Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is, by definition, a comedy about love, but it has some very interesting things to say in the process regarding the nature of love and choice. Throughout the course of the play, many characters have difficulty with love - not the least of which being Nick Bottom - and the various problems characters endure to win over their loves are many. Lysander states as one point, "The course of true love never did run smooth"; this perfectly encapsulates this central theme to A Midsummer Night's Dream (I.i. 134). The nature of choice in love is explored in particular - are people able to fall in love truly, or do they need to be coerced with spells and trickery? According to Shakespeare, love is difficult but enduring - spells wear off, and true love wins out as needs be.
Nick Bottom's story is the ultimate example of Shakespeare's viewpoints in A Midsummer Night's Dream. A foolish, arrogant actor who does not know just how bad he is, he falls in love as a result of a spell placed on Titania by Puch, which also turns his head into that of an ass. The two characters meet, and Titania showers him with affection, including the efforts of Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Mote, several fairies who are tasked to provide him with every desire. Bottom still has no idea that he has a different head than he normally does, chalking this attraction by a beautiful women merely up to his own natural charisma and handsomeness. Instead, this love endures the difficulty of being caused by Puck's spell, and therefore not being real; Titania's choice has been removed.
Bottom's and Titania's romance continues in the grove in Act IV, scene i, as they lay down in the grove in order to kiss his "fair large ears" (IV.i.4). Taking the possibilities of having servants with great relish, Bottom assigns them various tasks, such as scratching his head and finding honey for him. He also expresses a desire for hay, but he does not connect this at all to any change in his behavior or body; becoming tired, he falls asleep in Titania's arms; despite his selfish and boorish behavior, Titania still cries out "O how I love thee, how I dote on thee!" (IV.i.42). The spell that gave Bottom an asses' head also makes him involuntarily act like an ass; he does not notice this change due to his boorishness and ignorance, but this still removes choice from him. Furthermore, Titania's love remains despite his obnoxious and ugly behavior.
When Oberon comes along and lifts the spell in their slumber, Titania awakes to believe that it was all a dream: ” My Oberon! what visions have I seen! Methought I was enamour'd of an ass" (IV.i.76-77). This is in stark contrast to what Bottom thinks of himself; instead of being disgusted, he believes that Titania is fiercely in love with him. This is not due to some divine intervention, or even in spite of his head being that of an ass, but merely due to his perceived incredible nature and charm. By presenting this reality, it helps to provide more and more of a cognitive dissonance between what Bottom perceives to be true and the reality of his situation. Shakespeare presents this dichotomy between what people think love is and what it really is as yet another difficulty to overcome; Bottom knows he is in love, but does not realize that Titania's love was not real.
Of course, other storylines contain this theme of difficulty and one-sided love; Helena, who desperately loves Demetrius despite his not loving her back. Unlike Bottom's headstrong love for Titania, Helena is always uncertain and self-conscious, stating that "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind" (I.i. 234). These traits are emphasized greatly when she encounters the love potion, as she does not believe Lysander when he confesses that he loves her instead. The fact that everyone's attitudes are changed so drastically by the potion removes the choice from them shows that these things would not happen if people were given their agency.
In conclusion, Shakespeare's ideas of the difficult nature of love, and the fickle and precarious nature of choice, are present throughout A Midsummer Night's Dream. When Titania falls in love with Bottom, despite it being the fault of a love potion, he simply believes that it is part and parcel of the way he lives. It is completely feasible and ordinary that such a beautiful, magical figure would fall in love with him. This idea, more than anything, shows the discrepancy between both love and choice that Shakespeare explores in the play. Bottom is truly in love, but that is due to the affection that Titania gives him through no choice of her own.
References
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Oxford University Press, 2009.
