At this point a modern audience finds a touch of comedy in the play. Lysander explains how Demetrius has her father’s love and asks ‘Do you marry him?’ Although, at the time the play was written this would be seen as being rude, because a man does should not answer back in such a way, today’s audience would probably find it amusing.
Lysander shows how much he loves Hermia when he goes to the trouble of trying to win over her father. He tries to persuade him that he is a worthy man, explaining that he is as ‘well-derived as he / As well-possessed: my love is more than his / My fortunes every way as fairly ranked’. This is quite self-explanatory and we feel sorry for him, as he seems genuine when he explains that he is good man to marry his daughter.
It is here, we now find out more reasons why Lysander and Hermia cannot be together in the short abrupt conversation. Theseus leaves them by themselves to give them time to talk. Lysander can see that Hermia is upset and compares her cheeks to roses. ‘How chance the roses there do fade so fast?’ This metaphor helps the audience imagine that she has gone pale and emphasises their sadness as love is not running smoothly for them. Lysander starts off with the quote ‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ and follows this with a list of factors, which support his view: ‘Too high to be enthralled to low.’ Hermia explains how the difference in social classes can keep people apart and this is one of the reasons her father disagrees with them getting married.
Another argument made is that some people are ‘Too old to be engaged to young.’ The age difference can affect some people and keep them apart. Finally Lysander states ‘Or else is stood upon the choice of friends.’ The fact that other people have to decide whom they marry can deprive two people from being together, because someone else is choosing whom they are going to be with. All of these reasons once again show the contemporary relevance because in some cultures there are arranged marriages. Men and women are, in some cases, forced to run away together because people are unable to accept the differences between them. Shakespeare shows us that people can be cruel and judgmental.
Lysander seems very negative and states that even if you could be together there are still problems that could occur: ‘War, Death or sickness did lay siege to it’. The fact that war can affect people in love relates to Theseus and Hippolyta. When married to the person you love they may die for health reasons and therefore love is as ‘short as any dream’. He becomes negative at this stage because he is tying to accept that they cannot get married, using a string of similes to exaggerate his feelings. ‘Swift as a shadow’ and ‘Brief as the lightning in the collied night.’ This emphasises that love doesn’t last and should be cherished while you have it.
So far we have seen the reasons why they cannot be together, but now we find out that love can also make you disobey the law:
‘There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;
And to that place the sharp Athenian law
Cannot pursue us’
Lysander changes his thoughts and irrationally suggests they elope where they can then be together. In the conflict of emotions Hermia agrees and Shakespeare changes the mood as Hermia speaks in rhyming couplets, emphasising the happy mood they are in and the changed atmosphere.
‘I swear to thee by Cupid’s strongest bow,
By his best arrow with the golden head,
By the simplicity of Venus’ doves,
By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves,’
As well as the rhyming couplets marking the shift in the mood they also present the change of setting to the enchanted forest where the fairies and magic develop in the play.
At the beginning we encountered both true love running smoothly and not. Once again we come across another pair of characters who are unlucky in love.
Helena is Hermia’s best friend and she loves Demetrius, however as we know he loves Hermia. This causes Helena to become very jealous as we find out when she says ‘Sickness is catching, O were favour so,’ Helena explains metaphorically that if Hermia’s beauty was a sickness then she would strive to catch it. Shakespeare uses many metaphors to exaggerate Hermia’s beauty and show the audience how envious Helena is of her best friend. ‘’O teach me how you look, and with what art’. Helena compares her looks to art, which can be taught, but this is just metaphorical saying it and therefore she cannot be made to look like Hermia.
In the following speech, which uses the technique stichomythia, we understand how strong Demetrius’ feelings are for Hermia, however her feelings are for Lysander. ‘I frown upon him; yet he loves me still’ Hermia is horrible to Demetrius yet he is still besotted with her; she explains that no matter how much she ignores him he still loves her. This ironically is what is happening to Helena. ‘The more I love, the more he hateth me.’ The nicer she is to Demetrius, the nastier he is to her, thus it is obvious love is not running smoothly for Helena.
In Helena’s soliloquy she reveals her feelings for Demetrius. She shows the audience how much she cares for him. When she finds out about Hermia and Lysander’s plan to run away together she states ‘I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight.’ The deep feelings she has for Demetrius lead her to risk their friendship and shows us that when love is not running smoothly it can make you do irrational things and behave out of character.
Within this soliloquy Helena also talks about love making you “blind” claiming: ‘Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind’, and ‘Nor hath love’s mind of any judgement taste.’ When you are in love you only see what you want to. We have heard this before when Egeus explains that a spell had overcome his daughter causing her to only see the good things and not the bad. Helena thinks that Demetrius has made the wrong decision and is lacking judgement because Hermia doesn’t actually want him. She believes that he has been ‘beguiled’ into loving Hermia, once again linking with what Egeus thinks.
