Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer's Night Dream and Romeo and Juliet during the same time period; his treatment of love, however, is strikingly different. Lysander says, "The course of love never did run smooth." Compare and contrast the relationships of Hermia and Lysander with that of Juliet and Romeo, incorporating Lysander's statement as your thesis. .
Shakespeare writes, through the character of Lysander, that, "The course of love never did run smooth." This holds true for both Juliet and Romeo and Hermia and Lysander. But the course in which Romeo and Juliet's love follows is much different from that of Hermia and Lysander. .
Romeo and Juliet are prevented from being married by their parents. The same, in some respect, is true with Hermia and Lysander. Both sets of lovers plan to run away to get married. This is when the trouble begins. In Romeo and Juliet's case, the consequence is much more severe then that of Hermia and Lysander. Romeo and Juliet have a love much like that of Hermia and Lysander in that each of the lovers will do anything to be with the other. For example, Hermia tells her father and the Duke that she would rather die or be a nun for the rest of her life than be without Lysander. Juliet took a special potion so that she could appear dead to her family. She was willing to cause her family pain and distress in order to be with her true love. As you can see, the relationships of both Romeo and Juliet and Lysander and Hermia are very similar.
In the same respect, the relationships of the two couples are also very different. For example, the love between Romeo and Juliet is that of love at first sight. These two young lovers have no explanation of their love. In fact, they have not known each other very long at all when they decide to run away and get married. On the other hand, Hermia and Lysander have a love that has been built up over a long period of time. They have spent many, many hours together and know each other very well.
