The Pursuit of Love in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s...

Webster’s Dictionary defines love as a feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preeminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters. By the end of Shakespeare’s play Midsummer Night’s Dream, it goes without saying that Webster’s Dictionary definition was able to hit this definition head on. Shakespeare is able to paint the perfect picture for this play mainly because he is one of the great masters of the English Language. In the play Midsummer Night’s Dream, the pursuit of love (whether it be true or untrue) is undeniably evident throughout the first two acts. The pursuit of love between Hermia and Lysander becomes more obvious when her†¦show more content†¦Although he tries with all his might to win the love of Hermia, his greatest efforts are not good enough to satisfy her needs nor strokes her interest. The same can be said for, however, when referring to Helena pathetic attempts to win the heart of the one she wants; that one is none other than Demetrius. When Helena in informed of Hermia and Lysander’s plan to escape to the wilderness and to marry each other against Egeus’ will, she goes as far as spoiling their plans to Demetrius in hopes of proving her dedication and love to him. This is a perfect example of untrue love. In the play when the fairies are fighting things go wrong in the world with the mortals. Oberon and Titania are fighting over Titania’s mortal friend’s child. Oberon wants to use the little boy for some of his works. However Titania will not hand the child over. This leads to the feud between the two fairies. Oberon tells Puck to place the love potion on Titania’s eyes so when she awakes she will fall deeply in love with the first thing she sees and forget all about Oberon and the child. Oberon oversees how Demetrius is treating Helena and tells Puck to also use some on him to make him fall madly in love with Helena. This is where the mix up happens and the lovers flip flop. Pucks sees Lysander and assumes that is Demetrius. He gives the potion to Lysander while he is sleeping and along comes Helena and wakes him. Now Lysander is in love withShow MoreRelatedOvids Phoebus and Daphne Compared to Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream520 Words   |  3 Pagesmost l ove stories, a man chases a woman after love. Society tells us that it’s a man’s job to go after a woman he loves and woo her. In Ovid’s story of â€Å"Phoebus and Daphne† the lustful Phoebus (Apollo) chases after the nymph Daphne who rejects love due to Cupid’s arrow. Centuries later, author William Shakespeare wrote A midsummer Night’s Dream where it is a woman who chases after a man. Helena is a woman in love with Demetrius yet he is in love with a woman called Hermia. In Shakespeare’s storyRead MoreEssay on A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Variations of Love900 Words   |  4 PagesLove is only as strong as the people who share it. In William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are relationships from all different viewpoints of love. Four Athenian lovers are caught in a web of love for the wrong person, according to fellow peevish characters. Along the story line of the play, one will be introd uced to additional characters that try to be helpful by committing acts they presume will benefit the young lovers, but these characters actually create plot-twists.Read MoreA Midsummer Nights Dream Research Paper (with Cited)1161 Words   |  5 PagesThe play, A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare, is about four lovers and their dreamlike adventure through a fairy ruled forest. There are many different characters in this play and they each play their own individual role in how the play is performed and read. Three main characters that showed great characteristics are: Puck, Tom Bottom, and Helena. The play, A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare, uses characters and their conflicts to give meaning to this piece of literatureRead More A Cubist Perspective of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream2475 Words   |  10 PagesA Cubist Perspective of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The great cycle of the ages is renewed. Now Justice returns, returns the Golden Age; a new generation now descends from on high. - Virgil, Eclogues 1.5    As Virgil stated so many years ago, history is a cyclical phenomenon. The experiences of one age tend to be repeated in future generations. Knowing that, we should not be surprised to find the seeds of modern styles and philosophies sprouting in earlierRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare is a renowned poet, playwright and actor. Many believe that he was the most2400 Words   |  10 Pagesentire social spectrum of his time- from the monarch to the working class citizens who could occasionally just afford a penny to see the play† (Anderson 28). In his plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear, Shakespeare elucidates the impediments of human life and relationships, induced by the manifestation of the male pursuit to maintain power and dominance over the female gender. Shakespeare interrogates patriarchy and gender roles through his interrogation of power struggle and gender ambiguityRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream And As You Like It1323 Words    |  6 PagesThe topic of love and desire is a mysterious and marvelous thing. Shakespeare uses the characters in his play to portray the mystical prowls of love and desire. His play A Midsumer Night’s Dream and As You Like It depicts how love can influence a person but more specifically how it influences the action of women and how those actions determines the course of the play. I believe that through these plays Shakespeare have portrayed women as being just as empowered as men in pursuit of their desiresRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1397 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s comedies, like those of most Renaissance playwrights, involve love and its obstacles. Much of the comedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream derives from the attempt of Lysander and Hermia to remain together while overcoming the adult authority figure who attempts to hinder the love of a young couple. The overcoming of an obstacle functions as a common motif in Renaissanc e comedy. The audience must wonder, however, whether Lysander and Hermia, as well as Demetrius and Helena, actually loveRead MoreEssay about William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream 1648 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are so many references to the eyes in A Midsummer Nights Dream that one would expect there to be a solid and consistent reason for their appearance. However, this does not seem to be the case. Indeed, the images associated with the eyes are so varied, and shift so frequently, that it is practically impossible to define what it is they represent. This difficulty reflects the problem of distinguishing between what is real and whatRead MoreFemale Sexuality in Shakespeare4830 Words   |  20 PagesQuestion Compare and contrast the representation of female sexuality in Cymbeline, the Sonnets, and one of the plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure or King Lear.       Both Cymbeline and A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (AMND)  are both set in a patriarchal environment where both genders grapple for control. Valerie Traub defines the distinction between gender sex and gender behavior as â€Å"Sex refers to the . . . biological distinctions betweenRead MoreAnalysis : Shake And Stir Theatre Company1620 Words   |  7 PagesCompany is a compelling theatrical voice which aspires to render Shakespeare’s plays to appease modern audiences. However, William Shakespeare penned his last play 400 years ago; despite this, his plays and sonnets are as alive today as they were in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Shakespeare’s plays still appeal to modern society because of the universality of the dramatic themes- desire, domestic relationships, the complications of love and power struggles in relationships - humans still experience