We find out that Demetrius used to be with Helena. ‘So he dissolved and showers of oaths did melt.’ She is saying metaphorically that when he met Hermia all his feelings for her (Helena) dissolved. Sadly it is evident that her feelings did not change.
The whole soliloquy is ironic because what Helena is stating about Demetrius is actually what is wrong with her. She is lacking judgement in Demetrius because he hates her, yet she still loves him. She only sees the worthy things in Demetrius and not how horrible he is to her.
True love not running smooth can also crush someone’s self-esteem as we see when Helena claims: ‘I am as ugly as a bear.’ She has no confidence and explains how she is Demetrius’ ‘spaniel’. Shakespeare uses this metaphor to emphasise that Helena is prepared to act like a dog; devoted to its owner. Helena also realises that nothing can hurt more than the person you love, not reciprocating your feelings: ‘The wildest hath not such a heart as you.’ This is believed to be the cruellest thing and is echoed later on in the story in different situations.
This argument between Helena and Demetrius carries on into the woods where we notice the change of scene. Shakespeare emphasises this by the use of rhyming couplets that the characters now speak in to give the magical and ‘spell-like’ feel. Oberon, the king of the fairies, is conveniently watching the argument. ‘Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.’ Oberon vows to help Helena and tells Puck to use a special potion on Demetrius when Helena is near. The potion will hopefully restore harmony within their relationship and love will run smoothly for them.
As we are now in the woods we are introduced to the fairies, in particular Titania and Oberon who are the king and queen of the fairies. The fairies were considered ‘bad’ spirits and people believed that they could curdle milk in a bowl, make fruit rot on trees, change the weather and many other things too. Many people thought they lived in a kingdom of their own and were invisible to humans, but occasionally they allowed themselves to be seen as if in a dream. Hence the title, because in the play Puck states that it is going to be a dream to the characters.
Titania and Oberon are significant characters in the play and their relationship is not running smoothly. Their relationship has a big affect on the mortal realm and this involves the audience.
Puck is Oberon’s servant and he tells the audience a lot at the beginning relating to the king and queen’s relationship. ‘And jealous Oberon would have the child/Knight of his train’. Titania has an adopted child and this is what their argument is about. Oberon wants to take the child from Titania because she gives a lot of her attention to him, which makes Oberon very jealous and his immaturity leads him to get revenge on his wife. Oberon also feels threatened by Titania. As he is the male he should be the dominant one, but Titania is a strong character and because of this there is no compromise in their relationship; neither of them are willing to back down in an argument which we can see.
The argument has major affects on the mortal world, as we learn from Titania’s speech. She speaks in blank verse to show her nobility and how important she is. The atmosphere at this stage is very depressing which Shakespeare emphasises by the fact that no one is happy. This is because of the affects of their argument.
One of the affects is on the seasons: ‘The nine-men’s-morris is filled up with mud.’ The seasons are mixed up and no one knows what season they are in, therefore the crops are unable to grow. At this time the people relied on the seasons and weather so that their crops could grow but now, because of the argument, there is no food. Titania states that they are the ‘parents’ of the problem and they are the only ones who can sort it out.
Oberon hints to the audience that he will get revenge on Titania in some way. ‘Well, go thy way. Thou shalt not from this grove / Till I torment thee for this injury.’ This shows his anger because Titania won’t give him the boy. He acts very childishly and comes across as someone who cannot have his pride destroyed. Titania has disobeyed him, therefore Oberon has to get his own back.
When Oberon is talking to Puck he speaks in rhyming couplets. This emphasises the scene they are in but also the fact that they are talking about potions so there is a magical atmosphere. He is discussing the potion that will help restore harmony in the relationship of Demetrius and Helena, however Shakespeare implies that love shouldn’t be interfered with. This is ironic because on one hand he is using the potion for a good reason, but on the other he is using it to punish Titania and not compromise, which would be more mature. Here I think the audience feel Oberon should concentrate on his own problem he has with his wife before he deals with other relationships.
When the potion is put on people’s eyes as they are sleeping, the first thing they see on waking they fall in love with. Oberon requires Puck to sort out the problems with Demetrius and Helena so that love will run smoothly for them, but unfortunately this doesn’t go to plan. Oberon uses the potion for Titania in a way that will cause her to fall in love with a beast or a mortal.
‘The next thing then she, waking, looks upon –
Be it a lion, bear or wolf, or bull.’
This is his way of getting revenge on Titania and once again this shows the audience his lack of compromise and deception.
When Oberon is speaking to Puck about the flower the potion is made from he talks in rhyming couplets. Shakespeare does this to stress that they are in the woods, and are talking about magical powers; this therefore makes the atmosphere very enchanting.
