The daughter of Egeus and the beloved of Lysander and Demetrius (at least at the beginning of the play). She is strong-willed, believes in her right to choose her husband based on love, and is fiercely loyal. When crossed, Hermia can become a downright vixen. Hermia is beautiful and has dark hair, though she's small in stature and somewhat sensitive about it.
Hermia Quotes in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The A Midsummer Night's Dream quotes below are all either spoken by Hermia or refer to Hermia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, scene 1
Quotes
But earthlier happy is the rose distilled
Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness. (76)
Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness. (76)
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. (227)
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. (227)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, scene 2
Quotes
Lord, what fools these mortals be! (117)
Related Characters:
Robin Goodfellow (Puck) (speaker), Hermia, Helena, Lysander, Demetrius
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment:
If you we re civil and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so;
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
And now both rivals, to mock Helena:
A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derision! none of noble sort
Would so offend a virgin, and extort
A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport. (147)
To set against me for your merriment:
If you we re civil and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so;
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
And now both rivals, to mock Helena:
A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derision! none of noble sort
Would so offend a virgin, and extort
A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport. (147)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, scene 1
Quotes
Get the entire Midsummer LitChart as a printable PDF.
Hermia Character Timeline in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The timeline below shows where the character Hermia appears in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, scene 1
An angry Athenian nobleman Egeus, enters, with his daughter Hermia and her two suitors Lysander and Demetrius. Egeus explains to Theseus that he wants his...
(full context)
Theseus speaks to Hermia, advising her to obey her father, and adding that Demetrius is a worthy man. When...
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Hermia wishes her father could look at Lysander through her eyes, but Theseus responds, "Rather your...
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Hermia asks what will happen if she refuses to marry Demetrius. Theseus gives the following choices:...
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Demetrius asks Hermia to relent and marry him. But Lysander snaps that since Demetrius has Egeus's love, he...
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...and wealthy as Demetrius. He adds that Demetrius is an inconstant lover: before he met Hermia, Demetrius wooed and won the heart of a woman named Helena.
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...disturbed by these facts, but says he cannot change the laws of Athens. He advises Hermia to obey her father, and tells Egeus and Demetrius to come with him, so he...
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Now alone, Lysander and Hermia discuss the troubles lovers of history have had to face, from war and sickness to...
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Just then, Hermia's childhood friend and Demetrius's former love, Helena, enters. She wishes she had Hermia's beauty so...
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...base and vile" to "form and dignity." She notes that she is as beautiful as Hermia, but that Demetrius can't see it. And she adds that love is like an inconstant...
(full context)
Act 2, scene 2
Lysander and Hermia enter. They've gotten lost, and decide to spend the night where they are. Lysander wants...
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Once Hermia and Lysander fall asleep, Puck enters, complaining that he's searched the forest and hasn't found...
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...He curses Demetrius for mistreating her, and regrets all "the tedious minutes" he spent with Hermia now that he loves Helena. Helena thinks Lysander is mocking her. She exits. Lysander tells...
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Hermia suddenly wakes from a nightmare in which a serpent was eating her heart while Lysander...
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Act 3, scene 2
...the Athenian youth and Puck says he used the potion as Oberon asked, Demetrius and Hermia enter, fighting. Hermia suspects Demetrius has harmed Lysander because she doesn't believe he would abandon...
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...fight and argue over Helena, and each tries to get the other to settle for Hermia.
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As Demetrius and Lysander argue, Hermia enters. She demands to know why Lysander abandoned her. Lysander tells her it was love...
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Hermia can't understand why Helena would accuse her of such a thing. She demands Lysander tell...
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...women alone and go into the woods to duel for Helena's love. Helena, frightened of Hermia, turns and runs. Hermia follows in hot pursuit.
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Act 4, scene 1
...at Theseus's castle in honor of Duke Theseus's wedding and the weddings of Lysander and Hermia and Demetrius and Helena.
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...peacefully in the same glade. Lysander isn't sure, but explains his plan to elope with Hermia. Egeus wants Lysander and Hermia punished, but Demetrius says that although he followed Hermia into...
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