Another one of the characters, Demetrius, loves Hermia, just as Lysander does. Demetrius says, “And here am I, and wood within this wood because I cannot meet my Hermia. Hence get thee gone, and follow me no more” (2.1.196-198). He loves Hermia, but not Helens, and he tells Helena to stay away from him. Later on, he gets the magical spell in his eyes, and begins to love Helena, so he betrays his love for Hermia. Lysander exclaims, “Helena a dieu: As you do on him, Demetrius dote on you” (1.1.228-229)! Lysander says this because he knows how greatly Helena loves Demetrius. Lysander only hopes that he loves Helena, as much as she loves him, and he ends up doing so.
Titania is in love with Oberon, and Oberon loves her back. Oberon says, “And thy fair virtue’s force performance doth move me on the first view to say, I swear, I love thee” (3.1.116-117). Titania and Oberon are so much in love. Oberon shows his love in several ways. He shows his love by expressing his feelings through words. Oberon is in desperate need for the Indian boy, so he puts the magic potion into Titania’s eyes so that she is preoccupied, so he can acquire the Indian boy. When Titania awakens from her sleep she sees Bottom with an ass’s head on, and she automatically falls in love with him. Oberon puts the magical potion in her eyes once more, while she is sleeping, and when she awakens once again, she sees Oberon and loves him once for a second time. Titania says, “My Oberon! What visions have I seen! Methought I was enamored of an ass” (4.1.72-73). She is surprised that she fell in love with an ass, as she was betraying her love to Oberon. Titania exclaims, “How came these things to pass? O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now” (4.1.75-76)! She thinks that what has happened is all a dream, because she can’t understand how she could do this to her love.
In conclusion, love and betrayal are the two most crucial elements in the development of the play. In the beginning, Lysander has always loved Hermia, and Hermia has always loved him. By the power of magic, potion gets in Lysander’s eyes, and he betrays his love for Hermia and falls in love with Helena. Luckily, he gets potion back into his eyes, and he loves Hermia once again, as he always has. At first, Demetrius has always loved Hermia, but Hermia has and always will be in love with Lysander. To make things right, Demetrius gets potion into his eyes, and when he awakens, he sees Helena. He falls in love with her, and betrays his love to Hermia. It just so happens that Helena is in love with him as well, so he doesn’t get the magical potion in his eyes a second time. So far so good, we have two happy couple in love. Moving on to the beautiful Titania. She has always been in love with Oberon. To get the little Indian boy as his servant, he puts the magical potion into her eyes, while she is sleeping. When she awakens she sees an ass, and she falls in love with him. So she, as well as the other two characters, betrays her one true love. Fortunately, she gets the potion put back into her eyes, and when she awakens once again, she falls back in love with Oberon, as if it were all a dream.