Three Forms of Love

William Shakespeare's brilliant, tragic comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, is a

hilarious and agonizing sinuous story. This play includes the power dynamic between men and

women and the abuse of power. It also involves a star trickster, Puck, a fairy who leads

Shakespeare's genius play on a double entendre. Puck's personality and the men in power cause a

dilemma in the many types of love within the play. Forced love, fatherly love, and true love are

the forms of love displayed in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Forced love in A Midsummer Night's Dream is the main comedic point of the play. This

type of love shows the lengths to which love can take someone, to the point of dumbfoundedness

or even insanity. Helena shows her anguishing love for Demetrius, strenuously begging for any

of his attention, even if that means allowing herself to be treated like a dog. Shakespeare

demonstrates his sense of humour by using the double meaning of the word "ass." The Queen

fairy, Titania, involuntarily falls in love with Bottom, a man with a self-obsessed personality who

gains the head of an ass through the use of magic. Titania's husband Oberon instructs the

mischievous fairy, Puck, to put a love spell on Titania, making her fall in love with Bottom.

When Titania wakes from this potion, she is disoriented and bewildered that she can love

Bottom. During Helena's spiel with Demetrius, advocating her love for him, Demetrius tries to

articulate his hatred towards her, he declares "Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit, for I

am sick when I do look on thee." (2.1.215-216) Helena, not accepting his repulsion, replies

frantically, "And I am sick when I look not on you." (2.1.217) This further demonstrates how

forced love can affect people, whether their love is being imposed on someone or expelling their

love towards another.

 In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the relationship between the fathers and their children is

exceptionally problematic and emotionally taxing. The relationship between Oberon and Titania

faces difficulties because of the changeling child. A changeling child is when a fairy child is

switched with a human child because the fairy child is deformed. Titania expresses to Oberon

that she loves the child as her own and refuses to let Oberon have him lead his army. This causes

discord between the two, leading to the central conflict in the story. Oberon shows an

inconsiderable amount of affection and interest in being the child's father. Another example of

fatherly love, or lack thereof, is the relationship between Hermia and Egeus. Egeus illustrates his

disregard for his daughter's desires and needs by abolishing any chance of her marrying her true

love, Lysander. During Hermia's confrontation with her father and Theseus, Theseus demands,

"What say you, Hermia? Be advised, fair maid. To you, your father should be as a god",

(1.1.47-48). This quote further indicates that the men of every household are to be held in high

regard. The man is to always be in charge of their children's life choices and style and should not

be argued against.

A type of love shown in A Midsummer Night's Dream is true love; two of the characters,

Hermia and Lysander, exemplify this. Lysander and Hermia are introduced, as are Demetrius,

Egeus, and Theseus. Hermia's father, Egeus, is against his daughter marrying Lysander. The two

lovers initially plan to be married, but instead, Egeus intervenes and asks the Duke of Athens to

have Hermia marry Demetrius. Hermia is saddened by her father's request and attempts to

negotiate with her father and the duke. Since women of the time have no power over their own

choices, Egeus instead requests Theseus to invoke the law of Athens. This law gives Hermia

three options. She can marry Demetrius as her father asks, become a nun, or endure a painful

death. Hermia is not satisfied with these choices, so Lysander and Hermia plan their elopement.
Hermia reveals her devastation saying, "If then true lovers have been ever crossed, it stands as

edict in destiny." (1.1.152-153) This demonstrates the extent of their love for each other, as they

refer to their love being true love.

A Midsummer Night's Dream unveils three types of love: Forced love, fatherly love, and

true love. This play takes a comedic turn on languishing situations, such as Lysander and

Hermia's forbidden love, Helena's unrequited love for Demetrius, and Oberon's lack of love for

the changeling child resulting in disarray in the fairy world. Some types of love shown can be

doubted of ever even being love. Although the play patches up relationships, many characters

experience setbacks, yet there is still a happy ever after in the end. This makes the plot much

more satisfying and rejoiceful. A Midsummer Night's Dream exhibits Shakespear's true

brilliance in literature and his innovation for creativity in being able to fabricate a poetic realm

for readers to plunge into.

 Work Cited

Shakespeare, William, et al. A Midsummer Night's Dream with Related Readings.

Albany, ITP International Thomson, 1998.