... 's father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father's command, ... the first creature that they see. Oberon's plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander's eyes. Lysander awakes to see Helena, who is aimlessly walking through the woods, and instantly falls in love with her. She thinks that he is making fun of her bei...

• Word Count: 2937
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... 's father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father's command, ... the first creature that they see. Oberon's plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander's eyes. Lysander awakes to see Helena, who is aimlessly walking through the woods, and instantly falls in love with her. She thinks that he is making fun of her bei...

• Word Count: 2837
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... foolishly, and the character Bottom states, "O what fools these mortals be". They are foolish because they act like children. Although Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena appear grown-up, when they are in love they act foolishly. The four teenage lovers are fools. Demetrius is a fool because he is unaware that his ... love changes through out the play. At the start of the play Demetrius does not love Helena. (II ii,line 188) Demetrius says, "I love thee not, therefore pursue me not." (II ii,line 194) "Hence, get thee gone, and follow ... me no more." In III ii, Demetrius after bein...

• Word Count: 724
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... example, Lysander says "Content with Hermia? No, I do repent the tedious minutes I with her have spent, not Hermia but Helena I love". This shows that Lysander does not love Hermia, he now loves Helena. The fairies also make confusion in the forest, For instance Robin puts the "love juice" on Lysander's and Demetrius" eyes. ... When Robin put the "love juice" on them they do not love Hermia anymore and they both loved Helena. While in the forest the fairies practice the play that they are going to perform for the lovers. The play causes Bottom to act like an "ass" ... methought a serpe...

• Word Count: 711
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... center of ancient Greek civilization. The darkness of the night is intensified in the forest; the dark is intense enough for the characters to fear being alone. Helena cries out to Demetrius not to abandon her "darkling", or in the dark (Act II, Scene 2, 85). When Lysander abandons Hermia, she is convinced ... uses imagery to emphasize the significance of the sense of sight and its relation to love; the language of love relies heavily on sight imagery. Helena claims that real love has little to do with the eyes and that the gaze of the mind gives love its true shape, but even in making ....

• Word Count: 1261
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... center of ancient Greek civilization. The darkness of the night is intensified in the forest; the dark is intense enough for the characters to fear being alone. Helena cries out to Demetrius not to abandon her "darkling", or in the dark (Act II, Scene 2, 85). When Lysander abandons Hermia, she is convinced ... uses imagery to emphasize the significance of the sense of sight and its relation to love; the language of love relies heavily on sight imagery. Helena claims that real love has little to do with the eyes and that the gaze of the mind gives love its true shape, but even in making ....

• Word Count: 1268
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... with a man named Egeus who orders his daughter Hemia to marry Demetrius. She doesn't want to because she is in love with Lysander. Demetrius loves Hermia, but Helena who is Hermia's friend is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her ... fall in love with the first person that she sees. Puck also places the potion in the eyes of Lysander who has now fallen in love with Helena. Puck runs in to Hermia and Demetrius while they are bickering and decides that he will use the potion on Demetrius so ...

• Word Count: 2024
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... at the darkest of all hours. But if Lysander's plan gives the first hint about the play's setting (aside from the play's title), Helena gives the first hint of a way to negotiate the tension between a nighttime setting and the visual language of love. Although the language of ... knows that by cutting away or transforming the sense humans rely on most, the night world forces new kinds of looking. Cupid's blindness, described by Helena as a handicap, becomes a strength. Consider the passage in which Lysander describes the time when they will implement his plan: "Tomorrow night, when Phoeb...

• Word Count: 3329
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

... , treating their difficulties as a price that must be paid for romantic bliss. Lysander and Hermia emphasize that the true love should be subjective and free way. In contrast with Hermia, Helena thinks that love makes a person be blind. Although she is as beautiful as Hermia, she is distressed by the fact that her beloved Demetrius loves Hermia and not her. Demetrius ... "love " as "blind Cupid". In other words, she considers that love depends not on an objective assessment of appearance but rather on an individual perception of the instinct. And more, Helena thinks that she dotes on Dem...

• Word Count: 1369
• Approx Pages: 5

... She is in fact quite domineering. This inexorably rubs off onto Theseus. Also with the two different sides of love are the lovers themselves. Helena is rather cynical about love. Because her lover, Demetrius, has recently rejected her, she is sceptical when she is actually loved. This is due ... result of Puck's oversight, and pouring the love juice into Lysander's eyes instead of Demetrius's eyes, "Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?- Helena actually thinks that everybody is scheming against her, "I see you all are bent to set against me for your merriment."" Lysander and Hermia...

• Word Count: 1370
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... reflected in Act Four. Earlier in the play, we have already been introduced to the interchangeability of the characters. Lysander and Demetrius, Helena and Hermia, each of them switches roles and becomes the other person. One of the primary ways that Shakespeare indicates maturity is to ... it is necessary for them to become distinct from one another. After all, Lysander and Demetrius have been able to shift their love the Helena without noticing any difference whatsoever. Perhaps the most famous line from A Midsummer Nights Dream is when Puck remarks, "Lord, what fools these mortals ....

