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Theme Of Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Love can be the root of a person 's problems. William Shakespear 's A Midsummer Night 's Dream shows how this is true. In the play, Demetrius loves Hermia, who does not love him. His selfish love causes depression in Helena, who loves Demetrius. His act also causes a rivalry to occur between him and Hermia 's lover, Lysander. Egeus, Hermia 's father, agrees with Demetrius and causes even more problems for Hermia and the lovers. One selfish act of love in A Midsummer Night 's Dream causes multiple problems for many people.

Demetrius 's love for Hermia causes Helena to become depressed. Helena shows her extreme sadness while she is talking to Hermia in lines 181-193, act 1 scene 1. "Demetrius loves your fair: . . .! / O teach me how you look, and with what art / you sway the motion, of Demetrius 's heart" (1.1.181-193). She begs Hermia for her secrets to beauty in order to win Demetrius 's heart. Talking to her best friend, with whom Demetrius is in love, puts Helena into a deeper state of depression. Later, in the forest, Helena follows Demetrius around trying to convince him to love her. In lines 199-201, Demetrius responds to Helena with "Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? / Or rather do I not in plainest truth / Tell you I do not, nor cannot love you?" (2.1.199-201). No matter what Helena says, Demetrius would not love her even though she would go great lengths for him. Now Helena 's complete emptiness rises in her broken state. Helena becomes very depressed due to

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