Midsummer Night’s Dream The Power of Love - 1260 Words

Love is a powerful emotion, capable of turning reasonable people into fools. Out of love, ridiculous emotions arise, like jealousy and desperation. Love can shield us from the truth, narrowing a perspective to solely what the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaws and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena, are confronted by love’s challenge, one that becomes increasingly difficult with the interference of the fairy world. Through specific word choice and word order, a struggle between lovers is revealed throughout†¦show more content†¦The list of actions she wants Demetrius to do to her is demeaning to her as a female. She wants the man she is in love with so much, that she is willing to settle for any kind of relationship, even if it is unhealthy or abusive. Also, the image of a spaniel belittles Helena as a person. By equating to herself to a dog, Helena is saying that she does not see herself as any better than a four-legged creature begging for scraps. The image gives all the power to the man, making him the â€Å"owner† of the female. Helena insists on this male dominance, a dominance against which other female roles, such as Hermia and Titania rebel. Furthering her irrationality, Helena changes the connotation of usually negative words, like mischief and wrongs, and through the illusion designed by her love, she positively associates the words with a man wooing a woman. The state of being in love, for Helena, not only makes her irrational and foolish, but it exaggerates her inferiority as a female, an inferiority already established by the culture of the society as well. Her actions enhance the stereotype and assumption that women are needy, dependent, and below men on the social scale. Seeing the love-struck Helena, some fairies in the woods try to resolve the conflict of unrequited love. Though their intentions are good, the fairies’ intervention causes chaos and more conflict amongst the four lovers. The duke ofShow MoreRelatedWeathering the Storms of True Love1159 Words   |  5 Pages Sitting on a porch swing with ones true love hugging and kissing as the moon smiles down upon them, seems like the perfect situation for true love. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Shakespeare presents the truth about true love in his comical tragedy A Midsummer Nights Dream. Lysander clearly stated loves situation when he told Hermia the course of true love never did run smooth (Griffiths 94). 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