Olive Cianciolo
Mrs. Warwick
English 11
9 June 2014
Blind Love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Someone ‘blinded by love,’ is one who is oblivious to any potential faults of the person they are in love with (Blind Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream: What Does it Mean?). The play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” by William Shakespeare, iconically portrays the theme of blind love using satiric elements. In this play, two sets of lovers are tricked into loving the wrong person due to the workings of the supernatural (or fairies). But one detail that most readers tend to overlook is the fact that these lovers were blinded even before the fairies came along. In a “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Shakespeare portrays his characters being blinded by love by not only the supernatural, but also by the completely natural.
One rather humorous example of blind love caused by the supernatural is the fairy queen, Titania’s, love for Nick Bottom. Due to a quarrel over a changeling indian boy, the fairy king, Oberon, instructs his assistant Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, to use a sort of love potion on Titania to make her fall in love with the first living thing she sees. This living thing just so happens to be a man with the head of a donkey, or Nick Bottom. “I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again./ Mine ear is much enamored of thy note;/ So mine eye enthralled by to thy shape;” ( Shakespeare 3.1.134-136). This show that despite Bottom’s appearance she is still madly in love with him, or, she is blinded by her love. “My Oberon, what visions have I seen!/ Methought I was enamoured of an ass/… How came these things to pass?/ O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now!” (Shakespeare 4.1.75-80). This shows that Titania never really loved Bottom because she was only blinded to his faults and she regrets ever loving him. Therefore Titania was blinded by the supernatural, but she was not the only one.
Another example of blind love caused by the supernatural are the four lovers. Oberon had also instructed Puck to use the love potion on a man wearing athenian garb, referring to Demetrius after he rejects Helena. But Puck encounters Lysander in the woods and, due to his athenian garb, uses the love potion. This causes Lysander to fall in love with Helena rather than Hermia. “And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake./ Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,/ that through thy bosom makes me see thy heart./ Where is Demitrius? O, how fit a word/ Is that vile name to perish on my sword” (Shakespeare 3.1). This show that Lysander is, in fact, blinded to not only Helena’s faults, but his previous love for Hermia. Realizing his mistake, Puck uses the potion on Demetrius, which, of course, causes him to fall permanently in love with Helena, or become blinded to his previous hatred for her. But even before the lovers were influenced by the supernatural, they were already blinded by a different kind of love.
Prior to the fiasco with the fairies, the four lovers were already blinded by a completely natural kind of love. Despite her father’s wishes and the social customs of the time, Hermia wants to marry Lysander and not Demetrius (as her father, Egeus, wants her to), or, she is blinded to her fate. Lysander is also blinded to the fate of his lover due to his own love. In Helenas eyes, Demetrius can do no wrong, because she is in love with him, even though he constantly rejects her. Demetrius is blinded by his love for Hermia to the fact that someone who loves him is right in front of him. Even Egeus refuses to keep his daughter’s happiness in mind due to his own blinding love for Demetrius. So, it is apparent that natural love is just as powerful, and much more prevalent, than that of supernatural origins.
In conclusion Shakespeare shows that “Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind,/ And therefore is winged cupid painted blind” (Shakespeare), by not only the supernatural (specifically the fairies) but also by the completely natural as demonstrated through Titania and the four lovers before and after the constant struggle that is to find love.
Mrs. Warwick
English 11
9 June 2014
Blind Love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Someone ‘blinded by love,’ is one who is oblivious to any potential faults of the person they are in love with (Blind Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream: What Does it Mean?). The play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” by William Shakespeare, iconically portrays the theme of blind love using satiric elements. In this play, two sets of lovers are tricked into loving the wrong person due to the workings of the supernatural (or fairies). But one detail that most readers tend to overlook is the fact that these lovers were blinded even before the fairies came along. In a “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Shakespeare portrays his characters being blinded by love by not only the supernatural, but also by the completely natural.
One rather humorous example of blind love caused by the supernatural is the fairy queen, Titania’s, love for Nick Bottom. Due to a quarrel over a changeling indian boy, the fairy king, Oberon, instructs his assistant Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, to use a sort of love potion on Titania to make her fall in love with the first living thing she sees. This living thing just so happens to be a man with the head of a donkey, or Nick Bottom. “I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again./ Mine ear is much enamored of thy note;/ So mine eye enthralled by to thy shape;” ( Shakespeare 3.1.134-136). This show that despite Bottom’s appearance she is still madly in love with him, or, she is blinded by her love. “My Oberon, what visions have I seen!/ Methought I was enamoured of an ass/… How came these things to pass?/ O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now!” (Shakespeare 4.1.75-80). This shows that Titania never really loved Bottom because she was only blinded to his faults and she regrets ever loving him. Therefore Titania was blinded by the supernatural, but she was not the only one.
Another example of blind love caused by the supernatural are the four lovers. Oberon had also instructed Puck to use the love potion on a man wearing athenian garb, referring to Demetrius after he rejects Helena. But Puck encounters Lysander in the woods and, due to his athenian garb, uses the love potion. This causes Lysander to fall in love with Helena rather than Hermia. “And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake./ Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,/ that through thy bosom makes me see thy heart./ Where is Demitrius? O, how fit a word/ Is that vile name to perish on my sword” (Shakespeare 3.1). This show that Lysander is, in fact, blinded to not only Helena’s faults, but his previous love for Hermia. Realizing his mistake, Puck uses the potion on Demetrius, which, of course, causes him to fall permanently in love with Helena, or become blinded to his previous hatred for her. But even before the lovers were influenced by the supernatural, they were already blinded by a different kind of love.
Prior to the fiasco with the fairies, the four lovers were already blinded by a completely natural kind of love. Despite her father’s wishes and the social customs of the time, Hermia wants to marry Lysander and not Demetrius (as her father, Egeus, wants her to), or, she is blinded to her fate. Lysander is also blinded to the fate of his lover due to his own love. In Helenas eyes, Demetrius can do no wrong, because she is in love with him, even though he constantly rejects her. Demetrius is blinded by his love for Hermia to the fact that someone who loves him is right in front of him. Even Egeus refuses to keep his daughter’s happiness in mind due to his own blinding love for Demetrius. So, it is apparent that natural love is just as powerful, and much more prevalent, than that of supernatural origins.
In conclusion Shakespeare shows that “Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind,/ And therefore is winged cupid painted blind” (Shakespeare), by not only the supernatural (specifically the fairies) but also by the completely natural as demonstrated through Titania and the four lovers before and after the constant struggle that is to find love.