict arises between Helena and Hermia, childhood best friends, over Demetrius and Lysander; and because she is in love, Queen Titania is able to see beauty and virtue in the ass-headed Nick Bottom.
Sometimes people just become so obsessed with something that it drives them crazy until it overtakes their life. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, Oberon, Helena and Titania all became drowned in an obsession. They had an obsession too. One was obsessed with getting something from another, one wanted the unconditional love of someone that did not love them, and another wanted to keep their love pampered with all the things in the world. Consequently, once they had finally gotten whatever it was they wanted, they realized how empty and meaningless life began to feel after.
Helena is madly in love with Demetrius and would give her life for just one kind word from him.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004.
In his sonnet, Shakespeare laments that even when we know that lust is dangerously irrational, most people cannot resist falling under its spell. Othello finds the same to be true about jealousy.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The relationship between Demetrius and Hermia is problematic, in that Demetrius is seeking the affections of Hermia, while she is in love with Lysander. However, Hermia’s father approves of Demetrius and tries to force her to marry him, but Hermia refuses because of her love for Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.22-82). Lysander points out the flaw in the situation through this comment, “You have her father 's love, Demetrius –/Let me have Hermia 's. Do you marry him,” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.93-94). The second flawed relationship is between Lysander and Helena, as a result of an enchantment put on Lysander that made him fall in love with Helena. Helena does not want the affections of Lysander, but rather the love of Demetrius, and believes that Lysander is taunting her. In addition, this relationship creates tensions because Hermia is in love with Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2.2.109-140). Both relationships are not desirable due to a lack of mutual admiration and the creation of non-peaceful and unsatisfying