In the play, A Midsummer Night 's Dream by William Shakespeare, there are four couples that all are shown to find love and happiness through a night of mischief and fairy magic. Reassuring lines, such as “To the best bride bed will we, / Which by us shall blessèd be. / And the issue there create / Ever shall be fortunate. / So shall all the couples three / Ever true in loving be” (5.1.17) promise a happy ending for everyone. But would this actually be the case, even with fairy magic? It 's more likely that the line “The course of true love never did run smooth” (1.1.5) would be more realistic. Each couple has their flaws that can be linked to the conclusions of how their relationships will develop. Based on modern love theories, history,
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Each character openly blames the other for their infidelities Titania points out Oberon 's affair in the quote “But I know / When thou hast stolen away from Fairyland, / And in the shape of Corin sat all day, / Playing on pipes of corn and versing love / To amorous Phillida” (2.1.3). While Oberon rebuttals this accusation in the line “How canst thou thus for shame, Titania, / Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, / Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night / From Perigouna, whom he ravishèd? / And make him with fair Ægles break his faith, / With Ariadne and Antiopa” (2.1.3). Both characters seem unable to speak about their desires in an adult manner, leading to jealousy and distrust. Oberon also has the flaw of only showing affection to Titania under certain conditions should he get what he wants. In the play, Oberon’s jealousy stems from wanting the changeling child she cares for to join his service. She refuses outright due to the close relationship with the boys mother. At first Oberon pleades with her in the line “Why should Titania cross her Oberon? / I do but beg a little changeling boy, / To be my henchman” (2.1.5). After her refusal he ensues revenge to shame her which lead to the turning of love events in the forest between the many lovers. This …show more content…
From the beginning of the story, both characters are described to have serious flaws which classify them as having a Manic love style. Helena describes her own obsessive, self-harming, behavior by stating “But herein mean I to enrich my pain, / To have his sight thither and back again” (1.1.10). She decides on, and acts out, the idea that she will sabotage her childhood friends elopement just to have Demetrius 's attention for a short time. While the first description of Demetrius is that he had “Made love to Nedar’s daughter, Helena, / And won her soul. And she, sweet lady, dotes, / Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry / Upon this spotted and inconstant man” (1.1.4). This view of his dishonesty is repeated when Helena says “For ere Demetrius looked on Hermia’s eyne, / He hailed down oaths that he was only mine” (1.1.9). Already the audience is told that Demetrius has seduced the innocence of a woman, and instead of doing the correct action, which would be to marry her, he 's instead demanding the marriage of Hermia. Even with these clear moral flaws, the character Helena is still enamored with him. The notion from this insanity is that love makes people see only the good in others. This is reinforced when Helena says “And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes, / So I, admiring of his qualities. / Things base and vile, holding no quantity, / Love can transpose to form and dignity”
Each character openly blames the other for their infidelities Titania points out Oberon 's affair in the quote “But I know / When thou hast stolen away from Fairyland, / And in the shape of Corin sat all day, / Playing on pipes of corn and versing love / To amorous Phillida” (2.1.3). While Oberon rebuttals this accusation in the line “How canst thou thus for shame, Titania, / Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, / Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night / From Perigouna, whom he ravishèd? / And make him with fair Ægles break his faith, / With Ariadne and Antiopa” (2.1.3). Both characters seem unable to speak about their desires in an adult manner, leading to jealousy and distrust. Oberon also has the flaw of only showing affection to Titania under certain conditions should he get what he wants. In the play, Oberon’s jealousy stems from wanting the changeling child she cares for to join his service. She refuses outright due to the close relationship with the boys mother. At first Oberon pleades with her in the line “Why should Titania cross her Oberon? / I do but beg a little changeling boy, / To be my henchman” (2.1.5). After her refusal he ensues revenge to shame her which lead to the turning of love events in the forest between the many lovers. This …show more content…
From the beginning of the story, both characters are described to have serious flaws which classify them as having a Manic love style. Helena describes her own obsessive, self-harming, behavior by stating “But herein mean I to enrich my pain, / To have his sight thither and back again” (1.1.10). She decides on, and acts out, the idea that she will sabotage her childhood friends elopement just to have Demetrius 's attention for a short time. While the first description of Demetrius is that he had “Made love to Nedar’s daughter, Helena, / And won her soul. And she, sweet lady, dotes, / Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry / Upon this spotted and inconstant man” (1.1.4). This view of his dishonesty is repeated when Helena says “For ere Demetrius looked on Hermia’s eyne, / He hailed down oaths that he was only mine” (1.1.9). Already the audience is told that Demetrius has seduced the innocence of a woman, and instead of doing the correct action, which would be to marry her, he 's instead demanding the marriage of Hermia. Even with these clear moral flaws, the character Helena is still enamored with him. The notion from this insanity is that love makes people see only the good in others. This is reinforced when Helena says “And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes, / So I, admiring of his qualities. / Things base and vile, holding no quantity, / Love can transpose to form and dignity”