In Act 2, Scene 2 Titania is getting ready to go to bed and coincidentally this is when Oberon plays his trick on her. ‘So good night, with lullaby.’ Her fairies exit the setting and she is left to sleep. Little does she know she will soon wake up and be in love with a beast or a mortal. ‘When thou wak’st, it is thy dear. / Wake when some vile thing is near!’ Oberon squeezes the juice onto her eyes and Shakespeare uses poetry and rhyming couplets to emphasise the fact that Oberon is using a magical potion in the “fairy tale” setting of the woods.
Just as planned Titania wakes from her ‘flowery bed’. As Oberon had hoped she sees Bottom. As well as being a mortal he also has an ass on his head from a trick previously played on him by Puck. On waking Titania states: ‘On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.’ The potion works and Titania instantly falls in love with Bottom. Bottom is obviously shocked by this and responds in a naturally somewhat confused manner:
‘Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that. And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together.’
Bottom explains that if you are in love then you lack reason and only see what you want. We have already heard his from Helena; ‘Nor hath love’s mind of any judgement taste.’ Shakespeare echoes this point because the relationships in the play all have the problem of the characters only seeing what they want to in a person and not what they are really like. Bottom thinks that the queen of the fairies is not likely to fall in love with someone like him however he (like the others) does not know about the potion unlike the audience who are always one step ahead.
It was considered an insult to fall in love with a mortal and a beast. It is bad enough for Titania being in love with one let alone both, but for Oberon it has turned ‘out better than I could devise.’ This is extremely satisfying for Oberon to see his wife in love with a mortal and a beast.
Later on in the play we see a different side to Oberon. He sees his wife lay with Bottom, as they are in love, and is jealous: ‘Her dotage now I do begin to pity.’ He feels sorry for Titania and we recognise his guilt creeping in as he realises what he has done to her: ‘And now I have the boy, I will undo.’ She gave him the boy so realises it’s time to remove the potion from her. Oberon sees this as if he has won the argument by getting revenge but to the audience he is very childish and this represents how deceitful he is. Bottom will think it has all been a ‘dream’ so he will not have any feelings for Titania.
To set up the mistakes that occur when trying to re-unite the other relationships Shakespeare shows his skill as a writer. When Lysander and Hermia are in the woods, just about to go to sleep, Lysander wants to rest next to Hermia. ‘One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.’ Although they are going to get married and are very happy together, Hermia does not want to sleep with Lysander and tells him to ‘not lie so near.’ This is because she has high morals, which say that she cannot sleep with him until they are married. Shakespeare cleverly uses her morals to split them apart which then sets up the mistake. This seems a touch ironic because Hermia disobeyed her morals when she ran away with Lysander and the audience may think that there is no point in following her morals as she has already broke them.
Puck, the onlooker, sees this as a couple who have had an argument and therefore thinks Lysander is Demetrius who is sleeping away from Helena. When Puck realises his mistake after putting the juice onto the wrong person’s eyes he explains to Oberon that he genuinely did not know: ‘Did you not tell me I should know the man / By the Athenian garments he had on?’ Although Puck is a very mischievous character and Oberon thinks he is up to his old tricks, he genuinely didn’t realise his error; the two men, Lysander and Demetrius, were both wearing similar clothes. The audience know this and are once again kept one step ahead of the characters.
As we know the first person Lysander sees will be the one he falls in love with and obviously it is not going to turn out all happily at this point. Helena stumbles across Lysander and queries his existence: ‘Dead, or asleep?’ Because he is lay there so still Helena thinks he might be dead but she sees ‘no blood’ and ‘no wound’. Lysander then wakes up and glances upon Helena, claiming: ‘And run through fire I will for thy sake!’ Lysander once again is prepared to put his life on the line for a woman, but this time it is Helena. This shows the contemporary relevance that occurs today. People still commit suicide and commit crimes of passion when in love, especially when it isn’t running smoothly.
Helena is obviously confused about the situation because they have no clue they are under a spell. Lysander compares Helena to a dove: ‘Who will not change a raven for a dove?’ He is metaphorically saying that she is perfect and pure. The use of a metaphor emphasises Lysanders’ feelings towards Helena. The use of the word ‘raven’ is also significant since a raven was once known as a bird of bad omen.
We now find out what Hermia thinks of this. Upon waking she calls for Lysander because she has had a horrible dream. ‘Lysander! What, removed?’ She questions where he has gone because he hasn’t said anything to her that he has left or gone somewhere. ‘If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep’. In a panic she automatically thinks Demetrius has murdered him. He responds with: ‘So should the murdered look, and so should I.’ Demetrius melodramatically claims that Hermia has killed him because she doesn’t love him back and has broken his heart. However he does reassure Hermia explaining that Lysander is not dead and bribes her to give him something if he tells her where he is.
