The scene is ancient Athens, and your running through the woods with someone you truly love. Your running to escape from the life that your father wants you to live, and the person he wants you to be with follows you hastfully into the woods. Who knows what the night has in store for you or how you will come out of it. This may seem like a fantasy story, but it is in the all too relatable story of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare can be fondly remembered by many as an expert on romantic stories, and quite often he also is remember for his symbolism in his stories. Stories such as Hamlet and the story being described- A Midsummer Night's Dream- are also often remember for their symbolism. Shakespeare litters his stories with great amounts of symbolism, often that helps to cast what were likely his opinions. Symbols help create meaning in these stories, and keep readers coming back for more to read. …show more content…
The love potion in this work seems to function as a plot device and is used by Shakespeare to likely express how he seems to believe that love is easily manipulable and can change in an instant. In the play, Oberson squeezes the potion into Demetrius’ eyes causing him to fall in love with Helena as she wakes him up. A example of his instantaneous love can be seen in the following quote, “(waking up) Oh Helena, you goddess, you divine and perfect nymph! What can I compare your eyes to? Crystal isn’t as clear as they are. Oh, your lips are as ripe as a pair of tempting cherries touching each other” (Shakespeare). This quote shows how the potion changes love instantly, and represents loves constant changes in the story and our world well. Many people today also seem to have circumstances exactly like this, falling in love with someone almost