A Midsummer Night's Dream Essay

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“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Essay        

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, is generally thought of as a comical romance. A very important factor that makes the whole play a comedy, is magic, which is used to affect the lives of four Athenians: Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius. Bottom, also a simple human, falls victim of the fairies’ mischievous magic. The magic reaches these characters by Puck, a naughty fairy, and Oberon, the king of fairies. Puck decides to cast a spell on Bottom, making him grow a donkey head, and Oberon decides to cast a spell on Titania, making her fall in love with Bottom. From a simple mistaken spell, a rollercoaster of emotions, conflicts and laughter emerge. Magic is a vital element in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” because it gives the four Athenians a new life after the two men get cast a spell on, and Titania, falling in love with an ass head. Magic also causes the lovers to find that love is no smooth enterprise as stated by Lysander; "The course of true love never did run smooth." (1-1 ll. 134). Their pursuit of love may not run smooth but most, although not all, of the lovers end up happy. Hermia and Lysander find that they cannot be together so they elope to the woods where they then become victims of  Puck and Helena cannot seem to make Demetrius love her until Puck's interference, and then she does not believe it.

        The four Athenians are divided into two main groups: Helena and Demetrius and Lysander and Hermia. Helena is always running after some one to love because she wants to be loved and appreciated, risking to be taken advantage of, because she would do anything to be loved especially by Demetrius. Demetrius is one of the men that gets cast this magical love spell on, and that makes him behave in a strange way after the potion starts having an effect on him. When Demetrius opens his eyes, the first person he sees is Helena, which meant that he now loved Helena with all his heart. Demetrius shows no love for Helena before the spell is cast. Demetrius says, "I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts." (2-1 ll. 227-228). "Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or rather do I not in plainest truth Tell you I do not, nor I cannot love you?" (2-1 ll. 199-201) Demetrius clearly illustrates to Helena that he has no interest, but Helena persists. Helena says, "And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel and, Demetrius, the more you beat me, I will fawn on you." (2-1 ll. 202-204). "Your virtue is my privilege. For that It is not night when I do see your face, Therefore I think I am not in the night;" (2-1 ll. 220-222). This proves that Helena is a fool because Demetrius doesn’t love her, but she still continues in her pursue of love with him. After he potion gets put on his eyes, it starts having an immense effect on his behavior and perspective towards Helena, so much that he actually starts telling her how much he loves her, how beautiful she is and that he needs her. Helena responds to this behavior badly by crying and scolding him because she has always been made fun of by Demetrius, and now she thinks that he is teasing her even more by telling her that he truly loves her and needs her. Helena thinks that Demetrius does all this so that she gets very angry at him and stops loving him. At this point in the play the sweet, pathetic Helena has no residue of love left in her heart to love Demetrius. Writing about forced love, there is also another target that gets given a funny donkey head, Bottom, who then is forced to love Titania, even though he really doesn’t like her at all. Bottom, then starts liking Titania after she tells her servants to bring him, or do whatever he says, and Bottom wouldn’t mind having everyone at his feet and possibly become the new king of the fairies, if their “relationship” continued.

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        The theme of magic is also portrayed through another couple: Lysander and Hermia. These two lovebirds have always been in love with each other, so much that they decided to elope one day and get married in the woods without anyone knowing. Lysander had a strong love for Hermia, but a love potion was accidentally placed on his eyes causing him to fall in love with Helena and started having a strong dislike towards Hermia. Hermia and Lysander’s relationship represents true love. The course of their love doesn’t run smooth, as stated by Lysander “The course of true love never ...

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