Love In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

596 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Love and magic in the midsummers night dream

Lysander’s Point’s on Love
Rebellious, Hermia, and love all these describe Lysander In The Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is about a big wedding for Theseus and Hippolyta. Theseus is the duke and he makes all the decisions that include following the Athens law. Egeus has a daughter named Hermia and he wants her to marry Demetrius. She loves Lysander and doesn’t want anything to do with Demetrius. At Theseus’ wedding, he is having a play after Pyramus and Thisbe. Lysander’s love is very passionate.
For example when he says “A good persuasion: therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a dowager, of great revenue, and she hath no child: From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;And she respects me as her only son. There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee; And to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us,” (I:I:162). He is saying they will run away together to his aunt's house, and she won’t mind because she treats him like he is her own son. He is willing to run away with Hermia just to marry her because the Athens law won’t allow them too. He loves Hermia some much and he’s willing to go against her father’s wishes to be with her.
Another …show more content…

Puck accidently put the flower juice on Lysander's eyes, and it ended up falling in love with Helena. He left Hermia behind and he forgot that he loved her first. Lysander says “Lysander’s love, that would not let him bide, fair Helena, who more engilds the night than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light. Why seekest thou me? Could not this make thee know the hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?” This means “I had to hurry to my love, beautiful Helena, who lights up the night better than all those fiery stars. Why are you looking for me? Didn’t you figure out that I left you because I hate you?” Lysander thinks he hates Hermia, because he has a love potion on him that is making him like

Show More
Related

  • What Are The Three Most Important Lines In A Midsummer Night

    2506 Words  | 6 Pages

    When Lysander is speaking to Hermia in Act I, Scene I; he is both stating a truth about the mystery of love, as while as foreshadowing the upcoming trouble in the play. Egeus has made his demands that his daughter obey him and marry Demetrius. The tension between the father and the chosen lover of his daughter has set the conflict into motion. Demetrius has left with Theseus, Hippolyta and Egeus to discuss the wedding of the Duke of the Athens. The young lovers Lysander and Hermia are left on stage and he tells her in Lines 132-134: “For aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth.” He speaks these words to comfort Hermia, but neither has any idea of the crazy night that will come in the

    Read More

  • Lack of Rights in A Midsummer's Night Dream

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    Helena states here how she is pursuing Demetrius when it should be Demetrius pursuing her. Helena tries to make herself more appealing to Demetrius so he will like her, but everything she does discourages him even more. It was not until the fairies intervened that Demetrius fell in love with Helena. The fairies gave Demetrius love potion without him knowing, and that was the only thing that made Demetrius love Helena. Puck knew that if he were to remove the pedals from Demetrius's eyes that he would not like Helena anymore. That is why he left the pedals on Demetrius's eyes after he had already removed them from the others.

    Read More

  • Love, Lust and Infatuation in Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

    2713 Words  | 6 Pages

    This is evident in the quote where Lysander says, “Athenian law cannot pursue us.” This would not of been a trial for them, but fate had something else in store. “Content with Hermia? No, I do repent The tedious minutes I with her have spent. Not Hermia, but Helena I love” (II.i ll. 118-12). Puck, a fairy, put cupid’s love juice into Lysander’s eyes. This is evident in the quote, “Night and silence! Who is here? Weeds of Athens he doth wear. This is he my master said, despised the Athenian maid, and here the maiden, sleeping on the ground. Pretty soul, she durst not lie near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy. Churl, upon thy eyes I throw all the power of this charm doth owe” (II.i ll. 76-85). As it states in the quote, it made him fall in love with the first person he saw, which happened to be Helena. This is proven when Lysander said, “but Helena I love”. Lysander told Hermia he was in love with Helena, not her, so the elopement was off. This is evident when he says, “I repent the minutes I spent with her.” This is difficult for Hermia because she is confused, and does not know what is going on, or why Lysander was acting this way. This is evident when she takes her

    Read More

  • Implausible Love in Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love is chaotic and free, and because love is so powerful, we often do extreme and erratic things to capture it. The tradition of marriage, or mawage, is so firmly established in history that the gender roles common to marriage are often inescapable, no matter how strong love is, or how powerful a person is. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare uses imagery to portray the theme of gender roles and show how love has the spell-bounding power to either change or reinforce those roles.

