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

    She uses hand gestures to express her anger and screws her face up to show her discontent and anger. When she says 'Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste' she pulls a sour bitter face by squinting her eyes and narrowing her mouth.

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

    This quotation shows that Helena wants to be a 'spaniel' for Demetrius and is even prepared to get 'beaten' for his love, the audience who watch this play cannot aprieciate Helena as someone who is in love because she degraded herself to an animal and a bit foolish but at

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

    but then there is a reversal... This reversal is because in act two scene one puck a fairy is ordered by the fairy king Oberon who is watching all the drama unfold, to put a magic potion on the eyes of both Lysander and Demetrius.

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

    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

  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. The final word on the imagination belongs to Theseus

    different forms in the this festive comedy set in patriarchal Athens, which are influenced in relation to the different environments in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The different environments bring out complimentary aspects of human nature, as demonstrated when the four lovers, Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius enter the woods

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

    Helena keeps on following Demetrius, she throws herself at him at every opportunity she has and she doesn't like to not see him. Demetrius' tone of voice is hostile and his language is full of hatred. Images created are of hate.

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