Hermia And Helena Analysis

After the American Revolution, the colonies were finally free from England’s control and they could now establish their own nation. However, they would need to develop a culture and society that differentiate them from their former mother country. America wanted to be seen as prestigious and prosperous. Since they did not want to look toward Britain for any inspiration, they looked back to the Greeks and Romans. The Greek and Roman civilizations are still known to have been successful when it came to structuring a government system, building detail oriented architecture, and possessing a wide range of intellect. They relied on these influences as well as their own natural surroundings to build a culture. The long lasting effects of classicism …show more content…
Hermia and Helena are reading a book while sitting in what appears to be a wooded area with a lot of beautiful trees. There is also a waterfall in the background which along with the trees symbolizes how alluring the scenery was in America. Since the United States was still a fairly new country during this time period, they had to figure out ways to set themselves apart. The natural elements in this painting definitely makes America appear aesthetically beautiful and rich in natural resources which is what Frederick was arguing about how American literature could be influenced by the surrounding scenery. According to Longfellow in Frederick’s essay, “we may select scenery and climate, as being among the most obvious, in their influence.” These natural resources would help America attract people to move to the United States or possibly encourage trade with other countries. Although Hermia and Helena were characters from Shakespeare’s play, who was English, the book that they are reading could have been American literature. Allston may have been trying to show that American literature can be just as popular and successful as English literature was at the time. Neither Bushman nor Frederick focused on unity of America through friendships. Allston painted this image in such a way that it looks like Hermia and Helena are one figure, which can literally imply unity. …show more content…
In front of the doorway of the house there are two columns and an archway. Bushman argues that “carpenters gave these home classical touches.” Carpenters did this because both of these architectural designs were popular during Greek and Roman civilizations as well. Greek and Roman buildings were known for their classical design and Americans strived to embody the success and prestige of these first great civilizations. The small body of water that is in the painting represents another way that nature can affect American art and culture. Water is known to be a valuable resource therefore this body of water shows that America has an abundance of natural resources. There is also a difference in the trees that appear in this painting. The trees in front of the house and the ones off in the distance are more green and full which could represent the summer season. On the left hand side of the painting, the tree has more orange colored leaves and some of them appear to be falling off which could represent the autumn season. On the right side there is a barren tree which could be representing winter. In Frederick’s article he refers to a quote from the Democratic Review which states, “In America, too, are diversities of climate, yielding diversified delights.” By displaying the diversity of the climate in America, it shows that this country