A Midsummer Night’s Dream

3 Pages 740 Words

Loves Misfortunes

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare. It deals with the feelings of love and marriage as well as the laws and social order of the time. The story contains fairies and other mystical creatures who take it upon themselves to guide the mortals in the directions they think necessary. This leads to many hilarious situations and misfortunes for the humans.

There are many characters in the play and, for the most part, each one is in love with one of the other characters. The play starts with Theseus, the Duke of Athens, proposing to Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. This is the only couple throughout the play who seem to never waver in their love for each other. These two seem to have a perfect love for each other, much like the love Hermia and Lysander have for each other before the fairies intervene.

The other couple in the story that are of royal blood are Oberon, the king of the fairies, and Titania, the queen of the fairies. These two are having a lovers quarrel which has sent the seasons out of order and caused great disorder. Oberon is in love with Hoppolyta and Titania is in love with Theseus. Their lovers quarrels provide much of the comedy in the play.

The other four characters caught in love triangles are Lysander and Hermia, who are in love with each other, Demetrius who loves Hermia, and Helena who loves Demetrius. Lysander and Hermia wish to marry each other but Hermia’s father, Egeus, will not allow it. Egeus wishes his daughter to marry Demetrius so he brings the matter to the attention of the king in hope that the law will be enforced. The law states that Hermia must marry whomever her father chooses or be put to death or live the rest of her life as a nun. She is given until the next full moon to decide.

Lysander suggests to Hermia that they run away into the woods together. This is where the rest of the play takes place. Lysander and Hermia fl...