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Dramatic Irony
Key Examples in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Act 1, scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Helena and Hermia:
Helena and Hermia serve as foils for each other because they are always in competition for romantic affection. The conflict that is created by their relationships with Demetrius and Lysander is complicated by continuous unrequited love and rejection. Hermia and Helena are also best friends, and their lives are entangled even before they enter the forest. At the start of the play, both of the men love Hermia, and Helena’s devotion to Demetrius makes her want to be just like her friend. In Act 1, Scene 1, Helena says:
Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The rest I’d give to be to you translated.
O’ teach me how you look and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart!
Explanation and Analysis—The Couples:
Two of the central couples in the play—Hippolyta and Theseus, on the one hand, and Titania and Oberon, on the other—serve as foils to each other. The most immediate similarity between these four is that they're all in positions of leadership; Oberon and Titania are king and queen of the Fairies, and Theseus is the Duke of Athens and has taken the Amazonian Queen, Hippolyta, as his soon-to-be wife. Therefore, as characters move between the Fairie kingdoms of the forest and the court of Athens, they tread the boundaries between these two territories. The relationship between their leaders grows more complicated as the audience learns of the previous relationships between the four powerful figures. In Act 2, Scene 1, Oberon and Titania begin to argue, and Titania mentions Hippolyta, revealing that Hippolyta and Oberon were previously lovers. Oberon responds:
Unlock with LitCharts A+How canst thou thus for shame, Titania
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?
Glance at my credit with Hippolyta,
Related Themes:
Act 2, scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—The Couples:
Two of the central couples in the play—Hippolyta and Theseus, on the one hand, and Titania and Oberon, on the other—serve as foils to each other. The most immediate similarity between these four is that they're all in positions of leadership; Oberon and Titania are king and queen of the Fairies, and Theseus is the Duke of Athens and has taken the Amazonian Queen, Hippolyta, as his soon-to-be wife. Therefore, as characters move between the Fairie kingdoms of the forest and the court of Athens, they tread the boundaries between these two territories. The relationship between their leaders grows more complicated as the audience learns of the previous relationships between the four powerful figures. In Act 2, Scene 1, Oberon and Titania begin to argue, and Titania mentions Hippolyta, revealing that Hippolyta and Oberon were previously lovers. Oberon responds:
Unlock with LitCharts A+How canst thou thus for shame, Titania
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?
Glance at my credit with Hippolyta,
Related Themes:
Act 5, scene 1
Explanation and Analysis:
After the triple wedding and the resolution of the lovers’ discontents, the court of Athens assembles to watch the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe. The performance of Bottom's relationship to the rest of the players is generally played to humorous effect and therefore becomes a foil for some of the real relationships in the play.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