• Word Count: 922
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... love of your choice Egeus is determined that his daughter, Hermia, will marry the man of his choice, Demetrius, but Hermia loves not Demetrius but Lysander whom loves her back. Helena loves one who loves her not - Demetrius. Egeus sees the Duke and begs for his support in forcing Hermia to accept his wishes. Lysander argues that he is just as ... a nun, For aye to be in shady cloister mew"d," (Act I, Scene I, Line 70) Hermia and Lysander decide to run away from Athens and they tell Helena who tells Demetrius because she thinks he will be grateful. Helena is jealous that Demetrius loves ...

• Word Count: 346
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... of personification took place only two pages after the first example and there was a new speaker involved. The speaker of the quote was Helena and the quote was, "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." Helena uses this quote by showing that love is determined by the thought process of thinking of someone else and not by just looking ... at someone alone. Helena is speaking on her love for Demetrius as she is reflecting on the visible love that Hermia and Lysander share and she wonders why can/t she and Demetrius share the ... exact same love for one another that the aforemen...

• Word Count: 485
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... potion on Lysander's eyelids and he creates pure comedy when he turns Bottom's head into that of an ass. However the magic does resolve the love rectangle between, Demetius, Hermia, Helena, and Lysander. Conflict in romantic relationships is one reoccurring theme in this play. Often in the play's romantic relationships, disparity or inequality conflicts with the balance in the relationship. One ... such example is that of the four young lovebirds; Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius, they are involved in a love rectangle. Two of the men are in love with Hermia and neither of them is...

• Word Count: 473
• Approx Pages: 2

... Athens even by accident if you would scare the ladies you could be killed. The forest is very free with emotion and love. Shakespeare displays love and freedom by, "O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?" (3.2.146-147). With the freedom of emotion and love the forest often had many scenes of love ... and action such as the one Demetrius says to Helena. In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream both settings Athens and the forest both contrast each other being Athens is filled with strict laws while the forest is full of love and ... ...

• Word Count: 737
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... idea of a true love, an emotion so profound that nothing could overcome it, into nothing more than a frivolous midsummer night's dream. The supposed true love of Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena stand out as the most prominent example of the instability of love. The love of these four individuals seems to run their lives. Every action of these four characters seems ... nothing more than love. When Lysander and Hermia plan to meet in the woods Hermia's first response to the idea is to "swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow" (I.i.171). Helena betrays her Hermia's plan to Demetriu...

• Word Count: 1250
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... women, not what is on the inside or true feelings of any kind. Demetrius, in the beginning, yearned for the love of Hermia but was not good enough for her. Helena is in love with, or better explained, obsessed with Demetrius. She relentlessly chases him through the entire beginning of the play, and Demetrius grew very irritated, and even threatened her ... physically. He has no regard to Helena or her feelings, and said, "I"ll run from thee and hide me in the brakes and leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts." He also has a deep disrespect for ... ...

• Word Count: 301
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... kept falling in love with the people they were not supposed to. Take for instance when Lysander awoke to see Helena. Right then and there his love for Hermia was replaced with this new face. In his eyes, it was like Helena "transformed" into Hermia. This same situation happened a multiple of times during the play. Noted throughout the whole play was the ... ...

• Word Count: 570
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... the Duke's court by Egeus, Hermia's father who wants her to marry Demetrius. Egeus is willing to have his daughter killed if she does not marry Demetrius. Hermia's childhood friend, Helena, becomes the fourth in this group because she desperately pursues Demetrius, who won't give her a second glance while blinded by his love for her friend Hermia. Hermia runs away to ... her father with plans to marry Lysander. Her love is blinded by her own arrogance much as the love of Pyramus and Thisbe are "blinded" by the wall. Demetrius and Helena are in the same boat with Hermia and Lysander. The...

• Word Count: 541
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... . Throughout the play, the play crew practiced and practiced for the big great play. Even though the play was mostly about the love triangle that was going on between Hermia, Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander, it would have only been fair to the actors to present their play to the king. So in a way the last act was necessary. Almost one-half ... ...

• Word Count: 355
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... foremost, the two stories are about star crossed lovers, one with a single pair, being Romeo and Juliet, and the other with two pairs, Lysander and Hermia, and then Demetrius and Helena, though Demetrius sought after Hermia love until the love spell with put upon him. In Romeo and Juliet, their two families are long time rivals, so naturally they have a problem ... ...

• Word Count: 200
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... one told by many a man in the course of time. The Trojans and Greeks had to bare decades of war over a woman whose beauty compared to that of Greek gods, Helena. Caesar risked his empire for the charms of a seductive Cleopatra. This age-old tale of a woman's power over a man trails back to biblical times. Adam's bite from the apple has ... ...

• Word Count: 1000
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... condoned. Could this be another sign of Shakespeare's feelings of his life? In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare presents love as a silly, childlike emotion. The relationships between Hermia and Lysander and Helena and Demetrious seem to be rather immature infatuations. Where as in Othello, Shakespeare presents the relationship between Othello and Desdmona as a solid one based on real love and trust. Perhaps ... ...

• Word Count: 1363
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School