Midsummer Night’s Dream
“Truth, reason and love keep little company together.”
Shakespeare had deep insight into the phenomenon called, “falling in love”. It is like a spell that is cast upon two people and nothing else in the world matters except to nurture, grow, and deepen the love that is felt by the two. Love makes the irrational seem rational and the impossible seem promising. It is similar to a dream in the way that random events eventually resolve themselves and come together to complete an enchanting story.
It is fitting that Shakespeare placed the setting of this play in a magical fairy-land forest. It represents what love is like upon first encounter. It is mystical, foggy, mysterious, exciting, and full of surprises. One can get lost in the mystery and end up not knowing what is true and what is false. The effect of the misty forest is similar to the effect of love --- a person is entranced by the magic but may also be bewildered by the haziness. The spell of love can blind the couple to each others faults and shortcomings as was seen with Helena and Demetrius. Poor Helena was tied to her lover even though he tried to sever those ties at any chance he could. He was cruel and hurtful, but her love was fastened to his heart. She overlooked his mistreatment and kept her hope in a future that would eventually blossom into a fruitful relationship. It is sad that she didn't realize her own beauty and decide to find love in a kinder and gentler person. But how true it is, that many pine after the very person who treats them the most cruel. This irony hasn’t changed over the course of thousands of years and is a somewhat pitiful or humorous commentary on the mystery of human nature.
How quickly love can change when it isn’t rooted in time. The fickleness of Lysander by turning his attention to Helena after one enchanted night shows how easily affection can be misplaced. The astonishment of Hermia and her distress in finding her lover wooing another is a poignant depiction of how deeply wounded one can become when giving their heart to another. It is a tender and vulnerable thing to trust another person with affection and feelings. Her darling lover became an enigma in a matter of a few dark moments and Hermia became lost, confused, and heartbroken.
The haziness of the forest and darkness of the night produced a situation where Puck, the mischievous fairy, could enjoy tricks and capers to his heart’s content. He hoodwinked Titania with love potion in her eyes that blinded her to the ridiculous brute she now admired. This amusement of Puck’s is another reflection of how falling in love can mislead a person and she may be deceived into loving an ass like Bottom. It was a funny prank, but it happens so often in reality that it is really crying shame that “falling in love” can make someone overlook the reality of a person, and she will settle for a beast.
Even though love may be hazy at times, in the end of Midsummer Night’s Dream the true lovers found each other again and were brought back to reality. They were able to bind and seal their love in the light of day after waking up and finding solid ground. Falling in love is an eternal phenomenon and a marvelous experience. Fortunately most couples find a foundation to build upon after they are done falling, and love grows into something not just blissful, but divine.
Copyright L.L. Williams
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