Irony Of Love In A Midsummer's Night Dream

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LOVE IS UNPREDICTABLE

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;/And therefore is wing’d cupid painted blind.../” (I: i: 238-239) In his play A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Shakespeare uses this quote to introduce the theme of love’s erraticness. Through the beginning of this quote, it is evident that rational reasoning may be left behind when in love. When gazing through the filter of love, once could turn a blind eye and look at a person differently. Furthermore, this quote suggests that Cupid’s arrow could hit anyone at any time, imparting the idea that we do not have control over whom we fall for or when we fall for them. It is this theme of love’s unpredictableness that Shakespeare craftily weaves throughout many of the key relationships in the play. The irony of love shines through the bond between Theseus and Hippolyta while creating a rounded closure to the story. Etarly on in the story, we learn of their wedding, which ties the plot lines together and brings the characters back to reality. The unforeseeable future of one’s love life is presented distinctly
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Hermia’s father, Egeus, does not approve of Lysander, whom she loves, but of Demetrius, whom he would like her to marry. This situation demonstrates that people do not choose or have control over who they love. Ultimately, Hermia and Lysander decide to evade the law by fleeing Athens, further proving that one can lose their sense of level-headedness under the influence of love. The plan they had devised was thought of on the spot and had they not been lucky, they could’ve easily been caught. They did not think about all that they would leave behind, and farewells were given promptly without regret. Subsequently, the use of the love potion caused Lysander to love Helena, revealing how quickly our emotions can change and how unsuspecting we can be to