“What thou seest; when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true-love take.
Love and Languish for his sake.
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear,
When thou wak’st, it is thy dear,
Wake when some vile thing is near.” (II.II.26-34)
Oberon says this little poem just before he puts the potion into Titania’s eyes. He explains how he really doesn’t care if Titania falls in love with a cat, bear etc, but as long as he gets the changeling boy in his possession. In AMSND, Oberon uses Titania effectively to get what he wants, the changeling boy. Oberon uses everything in his power to get what he wants, even meddling around with love.
In AMSND, Demetrius treats Helena very badly, exposing her to love and hate at their fullest. In the start of the play, Egeus, Hermia’s father, wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, his choice. But Hermia disobeys and disagrees with her father, saying that she likes Lysander and does not want to marry Demetrius. By the power of the Athenian Law, Egeus has the power to choose who Hermia marries. Hermia has 3 options, marry Demetrius, become a Nun or get killed. Helena finds out that Lysander and Hermia are going to run away to the woods and plans to tell Demetrius what is happening, in order to make him start loving her. They follow Hermia and Lysander to the woods, where Demetrius says this hurtful quote to Helena:
“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?” (II.I.203-205)
Helena than says:
“…I am your Spaniel, and Demetrius,
The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.
Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me…” (II.I.207-210)
Then Demetrius says:
“…For I am sick when I do look on thee…” (II.I.216)
Demetrius argues that he cannot love Helena, and says quite clearly that he hates looking at her; he does not love her. Helena, on the other hand, says the complete opposite, saying that Demetrius can use her like a dog, showing her thoughts of unworthiness. Demetrius and Helena have both different thoughts on each other, and in the end of the play, they end up wedding by the influence of the love potion.
Hermia also gets treated unfairly by her lover, Lysander, in AMSND. Both of them go into the play loving each other. But Hermia is overpowered by her Dad, Egeus, and by the power of the law, he is entitled who he wants her daughter to marry. Hermia and Lysander decide that they will run away from Athens, leaving the law behind them. Demetrius and Helena follow them, and then a love mix-up happens. Oberon and Puck, the king of the faeries and his servant, play tricks on the 4 lovers, and they end up confusing all of them. At one point of the book, both Lysander and Demetrius love Helena, although both of them did not love her in the start of the book. Confusion arises, while Lysander’s hate to Hermia grows:
(To Hermia) “…thou cat…vile thing…shake thee from me like a serpent…” (III.II.265-66)
Hermia is confused, and says:
“Why are you grown so rude? What change in this…sweet love…? What can you do me greater harm, than hate...? Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander?” (III.II.267-279)
She questions Lysander about change in there relationship; it was so modest and truthful, and now is lost and forbidden. She also questions him about her not being herself and him not being himself. Lysander than says:
“…Be certain, nothing truer. ‘Tis no jest that I do hate thee (to Hermia) and love Helena” (III.II.287-88)
Hermia is in quite disbelief, and starts to blame Helena into what has happened. Helena is completely innocent; it was Oberon and Puck who committed this confusion and hate. Until the end of the book, to ease the confusion, Puck sorts out the mess and puts the love potion into Lysander’s eyes and he starts to love Hermia again, and she accepts him back straight away. He treats Hermia unfairly, first off by loving her, the turning the opposite (by the power of the potion), then goes back to loving her (also by the potion). Like Demetrius and Helena, they end up wedding each other.
In this play, AMSND, by William Shakespeare, the 4 lovers encounter love and hate at there most extremes. Oberon uses Titania successfully to get what he wants, a changeling boy. Demetrius treats Helena very badly and both end up marrying each other. Like them, Lysander and Hermia wed each other, but through love confusion and betrayal.
1,108 Words