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The Theme Of Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream dealt with the theme of love and its four types, including loves many complications such as disappointment and confusion. The play rotates around the four loves, two being friendship love (Phileo) and romantic (Eros) or true love. Love is the most important theme of the play and the asymmetrical love between the four Athenians cause conflict throughout the play. There is a strong friendship love between, Hermia and Helena, however, their Phileo is tested throughout the play by their pursuit of true love which ultimately prevails. The power of Eros love is evident in the play as true love continuously triumphs over Phileo love. The troubles of romance presented in the play present conflict that ultimately damages the friendship love of the Athenians through the irrational actions of the lovers.
The Phileo love between Hermia and Helena is at stake because of the romantic love that exists between the different parties in the play. Helena mistakes her obsession with Demetrius with true love despite his poor treatment of her. However, Demetrius loves Helena’s friend, Hermia, and wishes to marry her. Helena is still in love with Demetrius and although she and Hermia are close, she is jealous of her friend, this is just one instance in which romantic love prevails over friendship love.
In the play, true …show more content…

Although Helena had a strong Philia love for Hermia she betrayed her by telling Demetrius their plans to elope. Helena thought that by betraying her friend, Demetrius he would once again love, but this was sadly not the case. When Hermia address her friend as “fair”, we see Helena agitated and responds by telling her, “Call you me fair? That fair again unsay, Demetrius loves your fair, O happy fair” (1.1.181-182). Helena’s angry comments at her friend show time and again how romantic love is stronger than friendship

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