Shakespeare portrays the nature of love in “A Midsummer Nights Dream” in a very unique way. The play is full of lovers who are struggling to find out what love really is. Shakespeare uses the characters and their relationships to explore different aspects of love.
One of the most important relationships in the play is the one between Oberon and Titania. They are King and Queen of the Fairies, and they represent two different ways of looking at love. Oberon is rational and Titania is emotional. Oberon wants to control love while Titania wants to be free to feel it however she wants. This conflict between Oberon and Titania sets the tone for the rest of the play.
Shakespeare also uses the relationship between Helena and Demetrius to explore the concept of unrequited love. Helena is in love with Demetrius, but he does not love her back. Shakespeare shows how painful it can be to love someone who does not love you back.
Lastly, Shakespeare uses the relationship between Bottom and Titania to explore the idea of love at first sight. Bottom is a simple man who falls head-over-heels in love with Titania when he sees her for the first time. Shakespeare shows how even someone like Bottom can be affected by love.
Overall, Shakespeare paints a very complex picture of love in “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. He uses different relationships to explore different aspects of love.
“Midsummer Nights Dream” is clearly preoccupied with the chain of difficulties that occur in real love. Shakespeare reverses the categories of truth and illusion, aiming to amuse his audience by showing that when couples are enchanted by the idea of love, they become oblivious to their own troubles.
The playwright also employs the fairies as a comic device, highlighting how love appears to be something magical and out of reach to humans. It can be said that Shakespeare portrays the nature of love in such a way that it is not always smooth sailing and is often faced with complications. Nonetheless, true love will always find a way to prevail in the end. Shakespeare’s comedic handling of this topic leaves audiences entertained while also providing food for thought about one of the most cherished human experiences.
The connection between men and women is the most fundamental element of Shakespeare’s works. In a society so closely linked to Christianity, it made sense to take the authority for this relationship from the Bible. This identifies the husband as head of the household; he has complete power over his family.
Despite the fact that in Elizabethan England, women were generally perceived as belonging to their fathers. Shakespeare’s method does not take a hard line on how marriage should function. The establishment of order was a major theme in most of Shakespeare’s pieces, whether it be through the creation or disintegration of family ties.
Shakespeare portrays the nature of love in many different ways throughout his play A Midsummer Nights Dream. Shakespeare writes about four different levels or types of love: familial love, marital love, platonic love, and romantic love.
Familial love is the first level of love that is portrayed in the play. This type of love is between a mother and child, fathers and children, or siblings. In A Midsummer Nights Dream there are several examples of familial love. The first example is Hermia’s relationship with her father Egeus. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius even though Hermia is in love with Lysander. Lysander and Hermia run away together so they can be wed in secret. When Egeus finds out he goes to Theseus and demands that Hermia is put to death.
Theseus says that if Hermia agrees to marry Demetrius she will be pardoned, but if she does not agree then she will be put to death. Hermia chooses to marry Demetrius in order to save her life. Another example of familial love is the relationship between Titania and Oberon. Titania is married to Oberon, but they are not always getting along. Oberon is jealous of Titania because she keeps refusing to give him a certain flower.
In order to make Titania give him the flower, Oberon uses a potion that will make her fall in love with the first person she sees when she wakes up. The person that Titania sees is a man named Nick Bottom. Oberon is also jealous of the fact that Titania is taking care of a little boy. The little boy is actually the son of one of Oberon’s mortal enemies. Oberon wants to take the boy away from Titania, but she will not let him.
The second level of love that Shakespeare portrays in A Midsummer Nights Dream is marital love. Marital love is the love between a husband and wife. In the Elizabethan era, marriages were often arranged by the parents of the bride and groom. Parents would choose who their child would marry based on things like social status, wealth, or land ownership.
Shakespeare portrays marital love in several ways throughout the play. The first example is the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta. Theseus is the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons. They are getting married in four days. Even though they are getting married, they do not really know each other that well.
Hippolyta seems to be more in love with the idea of marriage than she is with Theseus. Theseus does not seem to be in love with Hippolyta at all; he is only marrying her because it will be a good political move. The second example of marital love is the relationship between Oberon and Titania. Oberon and Titania are already married, but they are not getting along very well. Oberon is jealous of Titania and she does not seem to be very happy with him either.
The third level of love that Shakespeare portrays in A Midsummer Nights Dream is platonic love. Platonic love is the love between friends; it is a non-romantic love. Shakespeare portrays platonic love in several ways throughout the play. The first example is the relationship between Hermia and Helena. Hermia and Helena have been best friends since they were children, but their friendship is tested when they both fall in love with the same man. Hermia chooses to run away with Lysander instead of staying with Helena. This hurts Helena’s feelings, but she still remains Hermia’s friend.