READING 1 FOR WEEK 6&7

The Foolish Lovers of A Midsummer Night's Dream

In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream the young lovers fall in and out of love in a manner that is almost reckless, and act in such a manner that is aptly summed up by Puck's statement, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!' (A3, Sc2. 115) The lovers are foolish because they act like children, or at their best, like unthinking young adults.

Although Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena appear grown-up in terms of what they say about love, when they are in love they act foolishly. Each of the lovers illustrate at different points in the play how they can be quite foolish: Demetrius, because he is unaware how his love changes, Helena, because she chases Demetrius even though he does not love her, Lysander, because he persuades Hermia to run away with him, and Hermia, because she risks death and all that she knows for love.

Demetrius is foolish and ignorant because he is mostly unaware of the fact that his love (or rather, his attentions) waver and changes through out the play. When Helena chases Demetrius into the forest, he tells Helena quite clearly, "I love thee not, therefore pursue me not." (Act2, Sc1,188) and bids her to "Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more." Demetrius' feelings for Helena have been overshadowed by Hermia's beauty, as Helena woefully extrapolates in her soliloquy 'For ere Deemtrius looked on Hermia's eyne. / He hailed down oaths that her was only mine, / And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, / So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt.' (Act1,Sc1, 241-44). Enraptured as he were by Hermia, Demetrius does not seem to realize or acknowledge his feelings that once existed for Helena. In fact, he remains stoically bent on pursuing Hermia and ignoring Helena. However, after being anointed by the love-juice, Demetrius' feelings for Hermia disappear, as he declares matter-of-factly '...my love for Hermia, / Melted as the snow,' (Act4, Sc1, 166-7) and elaborates that 'The object and pleasure of mine eye,/ Is only Helena' (Act4, Sc1,170-1). Demetrius neither questions his change of heart or how his feelings for Helena comes and goes within the short span of the play. In this respect, he rather placidly and foolishly accepts the given situation and does not even try to make sense of the events that have taken place.

In a similar vein, Helena is acts foolishly in her pursuit of Demetrius whose feelings for her have disappeared. In the Athenian forest Demetrius shows no love for Helena. Demetrius says, "I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts." (Act2, Sc1, 227-8) telling Helena in no uncertain terms that he is keen to be rid of her and is unconcerened about her safety in the woods. he also brusquely asks her- "Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or rather do I not in plainest truth Tell you I do not, nor I cannot love you?" (Act2, Sc1, 199-201) Demetrius clearly communicates to Helena that he has no interest in her pursuit, but Helena persists. However, rather inappropriately for a Athenian nobel-born woman, Helena replies to his spurnious statements with a self-debasing statement, "I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you." (IAct1,Sc1,223-4) So enamored of Demetrius is Helena that she even stakes her reputation as a maiden in the dark Athenian forest whilst pursuing Demetrius. So trusting is she of Demetrius to claim 'Your virtue is my privilege' (Act2, Sc1, 220) and to believe wholeheartedly that no harm can befall her in the woods as she is with the one she loves. Her foolish tenacity in pursuing Demetrius who repeatedly spurns her highlights Helena's propensity for acting foolishly in love.

Lysander on the other hand acts foolishly when he persuades Hermia to avoid death and life as a nun and to run away with him. Despite his calm and seemingly mature words of comfort to Hermia: 'The course of true love never did run smooth' (Act1,mSc1, 134), his subsequent suggestion reveal him to have a mind like that of a child; to suggest such a simplistic solution to a serious state of events that confront him and Hermia. He selfishly asks that Hermia 'steal forth thy father's house to-morrow night' (Act1,Sc1, 164) without so much as a thought about what repercussions there might be had Hermia been caught in the act of slipping away in the dead of night to meet her lover in the Athenian forest. As such, Lysander's actions (while perhaps belying the sincerest of intentions) prove to be self-serving and unthinking- much like a child's ego-centric view of the world. Lysander further puts his seemingly innocuous suggestion (of eloping to escape the long arm of the law) to question when later in the woods, he endeavors to lie near Hermia- 'One turf shall serve as pillow for us both/ One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth.' (Act2, Sc2, 47-8). One can't help but if the suggestion to elope through the Athenian forest was but a ruse to get Hermia alone, in a darkened setting. Thankfully though, Hermia has the presence of mind to stop anything from happening before it even begun. Lysander's decision to elope with Hermia betrays a simplistic desire to find the easy way out of the obstacle that they face. His impetuous decision to elope with Hermia puts both of them at risk of discovery and pursuit by Athenian law while simultaneously placing them in harm's way of any wild beasts that lurk in the dark forest.

Despite her laudable efforts in repelling Lysander's advances in the forest, Hermia too is not beyond reproach for her role in the mad decision to elope. She seems to act foolishly, choosing celibacy and solitude over love that is to be procured by force. Hermia calmly declares to Theseus ''So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,/ Ere I will yield my virgin patent up/ Unto his lordship whose unwished yoke/ My sould consents not to give sovereignty.' (Act1, Sc1, 79-82). This is despite what Theseus reasoning that '...earthlier happy is the rose distilled/ Than that which withering on the virgin thorn, / Grows, lives and dies in single blessedness.' (Act1, Sc1, 76-8). Hermia's decision to elope with Lysander point not only to a certain level of desperation in action, but also of a certain level of foolishness. She does not stop to think of what might become of her should her plans to elope be discovered. Neither does she think of how Egeus might feel losing a daughter, regardless of his treatment of Hermia. When Hermia says, "My good Lysander,/ I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow,/ ... Tomorrow truly will I meet thee." (Act1,Sc1, 168-8 & 178), she is being self-absorbed and refuses to even consider if there are any alternative solutions to the obstacle that she and Lysander faces. In this respect, Hermia proves herself to be foolish and impatient, preferring to take matters into her own hands instead of acting on her statement to Lysander 'Then let us teach our trial patience/ Because it is a customary cross,' (Act1, S1, 152-3)

William Shakespeare's A Midsummers Night's Dream shows how childish foolish lovers can be. Each of the lovers proves that they are inclined to act foolishly when in love (or supposedly in love): Demetrius, because he is unaware and seemingly unconcerned about how his love changes, Helena, because she pursues Demetrius even though he does not love her, Lysander, because he persuades Hermia to run away with him, and Hermia, because she risks death for love.

Other readings will be posted up presently :)