Theme Of Control In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Improved Essays
Controlling another's actions may be wrong but all in all you can get what you want by doing it. Control is a reoccurring topic in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. In A Midsummer Night's Dream the two character’s Demetrius and Oberon both use their ability to control others and are even controlled by each other. Oberon is the king of the fairy world, he puts a spell on his wife, Titania. The spell will make her fall in love with the first thing she sees when she wakes up, he hopes she will see some kind of animal. He does this to distract her because he thinks she is unloyal to him. Demetrius is a young man whom is in love with his best friend, Lysander’s, future wife, Hermia. However Helena, another young woman is in love …show more content…
When Oberon and Titania get in an argument, Oberon accuses her of still being in love Theseus. He decides to put the spell on her. He says, “Fetch me that flower...the juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid, will make a man or woman madly dote upon the next living creature it sees… be it a lion, bear or wolf”(2.1). This whole situation gives Oberon control and authority over Titania. Demetrius is in love with Hermia whom is Helena’s best friend. Helena however loves Demetrius. She declares, “Use me as your spaniel; spurn me, strike me, neglect me, love me… unworthy as I am to follow you”(2.1). Helena gives Demetrius complete authority over herself. She even states he can abuse her, if that's what it takes for him to love her. Both Oberon and Demetrius are given authority over another because of …show more content…
This is supported by the negative consequences he shows from trying to controlling others. Once Lysander and Demetrius are under the spell and in love with Helena, it causes turmoil between Helena and Hermia. “You juggler, you canker blossom, you thief of love” (3.1). This shows that because Oberon tries to control the actions of the athenian lovers, there are bad consequences. From the beginning the Athenian lovers have been portrayed as silly and foolish. Even with the interference of Puck they are still shown to be this way. Puck says, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (3.2). This shows that controlling another's actions doesn’t always work. However if you analyze this play deeply you will see that Shakespeare does show that you can control others. He shows this by showing its advantageous and the authority it gives. No matter what the other side says it is still proven that it is possible to control another’s

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Romeo and Juliet essay The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most beloved and performed plays. There is a debate to be had about why the star crossed lovers reach their untimely ends and if and how it could have been prevented. The two prominent arguments are that the characters are controlled by fate, or the characters make their own decisions. Hasty decisions made by the main characters in the play such as their marriage proposal, marriage and the killing of Tybalt cause Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. At Romeo and Juliet’s second meeting at her balcony, the pair plan to get married.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Putting all of the evidence or reasoning, you should definitely try to look at the situation from this point of view. You should take this into consideration because Shakespeare demonstrates you cannot control another person's actions…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Oberon, the fairy king wants to get an indian boy from Titania, the fairy queen. So, he remembers a flower struck by cupid, “Yet mark’d I where the bolt of Cupid fell./ It fell upon a little western flower,” (2.1.71-72) which is called the love-in-idleness flower. The person puts the juice from the flower into someone’s eyes when they are sleeping, and when they wake up, they fall in love with the first creature they see. He decides he will do this to Titania to get her distracted and steal the Indian boy then. Even though he succeeded, the length he controlled Titania for was only temporary.…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The compliment she receives from a whole town does not suffice for her, for she only desires for Demetrius’ approval of her beauty. The most distinguishable moment of insecurity, in Helena, is when Demetrius and Lysander both confess their love for her, but, she does not believe them. She thinks they are working together to humiliate her and tells them that they…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The idea of control is dominant not only in current affairs, but, as The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates, it has been on the forefront of many relations since before the development of politics. The Odyssey presents an intriguing scenario in terms of control by presenting characters who seem to have it all together but in reality don’t and vice-versa. For example, though Odysseus is the hero of The Odyssey, he has relatively little control over his life compared to his wife Penelope. Penelope uses her mind and intelligence to control the people around her. Odysseus, on the other hand, has less control over his life because of the gods’ constant interference with it and the fate he is facing, but he is still able to control the impressions…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Helena does not believe Demetrius loves her again and after Lysander says that he too loves her she gets upset with them as she thinks they are making fun of her. The course of love between Helena and Demetrius is drastically disrupted by this event but shortly after is returned to order once Oberon and Puck realize the mess that they created. They return Lysander 's love to Hermia and cause them all to fall asleep to make them think the whole day was a dream. Demetrius and Helena’s love is further brought back to order when the royals arrive and decide to let them get married at the royal wedding. Demetrius and Helena need the chaos from the fairy world to end up in love with each other again and then the order of Athens to solidify their love and give them a happy…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Power plays an important role in Romeo and Juliet. Power becomes a constant struggle between individuals’ personal interests, households’ interests, and societal interests. Power functions as a catalyst for the development of happiness and sadness, love and hatred. In Romeo and Juliet, men with important positions—such as prince or head of household—retain supreme power that triumphs over the power that love creates.…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Human emotions and human nature are certainly forces to be reckoned with. When allowed to run awry or shine through, they can lead to less than desirable situations. For example, in the search for power, one may make rash decisions to obtain said power. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare, focuses on a power struggle between two fairies, a mischievous servant, a group of star crossed lovers, and some disorderly rude mechanicals. Oberon, the fairy king, and his wife Titania get into a spat over who is to take possession over a small changeling child.…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare develops the idea that love leads to rash decisions through the behavior of the characters Juliet and Romeo. Juliet’s deep love for Romeo is the primary reason for her to make rash decisions in the play. First, after meeting Romeo at the Capulet feast, Juliet is beguiled by him. However, she is very distressed to discover he is a Montague, and the son of her family’s rival. Alone and upset, she says in her soliloquy, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name, /…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is shown by them running trying to run away. “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. ”(Shakespeare,17) Hermia and Helena show friendship love. They have been friends since childhood and it is the introduction of Demetrius and Lysander in their lives that test their love for each other.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In this case, Helena's experience is the Cyrano Style. Helena is not concerned about Demetrius not loving her, she cares about just having him in her life as her mate. She is satisfied having him in her life even if it he treats her wrong. This document consists of the obstacles a relationship goes through. By using A Midsummer Night's Dream, the situations in the book are used to demonstrate the obstacles and aspects of love.…

    • 2295 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Magic, the Great Mishap Markus Mack Bethel University The role of magic in “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is prevalent throughout the whole play. It’s used for good intentions, but leads to mischevious things, which turns the play into a comedy. Love is something that should be naturally sparked, but when the use of magic intervenes, it can have dire consequences. Magic has a role as if it was a hidden character of comedy and it’s the foundation of the play. Magic, “defined as a concept used to describe a mode of rationality or way of thinking that looks to invisible forces to influence events, effect change in material conditions, or present the illusions of change”(Magic, defined by Encyclopaedia…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hermia And Lysander's Love Analysis

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    O happy fair!” (1.1.184-185). At this point in the play, Demetrius is still doting over Hermia. Although this is the “way it should be” according to Egeus, sadly, Helena is blindly in love with Demetrius. Jealousy is unavoidable because Helena is envious of Demetrius’ affection towards Hermia.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    This is shown in multiple cases with the four lovers in Midsummer Night’s Dream because of the fact that Helena loves Demetrius even when he treated her like one of his dogs. Unfortunately, love seems almost comical in between Demetrius and Helena, because Helena’s advances are constantly rejected by Demetrius. But, this still signifies the true love. “And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me.”…

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    No matter what Demetrius said or did, she loved him as much as she ever did if not more. This kind of love shouldn’t be taken lightly, and used as an advantage but instead be received as a gift. I suppose Demetrius didn’t get that message. Surely, one of the biggest reasons why Helena is my favorite character is because her unwavering…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays