Preview

Hermia And Helena In A Midsummer Night's Dream By William Shakespeare

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1006 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hermia And Helena In A Midsummer Night's Dream By William Shakespeare
CHARACTER TRAIT 1 PARAGRAPH
Whatever Helena sees or hears always has something to do with herself in her eyes, that’s how the world is like a mirror to her. Helena proves herself to be self absorbed more than once throughout the play. During her soliliquy; in act one, scene one; Helena explains what she plans to do with the new information that has come to light. This information being that Hermia and Lysander were going to run away together. Her plan is to “...go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight” (1.i 246). Meaning, she was going to tell Demetrius that Hermia and Lysander were fleeing Athens. She hopes that some how Demetrius will chase after them in the woods. When he finally catches them he’d either be so heartbroken that he’s turn to Helena;
…show more content…
Helena and Hermia’s relationship is a key part of the play and important to forming Helena’s character. Hermia and Helena are having a heated disscussion about Demetrius. Helena wants him to love her and Hermia wants him to leave her alone. In hopes of making Helena feel better she tells her something very important to her, a very big secret. Hermia explains to Helena, “Lysander and myself will fly this place” (1.i 203). Hermia was trying to be a good friend to Helena. She trusted her with her biggest secret, a secret that could determine the rest of her life. Helena understands how important it is to Hermia, but she chooses to tell Demetrius of these plans anyways. She doesn’t care about Hermia the same way Hermia does her. A good symbol to describe this relationship would be a knife. A knife is a good symbol for this because Helena is stabbing Hermia in the back, knowingly. She is getting Hermia to trust her then as soon as she gets what she needs she uses it against Hermia. She stabs her right in the back without any hesitation. A knife is a good symbol to use for Helena and Hermia’s relationship, which is a very important

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many characteristics that prove that Helena is a foil for Hermia. First, Hermia is always loyal to her friend, while Helena is not. Helena betrayed her friend (Hermia) by telling Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's plan to run away. This shows that she does not care about their friendship very much, since she was throwing it away just to get a bit closer to Demetrius. Hermia, on the other hand, was trying to help Helena when she told her friend her plans, since she wanted to reassure Helena that she was not going to take all of Demetrius's attention anymore. As well, Helena seemed downright cowardly, whereas Hermia is fierce and brave. Hermia was brave to follow Lysander into the forest and give up almost everything she knew for their love. In their argument in the forest, Hermia wanted to fight, while Helena just ran away. Despite all the ways that Hermia insulted her, Helena would rather have Lysander and Demetrius defend her than try to deal with it herself. Finally, Hermia is caring while Helena is selfish. Hermia still prayed for Lysander even after he suddenly loved Helena and hated her, insulting her many ties. Helena telling Demetrius about her friend's play also showed that she did not think at all about how that would affect Hermia, and was very selfish. These events show that Hermia cares about others whether or not they care about her, while Helena only cares about herself. Although they are best friends and are put in similar positions, Hermia and Helena's differences make them good foils for each…

    • 268 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander, an Athenian man, portrays insult comedy. Insult comedy is the use of insults, often one liners, at the expense of another character to create comedy. In this case Insult comedy is used to insult another person or object with the intent of creating humor. In act 1, scene 1, Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over the beloved Hermia. Egeus, Hermia's father, expresses his wish to Theseus, the duke of Athens for Hermia to be married to Demetrius. However, Hermia loves Lysander and refuses Egeus's offer. Later the two Athenian men, Lysander, and Demetrius begin arguing about who should get Hermia. During this argument Demetrius exclaims…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Directions: Open and save this document to your computer. Look for answers as you read, but finish reading each scene before you compose your responses. Type and save your answers here; the boxes will expand as you write.…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hermia Act 1 Quotes

