Mason Spader
Mr. Anderson
Honors English 9
8 May 2016
Love in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare once said “I would not wish any companion in the world but you”. Love is one of the driving forces behind the actions of the characters of a variety of stories and plays, and some of the most notorious of these characters originate from plays by William Shakespeare. Love, as written by Shakespeare, is a powerful force in his plays Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing, and can be as joyful and haughty as it is meek and humble; it’s influence can reach people of all kinds and can cause them to turn on their friends or become brave enough to accomplish nigh impossible feats. Love tends to have a taste for irony in Shakespeare’s …show more content…
As in Much Ado About Nothing, love can be cruel and corrupt people of high esteem and convince people with a strong moral compass into actions that would never have been dreamt up by them. Claudio, when realising that Don Pedro may have stolen the woman who he had him woo for himself, says “Friendship is constant in all other things /Save in the office and affairs of love:/Therefore, all hearts in love use their own tongues;/Let every eye negotiate for itself/And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch/ Against whose charms faith melteth into blood” (II, 1, 175-180). Claudio would have never suspected Don Pedro of bearing any ill will towards him. But, under the cloak of love, Claudio sees the Don as a threat to his own romance, and begins acting against him. Helena in, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, says “I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight:/ Then to the wood will he, tomorrow night”(I, 1, 246-47). Helena, being in love with Demetrius, would do anything in her power to bring him happiness and improve her own standing with him. Even destroy a once very close friend’s chance at happiness with her true love. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo (thinking that Juliet is dead, and desperately attempting to reunite himself with her) says “I still will stay with thee/ And never from this palace of dim night/ Depart again. Here, here will I remain/ With worms that are thy chambermaids. O, here/ …show more content…
In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?/ Deny thy father and refuse thy name,/ Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,/ And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (II, 2, 36-39). Juliet, since she is in love, needs nothing other than being with her love to bring her happiness. This is why she is able to sacrifice so much for him. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander said to Hermia “[Lysander] have a widow aunt, a dowager,/ of great revenue, and she hath no child./ From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;/ And she respects me as her only son./ There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;/ And to that place the sharp Athenian law/ Cannot pursue us” (I, 1, 156-163). Lysander is so in love with Hermia that he is willing to do anything to marry her. He is even willing to leave the comfort of Athens for her. In Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick says, when asked by Beatrice to duel Claudio to restore her cousin’s honor, “I do love nothing in the world so well as you” (IV, 1, 281-282). Benedick loves Beatrice more than anything, even himself. His willingness to face danger, just to reciprocate the happiness that she gives her, is a prime example of how much happiness that love can bring and how people will do anything to protect it. However, love does not always grow
Mr. Anderson
Honors English 9
8 May 2016
Love in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare once said “I would not wish any companion in the world but you”. Love is one of the driving forces behind the actions of the characters of a variety of stories and plays, and some of the most notorious of these characters originate from plays by William Shakespeare. Love, as written by Shakespeare, is a powerful force in his plays Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing, and can be as joyful and haughty as it is meek and humble; it’s influence can reach people of all kinds and can cause them to turn on their friends or become brave enough to accomplish nigh impossible feats. Love tends to have a taste for irony in Shakespeare’s …show more content…
As in Much Ado About Nothing, love can be cruel and corrupt people of high esteem and convince people with a strong moral compass into actions that would never have been dreamt up by them. Claudio, when realising that Don Pedro may have stolen the woman who he had him woo for himself, says “Friendship is constant in all other things /Save in the office and affairs of love:/Therefore, all hearts in love use their own tongues;/Let every eye negotiate for itself/And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch/ Against whose charms faith melteth into blood” (II, 1, 175-180). Claudio would have never suspected Don Pedro of bearing any ill will towards him. But, under the cloak of love, Claudio sees the Don as a threat to his own romance, and begins acting against him. Helena in, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, says “I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight:/ Then to the wood will he, tomorrow night”(I, 1, 246-47). Helena, being in love with Demetrius, would do anything in her power to bring him happiness and improve her own standing with him. Even destroy a once very close friend’s chance at happiness with her true love. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo (thinking that Juliet is dead, and desperately attempting to reunite himself with her) says “I still will stay with thee/ And never from this palace of dim night/ Depart again. Here, here will I remain/ With worms that are thy chambermaids. O, here/ …show more content…
In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?/ Deny thy father and refuse thy name,/ Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,/ And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (II, 2, 36-39). Juliet, since she is in love, needs nothing other than being with her love to bring her happiness. This is why she is able to sacrifice so much for him. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander said to Hermia “[Lysander] have a widow aunt, a dowager,/ of great revenue, and she hath no child./ From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;/ And she respects me as her only son./ There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;/ And to that place the sharp Athenian law/ Cannot pursue us” (I, 1, 156-163). Lysander is so in love with Hermia that he is willing to do anything to marry her. He is even willing to leave the comfort of Athens for her. In Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick says, when asked by Beatrice to duel Claudio to restore her cousin’s honor, “I do love nothing in the world so well as you” (IV, 1, 281-282). Benedick loves Beatrice more than anything, even himself. His willingness to face danger, just to reciprocate the happiness that she gives her, is a prime example of how much happiness that love can bring and how people will do anything to protect it. However, love does not always grow