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Introduction

The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth One of the most important aspects in A Midsummer Night's Dream is love. The play contains all of the aspects that love consists of and this is represented in the constantly twisting plot line. Shakespeare seems to mock the idea of love and questions whether there really is such a thing. Throughout the play we can see evidence of Shakespeare questioning the nature of love and how it is frequently changes, as he shows with the relationships that develop between Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius. At the start of the play Lysander and Hermia are in love with each other, Helena is in love with Lysander and Demetrius is in love with Hermia. But as the play develops Lysander's affections turn towards Helena as do Demetrius's. Shakespeare is showing us how easily people can change their minds about love. To emphasise this point further, when Lysander tells Helena he is in love with her she wont believe him and thinks that he is making fun of her. ...read more.

Middle

Another problem we see encountered in this play is people falling in love due to mistaken identities. People can be made to fall in love with the first person they see when a magic love-juice that is found in a flower is applied to their eye. This is trying to show the idea that love is blind. This is represented in two different ways throughout the play. In one example Titania falls completely in love with Bottom who has the head of an a*s, I think that this represents the way people try to kid themselves that someone is something they are not. It is also shown in another sense when Helena falls in love with Demetrius, even though he treats her horribly. But as Titania and Bottom never were truly in love they break up, while Helena and Demetrius end up together as they were in fact in love with each other. Shakespeare is pointing out that, as in Helena and Demetrius' case people still manage to love each other despite people's faults. ...read more.

Conclusion

It gives the impression that the members of the audience are also fairies. Although we see that the course of true love encounters many barriers and pitfalls, lovers will ultimately end up together if they are truly in love, as is shown with Oberon and Titania and Lysander and Hermia. Shakespeare is showing that it can exist but it must endure hardships if it is going to stand the test of time. Couples such as Titania and Bottom who are together entirely by the influence of "magic" will never last as they are not truly in love with each other. Throughout the play we can see Shakespeare toy with the theme of love as he changes peoples idea of who they love very frequently. He shows the audience how what appears to be true love can be changed and manipulated. This changing of love shows us that the course of true love never does run smooth but when there is actually true love then love will prevail. Sam Tiernan 11P ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Love Poetry section.