Literary Analysis of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Literary Analysis of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
The literary tool known as mirroring helps to emphasize a particular point or idea by repeating it throughout the text. In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare mirrors the element of foolishness to bring together three very different worlds; the romantic world of the aristocratic lovers, the workday world of the tradesmen, and the fairy world of Titania and Oberon. As result, Shakespeare creates a world of silly people acting in nonsensical fashion and it is this dream like behavior, which serves as the driving force for the play.
In the Aristocratic world, it is the young teenage lovers, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena are who are made to look foolish.
Demetrius is a fool because he is unaware that his love changes throughout the course of the play. At the start of the play, Demetrius does not love Helena and states, "I love thee not, therefore pursue me not." (A2, S2, L194) Instead of acting like the courtly lover he should be, he is cruel and mean to Helena. However after Demetrius is “juiced” he begins to love Helena and declares, "Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none. If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone. My heart to her but as guest- wise sojourned, And now to Helen is it home returned, There to remain." This proves he is a fool, because he is unaware of his changing love for Helena.
Helena is a fool because although Demetrius does not love her, she persists in chasing him in the hopes he will change his mind. Demetrius shows no love for Helena. Frustrated by Helena constant swooning Demetrius shouts, "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?" (A2, S1,L 199-201) Demetrius clearly illustrates to Helena that he has no interest in her, but Helena persists. "And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you." (A2, S1,L220-222) " This proves that Helena is a fool because she is willing to continuously pursue him even despite his boorish treatment of her.
Lysander is a fool because he persuades Hermia...