A Midsummer Night S Dream Theme Essay
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Dylan Saunders
October 26, 2014
Adv. English 9 34
Mrs. Farschman
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Theme Essay
When love is mentioned in a story, most people would think of it as romantic love. In
William Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream couples fall in love both naturally and by spells causing romantic love and forced love to occur. This causes the platonic love between friends to fall apart and parental love to be strained. This play shows people that there are many different forms of love other than true love.
Shakespeare uses Lysander and Hermia as an example of romantic love, the lovers run off to get married at his aunts house, where the Athenian law does not affect them, “There, gentle
Hermia, may I marry thee; / and to that place the sharp Athenian law / cannot pursue us.” ( 1.1.163 ). Still madly in love they lie down near some trees to rest, when Puck arrives and mistakenly puts Lysander under a love spell. Lysander, who is madly in love with Hermia, now loves Helena because of the spell. When Lysander awakes, he runs off because his feelings towards Hermia have changed. This true love has been destroyed by magic.
Shakespeare uses Demetrius and Helena as an example of romantic love, both true and forced. Helena has been in love with Demetrius for awhile, but he did not return the mutual feelings. Demetrius suddenly is in love with Helena because of a spell Puck put on him, “The object and the pleasure of mine eye, is only Helena.” ( 4.1.171 ). It seems this speech is coming
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from his heart and is possible the potion has worn off. This shows that maybe the spell helped him see that deep down in his heart he really loved Helena all along.
Shakespeare shows many types of love by putting the characters through scenarios where love is uncontrollable. There are many forms of love other than just romantic, such as parental, platonic, and forced love. By using different examples of love throughout
Dylan Saunders
October 26, 2014
Adv. English 9 34
Mrs. Farschman
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Theme Essay
When love is mentioned in a story, most people would think of it as romantic love. In
William Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream couples fall in love both naturally and by spells causing romantic love and forced love to occur. This causes the platonic love between friends to fall apart and parental love to be strained. This play shows people that there are many different forms of love other than true love.
Shakespeare uses Lysander and Hermia as an example of romantic love, the lovers run off to get married at his aunts house, where the Athenian law does not affect them, “There, gentle
Hermia, may I marry thee; / and to that place the sharp Athenian law / cannot pursue us.” ( 1.1.163 ). Still madly in love they lie down near some trees to rest, when Puck arrives and mistakenly puts Lysander under a love spell. Lysander, who is madly in love with Hermia, now loves Helena because of the spell. When Lysander awakes, he runs off because his feelings towards Hermia have changed. This true love has been destroyed by magic.
Shakespeare uses Demetrius and Helena as an example of romantic love, both true and forced. Helena has been in love with Demetrius for awhile, but he did not return the mutual feelings. Demetrius suddenly is in love with Helena because of a spell Puck put on him, “The object and the pleasure of mine eye, is only Helena.” ( 4.1.171 ). It seems this speech is coming
Saunders 2
from his heart and is possible the potion has worn off. This shows that maybe the spell helped him see that deep down in his heart he really loved Helena all along.
Shakespeare shows many types of love by putting the characters through scenarios where love is uncontrollable. There are many forms of love other than just romantic, such as parental, platonic, and forced love. By using different examples of love throughout