Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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“Things base and vile, holding no quantity, love can transpose to form and dignity: love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind”(1.1.232-235). Helena, one of the lovers in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, explains the irrational nature of love displayed by characters throughout the story. The play shows how multiple lovers came together to overcome a journey, a journey of love. William Shakespeare uses love potions and fairies to confuse the lovers into loving different people. Lysander, a man who truly loves Hermia, falls under the love potion and starts to love Helena. Helena, a friend of Hermia, wants to be with Demetrius but he is already engaged to Hermia. Demetrius claims to love Hermia …show more content…
Egeus tells Hermia that she will have to marry Demetrius or die. Theseus later states, “Either to die the death or to abjure for ever the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires; know of your youth, examine well your blood, whether, if you yield not to your father's choice, you can endure the livery of a nun”(1.1.65-70). Egeus would rather kill his own daughter then for her to not marry Demetrius. For someone to even think of killing their own daughter is outrageous. Just because she will not marry someone of Egeus’s choice, he decides to give her a crazy ultimatum. Although this is parental love, it shows how in all types of love, there is someone that wants to control it. Helena would do anything to be with Demetrius but all he ever did was reject her. Oberon overheard one conversation between the two and thought that it would be a good idea to put Demetrius under a love potion so that he would love Helena. Helena explains her feelings by stating, “How happy some o'er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so. He will not know what all but he do know. And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes” (1.1.232-237). She does not understand why he loves Hermia and not her. Oberon explains to Puck about what he must do by stating, “A sweet Athenian lady is in love with a disdainful youth; anoint his eyes; but do it when the next thing he espies may be the lady. Thou shalt know the man by the Athenian garments he hath on. Effect it with some care, that he may prove more fond on her than she upon her love. And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow”(2.1.260-267). Oberon sees a short conversation between Helena and Demetrius and believes that it is his duty to bring them together in harmony. He has absolutely no right to interfere with the love of others. Later in the play, Puck accidentally uses the love potion on
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