Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

In Shakespeare's play A Mid - Summer Night's Dream

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

A Mid - Summer Night's Dream In Shakespeare's play 'A Mid - Summer Night's Dream', Shakespeare uses his characters to present "True Love" as a state of harmony and happiness between lovers. However, it is only at the very end of this Mid - Summer night each character must make their own journey through troubled happenings towards the fulfillment of their desires and the achievement of true happiness. Shakespeare makes clear in Puck's final monologue that this fairytale of love's complications is not to be taken seriously. Lysander and Hermia are both seriously in love. Although they love each other, their parents forbade them to be together "The course of true love never did run smooth" (Lysander, Act 1 Scene). Egeus, Hermia's father strongly disapproved of their relationship and wanted Hermia to marry Demetrius, who also loved Hermia. Egues' decision was clearly made for his own benefit he doesn't care about Hermia and definitely doesn't mind if she ends up in a nunnery or even being executed. ...read more.

Middle

(Helena, Act 2, Scene 1). But she has not gained his love because he loves Hermia - her close friend. Trying to gain Demetrius' love and trust, Helena betrays Hermia. Demetrius follows Hermia in to the woods and with the (useful) help from a spirit, Demetrius falls in love with Helena. At that point, Helena feels confused because two men like/love her and she thinks that they are playing a trick on her. To gain Helena's love and trust, hatred and jealousy builds up between Lysander and Demetrius eventually, they start a fight. At the end, the spirit applies the magic potion to Lysander's eyes and he then loves Hermia. At the end, Demetrius and Helena get married. Theseus and Hippolyta are together in the first place because Hippolyta lost in was and got injured. "Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, and won thy love, doing thee injuries, But I will wed thee in another key, with pomp, with triumph, and with reveling," (Theseus, Act 1 Scene 1). ...read more.

Conclusion

antidote and apply to Titania's sleeping eyes to make her madly in love with the first living creature she sees when awakening. The antidote made Titania fall madly in love with ass-headed bottom. After gaining the power and having the changeling boy, Oberon applies the magical liquid on Titania's eyes and they become a happy couple again. I believe that Shakespeare is telling us that "true love" cannot always go as how we want it to. In order to be able to reach the verge of "eternal true love" there will be obstacles in the way and challenges to face. Relationships may not be approved by friends or family but everything can be resolved if you have the "heart". This play is mainly a Hollywood Romcom because of its interesting and funny complications and many comical but tragical events. Even though that this play shouldn't be taken seriously, but it is a pretty good example of how crazy true love can be. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level A Midsummer Night's Dream section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level A Midsummer Night's Dream essays

  1. Why is Bottom such a well-loved character? Explain with reference to 'A Midsummer Nights ...

    When under her husbands love spell her scenes with bottom, the donkey, are sensual, caring and comic. She too is active in the mortal world. At the end of the play both Oberon and Titania settle their dispute and are reunited as lovers.

  2. A Midsummer Night's Dream - How do events in the play support Lysander's claim ...

    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.

  1. What qualities would you look for in casting the actors playing Helena and Hermia ...

    I could well Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes,' which emphasises how devastated and angry she is at her father. She could cry so much. Obstacles can get in the way of true love and when Lysander lists them such as social standings or age she gets frustrated and curses when she says 'O cross!'

  2. How do events in the play support Lysander's claim that 'the course of true ...

    The two lovers plan to elope into the woods to the border of Athens, to Lysander's aunts house where the law doesn't apply there and they can marry. In ancient Athens they are breaking the law and they risk getting executed, so this shows that they are prepared to risk

  1. a play by William Shakespeare, and I believe is mainly summed up by this ...

    and 'The more I hath him the more he follows me' (Act one, line 198) Helena's reply is even more ironic as she moans to Hermia 'The more I love, the more he hath me' (Act one, line 199) but then there is a reversal...

  2. Explore the way Shakespeare presents the contrasts in the relationships between Theseus + Hippolyta, ...

    "Sword" can also be a phallic symbol emphasizing Theseus's power as a man. It shows that Theseus assumes, in his marriage based on reason rather than love, that Hippolyta will automatically love him: "...and won thy love." But that is not the case.

  1. What difficulties have you experienced in producing a modern version of the play and ...

    Images created are of hate. Demetrius says ' Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; for I am sick when I do look at thee'. Images of hell are also present. Oberon listens into the conversation between the pair, and he decides to side with Helena.

  2. The final word on the imagination belongs to Theseus

    Lysander and Helena - The two run off, leaving Hermia by asleep by herself and leaving the audience to question whether this may just be a dream (or nightmare) of Hermia's. The Nature of Power in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' The nature of power can be seen in many

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work