A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Desire to find love
The overall theme of love is presented through the divisions of familial, friendly, and romantic affection between the four lovers and their familial and political ties. The idea of compassion between family members is introduced with Egeus's refusal to accept his daughter's wishes. When he consults the duke, he protests, "Full of vexation come I, with complaint/Against my child, my daughter Hermia" (I. i. L 23-24). The lack of familial love between Egeus and Hermia is highlighted through the anguish Egeus feels over her disobedience. However, Egeus' refusal to let Hermia decide for herself can be argued as an abundance of familial love. Egeus wants the best for Hermia, and is willing to go to the law to get her to agree with him. It is significant that he refers to Hermia as a "child" because a main point of the play is that the lovers are old enough to recognize how they feel, while in actuality they are children by the law's requirements. Friendly love is portrayed through Helena's confusion over Lysander and Demetrius' sudden love. Helena confronts Hermia, "Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid!/Have you conspir'd, have you with these contriv'd/To bait me with this foul derision?/Is all the counsel that we two have shar'd,/The sisters' vows, the hours that we spent" (III. ii. L 195-199). Helena is taking Hermia's unintentional betrayal very harshly due to their strong bond. She mentions their "sisters' vows", revealing a history of friendship between the two. The importance of this friendship is evident in Helena's reaction; if the friendship had not been as significant, Helena would not have been so distraught. In friendship, there is bound to be competition, and it just so happens that the competition between Helena and Hermia over love. The wish for romantic love is embodied through Helena's hope for Demetrius' love. When Hermia tells Helena of her plan to run away, Helena pleads, "O, teach me how you look and with what art/You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart" (I. i. L 192-193). The theme of romantic love is one of the strongest throughout the play, making many occurrences and ending in a three couple wedding. Helena is the main example of waiting for love because of her never ending whining and pining after Demetrius, characterized in her questioning of Hermia. Helena often puts herself down, for example, she is always talking about how Hermia is so talented in love and she herself has no chance. The need for companionship (and the pain of lost companionship) presented in A Midsummer Night's Dream is relevant to a modern teenager, for most teenagers wish their parents would let them make their own decisions. Teens feel the need to impress their parents and win their approval, which is what Hermia wishes her father could see with her life with Lysander. Their friendship between Hermia and Helena is accurate as well because teens look to their friends for guidance first in situations. When a trusted friend betrays another, the loving bond that was originally strong is changed.
Disrespectful
Lysander is the main example of disrespect toward authority through his sharp comebacks and resolution to marry Hermia. When he argues with Demetrius in front of Theseus, Lysander counters, "You have her father's love, Demetrius;/Let me have Hermia's. Do you marry him" (I. i. L 93-94). Lysander is leading Hermia away from her family and Demetrius through his absolute refusal to quietly go along with her father's plan. In this way, Lysander is also causing Hermia to rethink her family ties and her absolute trust and respect for her father. Lysander makes immature and sarcastic comments such as "her father's love" and "do you marry him", which reveals his true age of mind, although he seems older due to his eloquent dialogue. Lysander's lines are clever, and he is quick to use wit to disrespect Egeus and Demetrius. Lysander also disrespects Demetrius by proving his worth over him. Later when he is asking for Hermia's hand, he attempts to convince the duke, "I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,/As well possess'd; my love is more than his;/My fortunes every was as fairly ranked" (I. i. L 99-101). The rivalry between the two males is expressed in their rapid fire attempts to beat each other. Lysander's cause for his determination is explained either by an overwhelming passion for Hermia, or a need to be valued over Demetrius. They are in essence equal, except in love. Lysander wants the duke to recognize this passion and goes about it by putting Demetrius in check with his own quick wit and qualifications. Lysander is so overly earnest in his convincing of duke Theseus that it contributes to the comedic elements of the play. Lysander's scorn of both Demetrius and Egeus through his aptitude with words supports the theme of disrespect that is present in the play.
Rebellion
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the four lovers' desertion of Athens contributes to the theme of rebellion that is woven throughout the play. After a confrontation with the duke, Lysander suggests, "There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee,/And to that place the sharp Athenian law/Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then,/Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night" (I. i. L 161-164). Each part of Lysander's proposed plan relates to rebellion: running away, getting married without permission, and being together in general. Lysander uses a more aggressive adjective when describing Athens as "sharp" and a gentler phrasing when speaking of running away with "lovest". This is significant, for Lysander is the foundation of this plan, and speaks of Athens in a harsher manner to convince Hermia to follow through on it. Hermia's relationship with her father has become dissolved through her refusal to marry Demetrius. After receiving her options from the duke, Hermia decides, "So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,/Ere I yield my virgin patent up/Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke/My soul consents not to give sovereignty" (I. i. L 79-82). Hermia would rather give up her life than conform to her father's will. Her argument is one of passion; her "soul" is not content with settling on Demetrius. Hermia only addresses the duke, and not her father, for the duke is also in an impassioned state over his upcoming marriage, which assists him in relating to her case. In addition, she refuses to address her father, which symbolizes disconnection between father and daughter. The argument of passion is a common one among teens, for teens feel emotions very strongly and are often stubborn and stuck in their ways, resulting in rebellion.
SuperficialITY
Hermia is specifically objectified throughout the entirety of the play. When Egeus brings his complaint forward, Theseus reasons, "What say you, Hermia? Be advised, fair maid:/To you your father should be as a god,/One that composed your beauties, yea, and one/To whom you are but as a form of wax,/By him imprinted and within his power/To leave the figure or disfigure it/Demetrius is a worthy gentleman" (I. i. L 46-52). Hermia is being treated as an object in both her father's and the duke's eyes. Her objectification is highlighted through Theseus' words of "but a form", "within his power", and "to leave... or disfigure". These phrases suggest that her father has a right to total power over her. The superficial sense of ownership over a person focuses on Hermia's being a woman. Hermia's beauty is often seen as her only value, exemplified when Helena whines, "Call you me fair? That fair again unsay./Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair!/Your eyes are lodestars, and your tongue's sweet air/More tunable than lark to shepherd's ear"( I. i. L 181-184). Helena thinks Hermia is loved for the simple and superficial fact that she is beautiful. Her denial of her own appearance in the line "That fair again unsay" points to Helena's constant dissatisfaction with her own appearance and her jealousy towards Hermia's talents. Helena's view of love is very on the surface; she believes that to be loved she has to be attractive. Helena's constant downplay of herself reveals the way she is secretly jealous of her childhood friend.