Love in a Midsummer's Night Dream

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Love is the most predominant theme that William Shakespeare explores the in the romantic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He explores the unreflected love of Helena and Demetrius, the true love of Lysander and Hermia, parental love between Egeus and Hermia, and the forced love of Thesus and Hippolyta. Each example of love in this play is contradistinctive from the others, and emblematic in its own way. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream unreflected love is shown. Unreflected love shows it’s presence via the relationship between Helena and Demetrius. Helena loves Demetrius, however, Demetrius does not love her back because he is blinded by his love for Hermia. This unrequited love shows the cruel nature of love. “The more you beat me, I will fawn on you” (30) Demetrius attempts to ignore Helena in order to push her away from him, however this plan backfires as it only makes her love him more. The more she loves him, the more he hates her. The two unknowingly start a destructive cycle that worsen. “I love the not, therefore pursue me not. Where is Lysander and Fair Hermia?” (30) Lysander says this line after Helena has provided him with the information of Lysander and Hermia’s plans to elope. Demetrius has taken what he wants, and tells her to leave him alone. This alone shows the cruel nature of unreflected love. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream shows the true love of Hermia and Lysander. The course of their true love did not run smooth for many reasons. The first reason is because Egeus, by law, has power of Hermia in choosing who she weds. And by lay, Hermia is expected to abide by her father’s rules. Egeus’s over-protective parental love demands Hermia a different man. Egeus’s and the Athenian Law are obstacles of law that result in their relationship not running smoothly. True love is mutual, and so was their decision to elope. This
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