Dreams and Nightmares

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are the ones that are hurting them.

The relationship between men and women in "MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM", is based off of love, the main theme of the play. However, it seems to be fake love that they are after. They swear true and lasting love to each other, but their love is actually temporary. They swear their love onto someone else within moments and forget the ones they loved before. Demetrius had once loved Helena, but now he hates her because he loves her best friend. Theseus also seems like he’s had multiple affairs before Hippolyta. Titania and Lysander, under the spell of the potion also changes their focus of affection and falls madly in love with somebody else. Even though this is driven by the love potion, Shakespeare brings out the true behaviors of couples in our society. In this play, the men are the dominant figures in women’s lives, the fathers control the females before marriage and later their husbands do.

In Shakespeare’s "MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM" the gender roles are very obvious and it portrays how women in Shakespearean society were expected to behave. The jealousy between the four lovers caused a problem in which Hermia and Helena destroy their lifelong friendship, betray each other and argue. This shows that women often let men get away with breaking their heart and ruining their friendships. They also accept their roles as the weaker sex. The men take pride in dominating their women and setting standards for them. Although there’s love between a man a woman in a relationship, it is often short lived, but when couples find true love, their happiness can bring peace.