True Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Often times, one will find themselves fantasizing about the idea of love. Will I ever find love? Will I live happily ever after? Society has taught young children that there is such thing as true love. However, society fails to explain the hardships and complications that are often paired with love. In theatre, William Shakespeare and others alike decide to push the envelope and show the harsh reality of true love. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream he uses his poetic playwriting abilities to express his idea that true love does not run smoothly. There are many ways for one’s love to be challenged. These challenges include the influence of others, unreturned affection, and opposing views. One of the many complications of love is the
Sometimes these opinions are more outspoken than others, especially the negative ones. Sometimes, the hardest objections come from one’s family. This situation is clearly represented in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hermia, one of the main characters, has a father named Egeus who strongly protests and prevents her love for Lysander. In fact, he protested this love so much that he was willing to present this issue to Theseus, the Duke of Athens. According to Athenian law, Hermia must abide by his father’s wishes or be sent to her death. Egeus said to Theseus; “As she is mine, I may dispose of her;/Which shall be either to this gentleman/Or to her death [...]” (1.1.44-46). Hermia, knowing that her father would rather her be dead than marry her love, must have been faltered by his harsh words. At this point in her life, it was the biggest problem she had ever been forced to face. She found herself in a predicament where she had to choose between life or death. But, even through this difficulty, she made sure that her love for
Everybody goes through this at some point in their life. In fact, most likely, it will happen to one multiple times. This situation is also dominant in literary works such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For example, at the beginning of the play, Helena is madly in love with Demetrius. Helena, Hermia’s former friend, was once in a relationship with Demetrius. The relationship ended when Demetrius fell in love with Hermia, but Hermia still loves Lysander and does not love Demetrius. This complication, mainly due to Demetrius’ presence, has negatively affected two relationships in the play. When talking to Theseus, Hermia explains that “[her] soul consents not to give sovereignty” (1.1.86). By saying this, she is saying that her soul will not consent to marry Demetrius. This unreturned affection highly affected Hermia and Demetrius’ “love” because, in fact, there never was true love. However, one can grow to love another, resulting in shared affection. This complication is, in fact, the only trouble that can prevent love from happening. The other examples are simply complications while one is in love, and they are often