The Role Of Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Love has the ability to affect people’s lives in both good and bad ways. In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare, love is mostly portrayed as being very complicated. Love has the ability to mess with people’s judgement and their sense of reason, and without guidance, it can go terribly wrong.
Helena believes that love is blind and lacks judgement. This is evident when she says, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind” (I.i.240). Helena believes this because Demetrius chooses Hermia over her, while she believe that she is just as beautiful and Hermia. Helena also believes that Cupid is blind, because Demetrius’ love for Hermia is so random. This idea is also clear in the situation with Titania and Bottom. …show more content…
When under the magic of the flower, Lysander and Demetrius lose their sense of reason. The two men believe that they love Helena, when they truly love Hermia, and continuously declare their “love” for Helena. Lysander and Demetrius both say that they were never happy with Hermia, and that the other may have her, because both men chase after Helena. Another example of people losing their judgement to love is Titania, the Fairy Queen, to Bottom the Weaver. When Bottom is singing his lines he awakens Titania, who under the magic of the flower, falls in love with him. She goes on to say that he sings beautifully and that she loves him. Bottom, who is not in love with Titania, still has his sense of reason, responds to this by saying; “ Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that. And yet to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays” (III.i.145-146). Titania, who is merely infatuated with Bottom, ignores this, and continues to tell him how smart and beautiful he is. Once again, Bottom denies these claims made against …show more content…
The quarrel between Oberon and Titania shows this idea very clearly when they are fighting for the little Indian boy. They fight over the child like he is a toy. They continuously fight over him, and because of this, the seasons in the mortal world are disrupted. Titania says that they are both to blame for this, however, Oberon retorts this by saying “Do you amend it then. It lies in you./ Why should Titania cross her Oberon?/ I do but beg a changeling boy/ To be my henchman” (II.i.121-124). Titania, refuses to give up the Indian boy. Oberon is unhappy with this, and comes up with a plan to make her the boy up to him. He plans to use a magical flower to anoint Titania’s eyes with it, so that when she wakes up, she will fall in love with an ugly beast. While she is pursuing the beast, Oberon will have time to take the boy away from her, then once the boy is in his possession, he will take the spell off of Titania’s eyes. Another example of love being like a misguided child occurs between Helena and Demetrius. Helena, who is madly in love with Demetrius, continues to follow him around, though he has love for another. “I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight/ Then to the wood will he tomorrow night/ Pursue her. And, for this intelligence/ If I have thanks, it is a dear expense.” (I.i.252-255). Helena believes that he will “reward” her ratting out her friends, and for giving him the valuable information
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