Midsummer's Night Dream Essay

Infatuation is the state of being completely carried away by unreasoning passion or love. Infatuation is clearly displayed in the play, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, by William Shakespeare when four lovers go into the forest and fall under the spell of fairies. The fairies tamper with the lovers by putting them under spells causing them to be infatuated. The play portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. The four young Athenians, Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander, and Helena and a group of amateur actors are manipulated by the fairies, Oberon, the king of the fairies, and Robin, Oberon’s servant. By looking at the tampered love between Helena and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius, and Bottom and Titania, the reader is able to understand how the misuse of magic causes chaos between the lovers. One love affected by “tampering” is between Hermia and Lysander. At the beginning of the novel, Hermia and Lysander love each other. Lysander says, “I am, my lord, as well derived as he, /As well possessed. My love is more than his; My fortune every way as fairly ranked...I am beloved of beauteous Hermia. ” (1.1.101-106) The reader can clearly understand that Lysander loves Hermia and would like to marry her. Hermia says, “O hell, to choose love by another’s eyes.”(1.1.142) Hermia shows that her love is so strong for Lysander that she will disobey her father’s in regards of who to marry. The true love between Lysander and Hermia is soon tampered with by Robin. Robin is ordered by Oberon to find Demetrius, “the Athenian man”, and apply some of the flower’s magic nectar to his eyes. Oberon says, “A sweet Athenian lady is in love/ with a disdainful youth. Anoint his eyes,/but do it when the next thing he espies/may be the lady.”(2.2.268-271) Soon, Lysander and Hermia enter and fall asleep nearby. Robin, thinking he has found “The Athenian man”, anoints the eyes of sleeping Lysander. Lysander awakes, sees Helena,