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How Does Shakespeare Use Symbols In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Shakespeare’s use of symbols suggests the spontaneity and artificiality of young love as it correlates to future generations. Known to “make or man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees,” the “Love in Idleness” juice acts as an unvirtuous symbol for how fickle and wavering young love is (Shakespeare 2.1.171-172). Shakespeare makes this clear through the actions of different characters throughout the play. For example, Lysander in response to the love juice affecting him, is at one moment completely in love with Hermia and the next, madly in love with Helena. When Lysander says he “never did desire to see thee more” a day after being completely in love with Hermia, it not only suggests that young love can change so quickly, but that it lacks the maturity to endure and overcome (3.2.278). …show more content…

This spontaneous love is exemplified even more so when Hermia mutters the words “since night you loved me, yet since night you left me” (3.2.275). Much like today’s generation, specifically amongst people in high school and even college, it is not uncommon for young people to go through multiple significant others. The similarity between Shakespeare’s generation and today’s is seen in the way that young people claim to love one another and then soon after end abruptly. This adds to the spontaneity of young love that Shakespeare tries to illustrate through the inclusion of the love juice. The inconsistent love written in by Shakespeare is characteristic of young love in today’s society as well as

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