A Midsummer Night's Dream

Act I.1

Context and Significance of Passage

Takes place after Hermia and Lysander plan to escape from Athens in order to be together

Scene is interrupted by Helena’s entrance – seeking for Hermia’s advice to win over Demetrius

Hermia and Lysander reveal their plans to Helena – shows Helena’s morality as she decides to take advantage of their confidentiality & uses it against them

Introduces and foreshadows the following events of the play – there’s trouble ahead as audiences anticipate what will happen when Demetrius finds out about Hermia and Lysander

Stylistic Devices

Rhyme scheme between Helena and Hermia’s dialogue

Hermia: I frown upon him; yet he loves me still.

Helena: O that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!

(194-5)

Rhyming couplets strengthens the verse’s flow and continuity between the two

Repetition of Line Structure

Hermia: The more I hate, the more he follows me.

Helena: The more I love, the more he hateth me.

(198-9)

Contrasts between Hermia & Helena’s situation with Demetrius – powerful word choice of ‘love’ and ‘hate’ – interchangeable theme

Tone of Characters

Helena’s tone = longing & passionate for Demetrius; envious of Hermia

“Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated / The rest I’ll give to be to you translated. / O, teach me how you look, and with what art / You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart.” (190-3)

* Hermia’s tone = in love with Lysander; sympathetic towards Helena

“Farewell, sweet playfellow. Pray thou for us; / And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius.” (220-1)

Love is...

“And as he [Demetrius] errs, doting on Hermia's eyes” (230)

“Love looks not with the eyes...and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” (235)

“Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste.” (237)“For ere Demetrius looked on Hermia's eyne”

(242)

foreshadows and emphasizes of effect “love-in-idleness” potion, which is applied to one's eyes and causes one to fall blindly in love

Blindness and Impaired Judgement

Focus on judgment → love creates foolishness and impairs judgment

“Love [is] said to be a child, /Because in choice he is so oft beguiled.”

“Things base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”

emphasis on the idea that love is blind, and can create illusion and change your perspective