Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so.
He will not know what all but he do know.
And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.
Things base and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity.
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. (Shakespeare 142)
Now, there can be no denial of the fact that the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, penned by William Shakespeare is one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed works in the history of literature. In the extracted lines from the contextual play, the character of Helena can be found talking about the irrational nature of the emotion of love. It has to be reckoned that the speech is very important in relation to the portraiture of love as an inexplicable, erratic yet very powerful emotion in the course of the play in context. Here, Helena is distressed due to the fact that Demetrius is in love with Hermia although she is as beautiful herself. Nonetheless, Demetrius is unable to see her beauty. The speaker expresses about doting on Demetrius just like the way the male character dotes on Hermia. The words express how love has the power to transform the ugly into something that is immensely beautiful to one’s lover. Thus, one can understand that the lines that have been extracted sum up the thematic content of this Shakespearean play. The lines explicate the very conceptual notion of love as shown through the events in the play and the interpersonal relationship or emotions of the characters. It becomes clear that love does not depend on the objective assessment of the appearance, but on the perception of the person who is loved by someone. The very essence of the Shakespearean play is shown in these very important lines said by the character in context. It can be opined that the extracted lines prefigure the scrutiny of the concept of love in the play and leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the audience who are stirred by the articulation of one of the strongest emotions of the human heart.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In The Dramatic Works of
William Shakespeare. London: Mason & Co., 1823.
