Essay+Writing

A Midsummer Night's Dream:

A midsummer Night's Dream written by William Shakespeare, is a play where the difficulty of love becomes a very important theme as the story progresses. By combining his wonderful writing style with a powerful imagination, Shakespeare is able to present the audience with a series of events which often occur in a way that challenges the relationships between the characters and their love interests.

As early as the first act, the audience is presented with a dilemma between Hermia, a young Athenian woman, and her father Egeus who wishes her to marry a man she does not love. Hermia's true love is Lysander and she resfuses to marry Demetrius, causing Egeus to ask the Duke Theseus that he can be allowed to force Hermia to marry Demetrius or send her to her death, according to Athenian law. Theseus sides with Egeus in the conflict, but allows Hermia the choice of becoming a nun instead of being executed and also some time to think of her decision. This leads Lysander and Hermia to plan an escape to Lysander's aunt's house to be married and avoid "the sharp Athenian law." Demetrius does not have the love of the one he desires, but he does have the love of Hermia's friend Helena which creates somewhat of a love triangle between the four. In an attempt to gain Demetrius' affection, Helena passes on to him from Lysander and Hermia they are plotting an escape.

The conflict of love is only amplified as the four lovers end up in the enchanted forest and are caught up in the affairs of magical creatures in the forest. Seeing Demetrius treat Helena poorly despite Helena displaying her love for him causes the Fairy King Oberon to punish him. He instructs one of his servant named Puck to give Demetrius a love potion so that when he awakes to see Helena he becomes "More fond on her than she upon her love." This attempt in solving the romantic dilemma in the story only makes things worse as Puck mistakes the two Athenian men and instead it is Lysander who falls in love with Helena. Later on Demetrius is also afflicted by the love potion and falls in love with Helena. As Helena lacks confidence in herself she disbelieves that the two men truly love her and Hermia is left out of the triangle completely. Shakespeare's did not limit his confused relationships to the mortals alone in the play.

Perhaps the most amusing example of twisted love is the relationship between the beautiful Queen of Fairies Titania and the foolish Bottom. Puck used the love potion on Titania, and in a wonderful display of irony Titania's first sight is Bottom, who's head was recently transformed into that of an Ass. Bottom is portrayed as a very arrogant character and he does little to return Titania's affection for him. He views it more as his right as he thinks himself to be a very talented individual. Titania and Bottom's relationship is fine example of the most deserving partner being given to the least deserving. One may choose to question how much Oberon truly loves Titania for helping to put her in such an absurd situation.

Throughout the play it is clear that Shakespeare utilizes love as a centerpiece for the trials that the characters go through. The ironic events that unfold and the strange connections that are created from love-artificial or other not-can be subject to some extremely unfortunate outcomes. Fortunately for the audience, a comedy is a comedy and the lighthearted tone of the play leaves one with the feeling that no matter how grim or ridiculous things look, they will eventually work out for the better.