Oberon realises the mistake Puck has caused and tries to correct it. He squeezes the juice onto Demetrius’ eyes so that he will fall in love with Helena, which is what she would want, as she loves him, and their relationship would be running smoothly. As the story gets nearer the end Demetrius does fall in love with Helena and when he awakes he compares her to a goddess. ‘O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!’ He emphasises how perfect she now is and it seems strange that only a few minutes ago he was saying how much he hated her. Shakespeare uses the metaphors ‘kissing cherries’ and ‘pure congealed white.’ He wants to kiss her and emphasises the colour of the lips. He also illustrates that her complexion is like snow and at the time the play was written you were only pretty if you were white. This exaggerated language is amusing for the audience since we are aware of the magic that is involved.
We would expect Helena to be delighted that Demetrius now loves her, but she doesn’t agree. ‘O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent / To set against me for your merriment.’ Although both men are in love with her love is still not running smoothly for her because she thinks they are playing a trick on her.
Both men come across as desperate and try to win Helena’s love in many different ways. They explain they will die for her and it nearly results in the friendship between Hermia and Helena being destroyed.
The change of mood is marked with the characters now speaking in blank verse. Helena believes Hermia is in with the joke and explains how their friendship must mean nothing to her: ‘The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent.’ Helena thinks Hermia should be supporting her because they have been friends for so long and this is also emphasised by the comparison to sisters: ‘To join with men in scorning your poor friend.’ Their friendship is almost ruined now, because Helena believes her best friend has chosen to make a mockery out of her with both Lysander and Demetrius. This shows the audience that when love is not running smoothly friendships can be broken.
Eventually all is corrected, with more magic and intervention. Lysander has the potion put on his eyes again so that he will fall in love with Hermia and the relationships will be sorted. Once this is done, at last, love will be running smoothly in the relationships.
As we reach the end of the fairy’s role in the play Titania and Oberon are re-united and harmony is restored for the couple. The happy ending for this relationship is important as the play is a comedy and needs a “happy ending”. The argument between Titania and Oberon is also resolved so the seasons are back to normal.
Love is now running smoothly for them. ‘Come my queen, take hands with me.’ They begin to dance and their relationship has a happy ending, however their relationship is not going to change. They are still both strong characters and we haven’t seen any sign that in the future they will compromise when in an argument. The audience are therefore left to wonder how many more arguments they are going to have and the circumstances of them. I think that we also speculate what Titania will do if she finds out what Oberon did to her.
By the end of Act 4, scene 1 we encounter true love running smoothly for the first time with all the characters. ‘And bless it to all fair prosperity.’ Titania and Oberon give their blessing to the re-united couples and everyone is married. This is to end the story on a happy note, and is important in the play. The audience will be happy that the seasons are back to normal and therefore Shakespeare ends the play with a traditional ‘fairy tale’ conclusion, where everyone lives happily ever after.
Shakespeare also makes the ending feel like a dream: ‘No more yielding but a dream.’ Puck has the last speech in the play and explains how it was all a dream. This has been said before when Titania was woken after being in love with Bottom. ‘But as the fierce vexation of a dream.’ Oberon made it feel like it never happened and she had never been in love with Bottom.
Through out the story the theme is mainly about love not running smoothly and this is reflected in the sub plot. The play within the play is about two particular characters, Pyramus and Thisbe. They declare their love for each other and agree to meet at ‘Ninny’s tomb’, but as Thisbee arrives at the tomb she is scared off by a lion. Pyramus enters full of expectation but sees Thisbe’s bloodstained mantle and immediately claims: ‘Thus die I’, He irrationally stabs himself but the audience are one step ahead of the characters, and know that Thisbe isn’t actually dead. When Thisbee finds the body of Pyramus she does the same and kills herself. This shows one of the extremes of what love can cause you to do when it doesn’t run smoothly and the other characters in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ all echo this when Lysander, Theseus and Demetrius claim that they will die for the woman they are in love with.
In conclusion, I think Shakespeare balanced this romantic fantasy with the rough humour of Bottom and his friends. Shakespeare also transports the audience from reality to the magical wood of the fairies and involves them in the play.
I hope to have shown how Lysander’s claim that ‘true love never did run smooth’ is supported by other events and I think it is clear that love can make people do many irrational things when it doesn’t run smoothly. Theseus and Hippolyta show us that love can run smoothly in the end but each relationship has its problem. Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena all reflect the idea of love not running smoothly and show what being in love can make you do. The play remains popular today due to the contemporary relevance of so many of the themes which Shakespeare included and he presents the idea that love is unpredictable and can cause great confusion. Love is something that cannot be explained but only experienced and Shakespeare leaves us to develop our own idea of what love really is.