    Read More

  • Love in Midsummer Night's Dream

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ouple that will never be, but finally all is set straight. Because the spell is still on his eyes and no one but the fairies know, Helena is finally free to love him as much as she wants and she is being loved in return. Hermia, as well, had persistence. When the spell was wrongly cast upon Lysander's eyes she kept telling him that he was to be in love with her, and that they are supposed to be together. They were to have a life together, and everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. She knew deep down he did not and could not mean what he said. She never lost her faith and she was right. In the end each couple has their true love.

    Read More

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream: Nature and Consequences of Infatuation

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lysander calls Demetrius a?spotted and inconsistent man?, indicating Demetrius? fickleness towards women, that he is flirtatious and flawed. 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?

    Read More

  • Different Aspects Of Love Presented In A Midsummer Night's Dream

    2297 Words  | 5 Pages

    In "A midsummer nights dream" Helena, is rather cynical about love. Because she has always been turned from, especially by her own love, Demetrius, she is sceptical when she is loved. Helena subsequently sees Lysander on the ground and shakes him awake; unwittingly becoming the first woman he sees when he opens his eyes. Lysander immediately falls in love with Helena, and tells her that he deeply loves her.

    Read More

  • Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Power of Love

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    In response to Hermia’s defiance toward marrying Demetrius, Theseus offers Hermia three choices in the first scene: to obey her father’s will; to become a nun and forever stay an unwed virgin; to die. The extremity of these punishments presented by Theseus, and Hemia’s decision to accept these punishments rather than marry Demetrius, exaggerates how love can lead to irrational sacrifices. Shakespeare then compares a married woman to a plucked and distilled rose, and an unwed woman to a withering unplucked rose on a “virgin thorn.” This potent imagery contrasts the sweet smell of perfume to the harmful touch of a thorn. If Hermia continues to defy the desires of her father, she is sacrificing a happily married life in hopes of following he...

    Read More

  • Hermia Weaknesses

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream, penned by the acclaimed author William Shakespeare, demonstrates erratic relationships in the form of a romantic comedy. The play takes place in ancient Athens where Theseus, duke of Athens, and his fiancé, Hippolyta, prepare for their grand wedding. During the preparations, Theseus must settle a dispute between a man named Eugeus and his daughter, Hermia. Hermia desires to marry a charming young man by the name of Lysander, however, her father forces her to wed Demetrius. Throughout the story, Hermia and many other women, battle with their love affairs. Through these chaotic love affairs, the predominant female characters show their strengths as well as their weaknesses through various events in the play. Two

    Read More

  • Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love plays a very significant role in this Shakespearian comedy, as it is the driving force of the play: Hermia and Lysander’s forbidden love and their choice to flee Athens is what sets the plot into motion. Love is also what drives many of the characters, and through readers’ perspectives, their actions may seem strange, even comical to us: from Helena pursuing Demetrius and risking her reputation, to fairy queen Titania falling in love with Bottom. However, all these things are done out of love. In conclusion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream displays the blindness of love and how it greatly contradicts with reason.

    Read More

  • Love Lost - Female Submission in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1993 Words  | 4 Pages

    Our perception of Lysander and Hermia’s love develops in the following events: Hermia chooses to become a nun rather than submit to marrying the man her father has chosen for her; Lysander comforts Hermia and shares his plan to elope; They lose their way in the woods and negotiate sleeping arrangements; Lysander deserts Hermia to pursue Helena and to kill his rival, Demetrius.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Dynamics Of A Midsummer Night's Dream

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Demetrius, Helena, Lysander, and Hermia are the for young teens of the story. At the beginning of the play it is Lysander and Helena who are madly in love, and are planning to to escape from Athens to elope. Helena is in love with Demetrius, and Demetrius cared for Helena and liked her a lot but was not in love with her. As soon as Demetrius sees Hermia he immediately stops having any feelings for Helena whatsoever and is deeply in love with Hermia. Demetrius thought that he had fallen in love at first sight, but Helena was determined to show him differently. Demetrius: ³ Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit,/ For I am sick when I do look on thee.² Helena: ³And I am sick when I look not on you.² (Act II, sc. i, lines 218-220) This piece of dialogue shows how much Demetrius is now in love with Hermia from just seeing her, and how disgusted he feels when he looks upon Helena who he used to care about. Helena is simply just expressing how much she is love with Demetrius and how bad she feels that he is treating her in such a manner of hatred.

    Read More

More about Love In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Open Document