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages

    |1.) |This quote has a metaphor in the first line. The effect of the |…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Helena is in love with Demetrius throughout the whole entire play where she constantly makes a fool out of herself by trying to be near Demetrius whenever she can. Helena wants to see Demetrius, even if it is only to have him scorn her and about he truly does not love her the way that she does. “But herein mean I to enrich my pain, To have his sight thither and back again”.(1.1.6).In this quote, said by Helena, she talks about how she can make herself feel better about the pain, she has been given from Demetrius, if only she could see him. In love, Helena shows complete foolishness and lack of judgment regarding to whom she should give her affection to such as Demetrius.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My father won’t let me marry Lysander, the love of my life; instead I have to marry Demetrius who I care nothing about. The father said that if I don’t marry Demetrius he’ll send me to the nunnery or I’ll have a death sentence for not obeying my father and I don’t want either of those things. So I’ll have to marry Demetrius even though I have no interest in him at all.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Helena is first introduced into the play, she talks to herself (the audience) about love and the qualities about Demetrius that she loves, “So I, admiring of his qualities. Things base and vile, holding no quantity, love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” (1.1.32-35) Helena is saying that she admires Demetrius’s good qualities and she fails to notice his flaws. In other words, Helena is miserably in love that she sees Demetrius the way she wants to see him, she’s blinded by his faults such as his aggressive, negative attitude towards Helena. However, Helena isn’t the only blinded lover in the play; Demetrius has shown various blind loves towards Helena. Demetrius is charmed by Puck with the love-in-idleness flower in act 3, scene 2, hence causing him to wake up to Helena and magically fall deeply in love with her. The first few words that come out of Demetrius’s mouth after awaking were “O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!” (3.2.137) which is odd to Helena because only a few hours ago he was yelling at her words that were nowhere near as doted. Simply stated, Demetrius’s comment to Helena is vague but a considerable example of the illusion of love. For the most part, Demetrius and Helena are both dazed and uncertain of their true feelings for each…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Demetrius, love is more about gaining power, as opposed to actually obtaining a life partner, and someone who truly cares about you, and will stay by your side the entire time that you reside on this Earth. He continuously attempts to pursue Hermia, who does not love him back, and completely neglects the fact the Helena is begging for his love; telling him she will do anything to make the feeling mutual as stated when she says, “Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave,/Unworthy as I am, to follow you./What worser place can I beg in your love—” (32,1:210-213). Demetrius’ hatred for Lysander is so strong that he is even accused by Hermia of killing him in his sleep, “If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,” (3,2:47), when actually, Lysander just followed Helena when he awoke from his sleep after…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Helena is deeply in love with Demetrius, who loves Hermia. So, Helena is jealous of Hermia's looks and she claims that she is as beautiful, and as fair as Hermia, “For she hath blessèd and attractive eyes, /How came her eyes so bright…” (2.2.97-98), this quote indicates that Helena is jealous of the looks and wonders about what Hermia has that she doesn't, that makes men follow her all over the place, especially Demetrius, who loves Hermia and not Helena.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    She is in love with her old boyfriend, Demetrius, but he is in love with Hermia. Since he does not love Helena, he is mean to her as shown when he says, “For I am sick when I do look on thee.” (I.i.219) Oberon sees Helena being mistreated by Demetrius, and then he sends Puck to put a potion on Demetrius to make him woo her. Evidently he believes she is hopeless. By accident Puck puts the love potion on Lysander because he thought Lysander was Demetrius. As a result, Lysander and Demetrius fight over her as if she is a trophy, but she is a person with feelings they are making a mockery of her. Lastly, her marriage with Demetrius is not real because Oberon left the potion on Demetrius meaning that he is not really in love with Helena. Although it is not a natural marriage, Helena enjoys the “love.” The help of a man created the…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Helena loves Demetrius but he is in love with Hermia but Hermia is in love with Lysander. Oberon tells Puck, his servant, to create a love potion and squeeze it into Demetrius’ eyes so he stops being rude to Helena and falls madly in love with her. Puck instead sprinkles love potion in Lysander