Based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare is saying that true love is for fools. In his comedy, love is not portrayed as one would imagine it to be. It is neither motivated by jealousy nor is it left ambiguous. Instead, the farce portrays love as comical. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses magic to manipulate the audience into thinking that true love exists, however the underlying theme of the play reveals that true love is for fools. He mocks “true love” by making the lovers fall in love with almost anyone and even when Shakespeare allows the audience to have a glimpse of “true love,” he proves that it can easily be lost. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an accurate representation of love’s malleable and temporary features. The use of magic was the predominant cause for the love that occurred in the play. Shakespeare uses magic to spellbind the lovers and show that love is …show more content…
Although Bottom’s head is that of an ass, Titania’s relationship with Oberon breaks and she is immediately shown being madly in love with Bottom. However, as soon as she wakes up, she despises herself for being in love with such a creature. She describes her disgust while conversing with Oberon: “My Oberon, what visions have I seen! / Methought I was enamored of an ass” (4.1.77-78). Shakespeare clearly exemplifies that the foolish lovers are capable of falling in love with anyone. Shakespeare further emphasizes false love when he describes Hippolyta’s relationship with Theseus. Hippolyta’s love for Theseus is due to the fact that he overcame her in battle. Theseus says, “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword / And won thy love doing thee injuries” (1.1.17-18). How can their love be “true” if Hippolyta was simply a “prize” for Theseus after he won the battle? Alternatively, the characters that are in love with their “soul mates,” foolishly fall out of love, proving that love is indeed