A Midsummer Night's Dream Is a Play About Love. Discuss

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play about love. Discuss.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play about love. In the play, we see different sorts of love. In the relationships between Hermia and Lysander,Theseus and Hippolyta, we observe romantic love and the intention of matrimony. This love is evident in the love between Demetrius and Helena, Titania and Oberon but conflict brings along complication. Another kind of love is evident in the friendship between Helena and Hermia. Shakespeare also demonstrates the patriarchal relationships that can occur in families through Egeus's treatment of his daughter Hermia. Shakespeare explores the different natures of love in this play.

The most prominent kind of love in A Midsummer Night's Dream is undoubtedly romantic love. This is evident in the relationship between Hermia and Lysander, Theseus and Hippolyta, Demetrius and Helena and Oberon and Titania. Hermia and Lysander are in love at the beginning of the play but Egeus's opposition to the match gives them no way of marrying, so they decide to elope. Their love is clearly demonstrated through several quotes throughout the play, including, 'O take the sense, my sweet, of my innocence!', 'I am beloved of beauteous Hermia' and 'What love could call Lysander from my side?'. Theseus and Hippolyta are a pair of relatively minor characters, but nonetheless, Theseus being a demonstrative betrothed, their is evidence of their love: 'Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries.' The mention of sword and injuries refers to the battle Theseus just won against Hippolyta's tribe, the legendary Amazons. The love between Helena and Demetrius is also proudly displayed: 'Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! To what can I compare thine eyne?', 'Things base and vile, holding no quantity, love can transpose to form and dignity!' and 'But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so!' Titania and Oberon quarrel at the start of the play and through it, but through the end, thanks to Oberon's devising, the two are reconciled, as shown in the quote, 'Now thou and I are new in amity.' These relationships all prove that romantic love is a prominent theme in Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Friendship is also evident in A Midsummer Night's Dream, though not in the same abundance as romantic love. Most prominent of the friendship's is the sisterly friendship of Helena and Hermia. It is demonstrated a number of times, both in conflict and peace. Quotes supporting this statement include, 'Farewell sweet playfellow; pray thou for us; and good luck grant thee thy Demetrius', 'All schooldays' friendship, childhood innocence', 'emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet' and 'Is all the counsel