and Robin sprinkled it in Demetrius’ eyes while resting and when they awoke they both saw Helena and fell in love with her. This fiasco causes a misunderstanding between Helena and Hermia. Helena believes that both Demetrius and Lysander and Hermia are playing a cruel trick on her and Hermia swears Helena as stolen her beloved Lysander from her. When the audience knows more about the other characters than they do is what makes this play a comedic one and after Hermia tried to attack Helena made the reader have an urge to keep reading and intrigued because it can relate to everyday life. Shakespeare’s diction allowed the reader to see the emotions both Helena and Hermia had on their faces. He emphasized the theme of the night and how the main characters are so infatuated with one’s look or appearance…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    <center><b>To what extent has the love potion affected the relationship between Helena and Hermia?</b></center><br><br>Hermia and Helena's relationship has changed greatly after the intervention of Puck with the love potion. Once best friends, they have become each others enemies, and all for the love of Lysander and Demetrius.<br>Hermia and Helena were best friends when they were at school. <br>"All school-days' friendship, childhood innocence?"<br>(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 201, Helena)<br><br>They had complete trust in each other, telling each other their deepest secrets. <br>"Is all the counsel that we two have shared,<br>The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent," (Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 198 - 199, Helena)<br><br>They worked together on everything they did including sewing and singing. <br>"Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion,<br>Both warbling of one song, both in one key," (Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 205 - 206)<br><br>To some people, Helena and Hermia became the same person, saying the same things, thinking the same thoughts and having the same morals and principles. <br>"As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds<br>Had been incorporate. So we grew together," (Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 207-208)<br><br>Behaving in the same way, they spent as much time as possible together. This time passed quickly, whilst the time spent apart was slow and seemed pointless. <br>"When we have chid the hasty-footed time<br>For parting us-O, is all forgot?"<br>(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 200 - 201, Helena)<br><br>Although Helena and Hermia were two separate people, they were, "a union in partition", compared to a double cherry. <br>"Two lovely berries moulded on one stem."<br>(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 211, Helena)<br><br>Their friendship was so strong that they seemed to be connected, the same person in two different bodies. <br>"So with two seeming bodies, but one heart,"<br>(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 212, Helena)<br><br>This had lasted all their lives until the intervention of Lysander and…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the play Helena is heartbroken and extremely upset due to Demetrius’s hate towards her. We know this as she says “Call you me fair? That fair again unsay. / Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair!” When she questions her own beauty using a rhetorical question it shows that she is baffled at why Demetrius had left her. When she uses the word fair over and over again it tells us that she had been obsessing over Hermia’s beauty. Her obsession with Hermia’s beauty is shown once again as later on in the passage as she says ‘Sickness is catching. O, were favour so, /yours would I catch fair Hermia, ere I go; /My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye.’ In this metaphor she wishes that she could simply catch Hermia’s beauty like a sickness. Helena is clearly longing for something to make her like Hermia in hope that Demetrius would see some of Hermia in her. She is also jealous of Hermia’s beauty. It also shows us that she is insecure about her own appearance. The audience would’ve felt sorry towards her at this point as she is clearly devastated about Demetrius.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    * sense of there being a disobedience reflected in Demetrius' pursuit of Hermia over Helena - disguise of gallantry - disorder of love and relationships between the characters. this is further explored when interactions become chaotic between all lovers as a result of jealousy etc.…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This focus was enhanced by the casting of the Hermia and Helena characters. In Shakespeare’s play, Helena was in love with her ex-fiancé Demetrius, who was in fact in love with Hermia. In Hoffman’s depiction, he chose a voluptuous character for Hermia and a boyish bodied female to play the role of the jealous Helena. Additionally, Hoffman included another noticeable sexual adaptation, a mud fight between Helena and Hermia revealing their body figures as they fought for their love. The sexual content in the movie maintained the liberal and modern audience’s…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays