Love in a Midsummer Night's Dream

Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream “The course of true love never did run smooth.” (Act 1, scene 1) In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, there are several situations which true love has gone astray. Hermia and her true love cannot be wed because of the law of the city. Helena loves Demetrius, but he does not love her back. The ghastliest situation of love is between Bottom and Titania. They are in love for numerous awry reasons. The law of Athens states that women cannot marry the man of her choice unless her father approves. “Either to die the death, or to abjure forever the society of men” (Act 1, scene 1) Hermia refuses to marry Demetruis, the man that her father has conscripted for her to marry. Lysander and Hermia develop a plan to elope. Running away from the Athenian law to live in secrecy was risky. This plan only made their love more difficult. The plan lead to a more immense problem. Hermia and Lysander’s love is not the only problematic love situation in this play. There is a different reason for Helena and Demetrius’s love difficulties. Helena’s love for Demetrius causes her to follow him everywhere. Helena expresses her love to Demetrius every chance that she comes by. Demetrius’s feelings toward Helena are not quite replicated. Demetrius tells her. “I love thee not, therefore pursue me not…Because I cannot meet my Hermia. Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.” (Act 2, scene 1) Demetrius is fed up with Hermia’s obsession with him and is rather rude to her. It is only after Demetrius is put under a spell that he begins to love Helena, similar to the love story of Titania and Bottom. Titania and Bottom have the most unfavorable experience with love. The affection they have for each other is amiss. Puck, the ornery fairy, places juice on Titania’s eyes under the order of her jealous husband Oberon. “The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid will make or man or woman madly dote upon the next living creature that