Midsummer Night's Dream

The Quest for True Love To get to the rainbow, one must first go through the rainstorm. William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows the journey of Lysander and Hermia as they try to reach forto true love and happiness. They go through many obstacles and hardship including: magic flowers, fairies, angry fathers, and even the lovers falling out of love. However, they muscle through and eventually Theseus, who is the ruler of Athens, invites them to marry at his own wedding. At one point in the play, Lysander clearly says “The course of true love never did run smooth” (1.1.136). This is shown to be the most central idea of the play. Throughout the play the lovers find it increasingly difficult to actually marry and have a nice life. First Egeus, Hermia’s father, stops the marriage from

However, Hermia remains stubborn and is willing to die, so Egeus takes the matter to Theseus, the ruler of Athens. He explains his troubles to Theseus: “Full of vexation come I, with complaint / Against my child, my daughter Hermia.-- / Stand forth, Demetrius.-- My noble lord, / This man hath my consent to marry her.--/ Stand forth, Lysander.--And, my gracious duke, / This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child” (1.1.23-28). Egeus is obviously very angry at his daughter for not listening to her father, which is Athenian custom, and at Lysander for stealing his daughter’s better judgement. He says that Lysander “bewitch’d the bosom of my child” as if he is evil and full of malice. Also whenever he addresses Theseus he says “noble lord” and “gracious duke” to try and put Theseus on his side against his daughter. This quote also helps to display the setting of the play. It shows the struggle between Man and Woman as well as Father and Daughter; the female submits to the male because the male is considered superior. Egeus sure makes it difficult for the lovers to