A Midsummer's Night Dream: Comparing Hermia and Helena
- Submitted by: bambieboo
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- Category: English: Shakespeare
- Date Submitted: 10/20/2013 12:39 PM
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Physically they are complete opposites. Hermia is short and dark haired whereas Helena is tall and blonde haired. Helena once states that she is thought just as beautiful as Hermia. ‘Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.’
Hermia has requited love, where as Helena is unrequited in her love for Demetrius. The two are shown to be best friends all though they easily fall out as we see in the fight scene where Demetrius and Lysander, under the spell of the love potion, are declaring there love for Helena who believes this is all an elaborate plot to mock her. ‘I see you all are bent to set against me for your merriment.’ However, when Lysander first declares his love for Helena upon waking, she reminds him straight away of Hermia, perhaps showing her loyalty to her friend even though she is clearly jealous of her.
Helena has low self-esteem and does not think of herself as pretty at all ‘No, no, I am as ugly as a bear.’ She also compares herself to Hermai on many occasions. ‘For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.’
Hermia is bold but it seems like his is a new thing for her, that she is only bold because of her love for Lysander she also is more ladylike then Helana.’I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold.’ Whereas it seems that Helena is naturally a bold person and she is always like that.
However, there is argument that the characters in a Midsummer Night’s Dream are mealy stock characters and they do not have much depth of character, that Shakespeare merely had them to tell the story and what he was really concentrated on was the contrast between dreams and reality.
Hermia has requited love, where as Helena is unrequited in her love for Demetrius. The two are shown to be best friends all though they easily fall out as we see in the fight scene where Demetrius and Lysander, under the spell of the love potion, are declaring there love for Helena who believes this is all an elaborate plot to mock her. ‘I see you all are bent to set against me for your merriment.’ However, when Lysander first declares his love for Helena upon waking, she reminds him straight away of Hermia, perhaps showing her loyalty to her friend even though she is clearly jealous of her.
Helena has low self-esteem and does not think of herself as pretty at all ‘No, no, I am as ugly as a bear.’ She also compares herself to Hermai on many occasions. ‘For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.’
Hermia is bold but it seems like his is a new thing for her, that she is only bold because of her love for Lysander she also is more ladylike then Helana.’I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold.’ Whereas it seems that Helena is naturally a bold person and she is always like that.
However, there is argument that the characters in a Midsummer Night’s Dream are mealy stock characters and they do not have much depth of character, that Shakespeare merely had them to tell the story and what he was really concentrated on was the contrast between dreams and reality.