Shakespeare writes the most popular plays. One reason why his plays are so popular is due to dramatic irony. Shakespeare uses a great deal of dramatic irony in his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the characters. Therefore there is more than one kind of emotion you get out of it. These are some of the emotions that you would get out of it. Humor is one of the emotions because a character could have said something wrong or is serious in a non serious moment. One example of this is when Bottom uses the wrong word “You should call their names generally, one person at a time in the order in which their names appear on this piece of paper.” (Shakespeare.1.2.8) Another example was how the working …show more content…
Dramatic irony doesn’t just add humor, but it also adds horror. Horror is when the audience knows something is going to happen to the characters. On page (Shakespeare.2.2.22) Hermia said “Help me Lysander, help me! Get this snake off of my chest. Oh my God! What a terrible dream I just had! Lysander look how i’m shaking in fear. I thought a snake was eating my heart while you were watching Lysander! What is he gone . . . ? This is a prime example, because we know Lysander left, and Hermia doesn’t know that. Dramatic irony adds more than just horror and humor, it also adds suspense. Dramatic irony adds suspense because the characters might be fighting and they don’t know why when the audience does. According to the text Hermia says “ . . . Why did you leave me alone so unkindly,” then Lysander says “Why stay when love tells you to go,” Hermia says “But what love can make my, Lysander leave me?” Lysander says “I had to hurry to my love Helena . . .” Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over Helena but in reality they are getting controlled by a love plant. The audience knows that, but the characters don’t so this is an example of suspense. In conclusion, these are three ways dramatic irony adds emotions to the play, which
The mood immediately changes and we discover that Hermia rather than being filled with filial love is determined to marry Lysander rather than her father’s choice for her. And so the love theme is made more complex as we have the wrathful love of her father confronted by the love of her daughter for the man who is not her fathers’ choice. The love theme is further complicated by the arrival of Helena. Here we see the platonic love of two friends.
Many people believe that control is possible until it comes into play and it doesn’t work out. Control is a big deal in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Oberon tries to control Demetrius and Lysander tries to control Helena. Control is not possible because it’s unpredictable and you can’t control love.
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?
Then along come Helena and Demetrius to this spot. They are still arguing and Demetrius leaves her with the sleeping Lysander and Hermia. Helena notices them there and tries to wake Lysander. Lysander wakes and the first thing he sees is Helena. " And run through fire for thy sweat sake.
She exemplifies her strengths in one occurrence by standing up to her father’s wishes concerning her wedding. Speaking to her father, Hermia proclaims, “So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, ere I will yield my virgin patent up unto his lordship whose unwished yoke my soul consents not to give sovereignty” (I.i.81-84). Hermia demonstrates immense courage and strength by standing up to her father and threatening to pursue the occupation of a nun for the rest of her life. This persistence in marrying the love of her dreams, Lysander, shows incredible courage that resonates throughout the play. Here, Hermia exhibits boundless courage and strength and from now on, her vigor only grows stronger. Later on in the play, knowing that the rules of Athenian law of marriage did not apply outside of Athens, Hermia and Lysander snuck out of the city. As Hermia and Lysander conversed alone, Hermia demands, “Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear, lie further off yet. Do not lie so near” (II.ii.47-48) when Lysander desires to draw nearer to Hermia. By this point, Hermia battled her father and contains immeasurable mental strength. At this instance, Hermia gains greater moral strength when she resisted Lysander’s inappropriate love. Displaying courage to stand up to her father and her moral strength to resist Lysander, Hermia exemplifies a strong
In this scene, Lysander wants to rest near Hermia but she tells him to back off because they're not married yet. Lysander tries to persuade Hermia, however she's not having it. Lysander becomes a bit deceitful to Hermia when he is in the woods with her. Lysander says Lysander says “ O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence “ ( 2. 2. 699 ). The diction “ sweet, of my innocence “ suggests that Lysander is trying to give an impression to Hermia that he didn’t mean anything naughty. Further, Lysander says “ Then by your side no bed-room me deny; For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie “ ( 2.2.705 - 706 ). Lysander is being dishonest to her in this scene. When Lysander was in front of Duke Theseus, he dared not say this to Hermia. Lysander demonstrates
Helena was the younger sister of Hermia. It often bothered her that her sister got all the attention, and she even want it. Helena was madly in love with Demetrius, However Demetrius was arranged to marry Hermia. Helena truly believe she was not good enough, and could not understand why Demetrius did now want
Hermia is a bold, strong-willed woman who has her own ideas of life, love, and marriage. In the Ancient Athenian time period, women were considered to be property, and their fathers or husbands controlled them. Women were treated unfairly as they were not allowed to have their own thoughts and opinions. Hermia is owned by her father, Egeus, and is supposed to obey his demand of marrying Demetrius instead of Lysander, the man she loves. Egeus tells Hermia that she has no choice, and if she defies his order, he could send her to her death. Hermia questions Theseus who agrees with Egeus: “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” (I.i.60-63). She explains to the Duke about her courage and determination and even questions her fate. Women were never daring enough to testify their beliefs as they would just obey any rules given.
A Midsummer Night’s dream was created for the main purpose of showing people what the phrase “love is blind” truly means. Through the combination of the two different types of irony, Shakespeare wasn’t only able to deliver his message, but was also successful in creating a comedy out of it at the same time. By using situational irony, he was able to create plot twists for the audience and make things more interesting. While dramatic irony was used mainly to create a comedic effect for the play.
... past was so quickly forgotten. "Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me. I evermore did love you Hermia, Did ever keep your counsels, never wronged you " (3. 2. 306 -- 308) Hermia, however, feels hard done by. She feels that Helena has caused her true love to turn against her, and if Helena disappeared, everything would be fine. "Why, get you gone. Who is't that hinders you?" (3. 2. 317) Helena also has the solution of running away, but can't as she foolishly still loves Demetrius. Helena and Hermia's relationship has changed completely, entirely because of the effect of the love potion on Lysander and Demetrius. The friendship shown before the argument contrasts greatly to the hostility afterwards. The change has been for the worse, completely destroying the women's trust in each other, and all because of a fight between two men, caused by a mischievous spirit.
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. The four lovers run away to the woods outside of Athens. In the woods, a world of fairies dwells. The fairy king, Oberon, stumbles across Demetrius and Helena while Helena is begging Demetrius to love her. Since Oberon is having some problems with love on his own, he tries to help Helena with her unfortunate situation.
Lysander uses emotive language as a primary technique of persuasion. We can see this when Lysander says, “Lysander's love, that would not let him bide”. Lysander dramatizes his love for Helena. He does this multiple times in the scene. For example, when Lysander says, “Helena, I love thee; by my life, I do”
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
Hermia is the daughter of Egeus. She is a tiny woman that possessed sparkling eyes and a lovely voice. Hermia is very adamant about what she wants from the balance of the play. She has only eyes for Lysander and is very faithful, even when faced with the obstacles of death or the nunnery. Throughout the play Hermia emotions were confused at times. She even says "Am I not Hermia? Are you not Lysander? (Act III Scene 2 Line 292). We see at this point that she is confused and her feelings are hurt. At that very moment I think she feels like she has lost part of herself, a part that she has given to Lysander. So when Lysander returns to her, she is her self once again.
and would make a woman was less likely to marry. By telling Lysander to ‘not lie so near’ (II.ii.43), Hermia is showing that a woman can tell a man she doesn’t want to have sex with them, and that they, men, shouldn’t force a woman to have sex with them, as for women of the time their virtue was everything. Therefore, by Hermia telling Lysander to ‘lie further off’ (II.ii.56) when they fall asleep in the forest she w...