ENG220Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Hermia, Zoophilia, Merchant Vessel
29/11/17
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night’s Dream Cont’d
Themes in MND:
What is love? (continued)
- Answer 2: Helena’s idea of love is comprised of favor, in terms of physical attraction
and beauty through the eyes. “Ugly as a bear”, constant repetition that love comes
from beauty. That Demetrius doesn’t love her because she is not beautiful and that her
mirrors lie to her.
She describes Hermia’s eyes as beautiful, and have the power to pull you towards
them – magnetic.
Hermia: (3.2.274) ponders why Lysander no longer loves her, and believes that love
and idleness work on one’s eyes.
- Answer 3: Helena’s second theory of “the mind” (1.1.226-245). “error that is shared”
Demetrius is wrong. Helena is wrong as Demetrius has no qualities.
“Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind”, form of her speech becomes a
exercise in visual analysis. Cupid is blind and winged, he is flightly and reckless – a
child so easily swayed in the choice of love. Allegorical analysis of individual parts of
a painting famous for love. Love has power to alter reality.
Why Demetrius loves Hermia: the heat that comes from Hermia’s eyes melts
Demetrius. Also agency of Hermia and Demetrius seeing her eyes changes him. The
argument of love as the mind is not sustainable, as the argument of falling in love, it
could be for staying in love. Demetrius describes as “hailstorm” when he loved
Helena. Now lucky Hermia melts with his wet love – visual and metaphorical
allusions.
- Answer 4: Lysander’s theory (2.2.115-122). Dramatic irony that Lysander is incorrect
on why he doesn’t love Hermia anymore and now love Helena. It is the exact opposite
of Helena’s argument, that his rational mind changed his heart. He’s wrong, it has
nothing to do with reason. But he makes the case that something changes as you grow
up in an emotional household, reason becomes a factor. This is a larger theme of rites
of passage and growing up.
- Answer 5: Love born out of hate (1.1.194-199 and 2.1.200-201). Falling out of love
and disgust (2.2.135) – no neutral state when you fall out of love, there is just disgust.
A brutal moment.
- Answer 6: “true love” vs “false love” (3.2.88-91 and 2.1.266). a categorical and
observable distinction between true love and false love. What is the distinction? The
play doesn’t give us a distinction. It puts these two together and makes them look
identical. Maybe distinction is that one ends in marriage and the other doesn’t. People
would know what true love is. Being “fond” and foolish, and fancy is not love.
- Answer 7: Size matters (3.2.290-295). Language of legal debate “urge”, statuesque. 7
answers of which none work.
The Spectre of Female Homosociality. It is about the need for men to control women – in
both the human and fairy worlds.
- “Am not I thy lord?” (2.1.63): first thing he says to Titania. No, you are not. The
argument about a boy, and offspring. A boy that Titania’s followers has birthed
without male influence.
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Document Summary
Answer 2: helena"s idea of love is comprised of favor, in terms of physical attraction and beauty through the eyes. Ugly as a bear , constant repetition that love comes from beauty. That demetrius doesn"t love her because she is not beautiful and that her mirrors lie to her. She describes hermia"s eyes as beautiful, and have the power to pull you towards them magnetic. Hermia: (3. 2. 274) ponders why lysander no longer loves her, and believes that love and idleness work on one"s eyes. Answer 3: helena"s second theory of the mind (1. 1. 226-245). Helena is wrong as demetrius has no qualities. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind , form of her speech becomes a exercise in visual analysis. Cupid is blind and winged, he is flightly and reckless a child so easily swayed in the choice of love. Allegorical analysis of individual parts of a painting famous for love.
