Culminating Essay: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Culminating Essay:

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer's night Dream is about individual tales that are intertwining throughout the story. In Athens there is the wedding of Theseus, the Duke of Athens and his bride Hippolyta, where other Athenians show interest in love and marriage. Conflicts break out with the Athenians lovers causing them to flee to the forest. There are also the workers who are staging a play for the wedding. They go to the forest for rehearsal. Within the forest inhabits the fairies that twist the plot with magic and challenge the essence of true love. The lovers deal with obstacles, transformations and resolutions. A single night within the forest brings much confusion and trickery. True feelings are tampered with and love at first sight is made a mockery.

When dealing with love, there are many obstacles the characters deal with. The Athenians struggled when it came to their course of love. Hermia and Lysander have a mutual true love for each other. Unfortunately the course of true love never did run smooth. Hermia's father Egeus has power over her and what he wants for his daughter is what must happen. And by law, Hermia is expected to be dutiful to her father, by respecting and obeying him. He demands Hermia a different man in the likes of Demetrius. Demetrius is in love with Hermia where she dismisses him. If Hermia disobeys her father she will be forced to an ultimatum. If Hermia rejects marriage to Demetrius, she'd be sentence to death or to become a nun for the rest of her days. Egeus and the Athenian Law are both obstacles that result in their relationship not running smoothly. And to make the situation more complicated, Hermia's best friend Helena is madly in love with Demetrius where he detests her.

Egeus states:

Full of vexation come I, with complaint

Against my child, my daughter Hermia.

Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,

This man hath my consent to marry her.

Stand forth, Lysander: and, my gracious duke,

This man hath bewitch'd the bossom of my child:

Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes

And interchanged love-tokens with my child:

Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung.

...

With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart,

Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,

To stubborn harshness: and, my gracious duke,

Be it so she will not here before your grace

Consent to marry with Demetrius

...

(I, i 22-45)

Demetrius states:

Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander, yield

Thy crazed title to my certain right.

Lysander replies:

You have her father's love, Demetrius;

Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him.

Egeus interrupts:

Scournful Lysander! True, he hath my love,

And what is mine my love shall render him.

And she is mine, and all my right of her

I do estate unto Demetrius.

(I, i 91-98)

Helana states:

Call you me fair? That fair again unsay.

Demetrius love you fair: O happy fair!

Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet air

More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear,

When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear.

Sickness is catching: O, were favour so,

Yours I would catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;

My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,

My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody.

Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,

The rest I'ld give to be you translated.

O, teach me how you look, and with what art

You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart!

(I, i 181-193)

Egeus uses his power in which he has over his daughter, to the duke and agreed upon allowing his daughter to marry Demetrius. Egeus displays his over-protective love upon Hermia because he believes Lysander has tricked her daughter into loving him. Demetrius wants his right to marry Egeus's daughter, but Lysander maintains his love greater. Egeus is not convinced and uses his authority of the law. Helena shows some jealousy towards Hermia, because she would envy to be in her position to be loved by Demetrius.

Love is a very vast and complicated, which deals with unorthodox obstacles such as jealousy and possession. Fairy King Oberon and Fairy Queen Titania are the royal couple of the forest. There are troubles present in their relationship. Oberon and Titania are arguing over the changeling boy. Oberon would like to possess this child, but Titania refuses to let him go. Oberon expresses jealousy towards Titania. Jealously is a powerful emotion, and when mixed with love, it has devastating effects. The nature of love can at times be irritating and troublesome and that the love between Oberon and Titania is most definitely not running smoothly.

Titania states:

What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence:

I have forsworn his bed and company.

Oberon replies:

Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord?

(II, i 61-63)

Oberon states:

Do you amend it, then; it lies in