Examples Of Control In A Midsummer Night's Dream

In life people may try to control situations and other people and often do not get the results they wanted. This often happens in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. The characters plan to control another person’s actions or feelings and ultimately it ends in a chain of bad events or just failure. An example of this is Demetrius, a young man who wants to marry a woman named Hermia. He learns that even if he may consider her hand in marriage his right, controlling her emotions and feelings isn’t possible. Another example is Egeus, the outraged father of Hermia. He wants to force her to marry Demetrius, which results in a chain of events he didn’t anticipate. Overall, Shakespeare shows that controlling someone is often harder than it may seem.

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In certain situations Demetrius can be seen as in control. In the woods, he is rude to Helena because he wants her to leave him alone. He says, “Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit. For I am sick when I look upon thee.” After this she does eventually leave, showing he got her to at least do that. However, this only lasts a short while since they do get married. Demetrius can also be an example of someone who was possibly controlled. When the “love-in-idleness” flower is put on his eyes, he falls in love with Helena. However, he isn’t being controlled by a person. The flower, which is magical, is truly controlling him.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will show several different themes, but control is one of the most relevant and clear throughout the entire play. It shows that controlling someone is often difficult. Sometimes impossible even, especially if they’re stubborn and bold like Hermia. And magic shouldn’t count as truly being controlled by someone, especially when it’s just a flower doing all the work. Shakespeare is sending out the message that controlling others may not lead you where you want it to