|
Have questions?
Contact us
Already a member? Sign in
|
Get every literary device explanation for A Midsummer Night's DreamPlus so much more...
Sign up for LitCharts A+Get instant access to every literary device explanation, plus so much more...
Dramatic Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Confusion and Spite:
In Act 3, Scene 2, the consequences of Robin’s mistakes have led the lovers into great conflict. The audience has seen the source of the dramatic change Lysander and Demetrius’s behavior, but the lovers themselves are mystified and hurt by the switch up. The dramatic irony created by the magical interference in their affections prevails throughout their scenes of conflict. When Hermia shows up, hurt that Lysander left her behind while she was sleeping, Helena reaches her limit. She says:
Lo, she is one of this confederacy!
Now I perceive they have conjoined all three
To fashion this false sport in spite of me.
Helena believes that Lysander and Demetrius are mocking her by pretending to be in love with her. She goes on to accuse Hermia of setting Lysander and Demetrius on her, despite their friendship, and she expresses the depth of her hurt and confusion. Helena feels baited, and she decides that the other three are in on it together. The dramatic irony created by Robin’s liberal application of the love potion thrives on the lovers’ seriousness. Both the depth of their loving relationships and the manipulation that shifts their affection makes for these extreme scenes of drama between the four of them. The audience is helpless, as they understand that the lovers are being manipulated. The extended dramatic irony makes the hardship of love seem blinding and inescapable, as the characters suffer for each other senselessly. Their conflict is due to a simple misunderstanding, and yet the consequences are extreme.
Monthly
Annual (Best Value)
$595USD/mo
Charged $71.40 USD every year
Teacher$795USD/mo
Charged $95.40 USD every year
Literature Guide PDFs
LitCharts PDFs for every book you'll read this year.
Instant PDF downloads of all 2238 LitCharts literature guides and of every new one we publish. Try a free sample literature guide.
"Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!"
Quotes Explanations
Find the perfect quote. Understand it perfectly. Then rock the citation, too.
For all 49,919 quotes we cover.
For all 49,919 quotes we cover.
Teacher Editions
Close reading made easy for students.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.
Common Core-aligned
PDFs of modern translations of every one of Shakespeare's 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 3 longer poems.
Literary Terms and Devices
Definitions and examples for every literary term and device you need to know.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.
Try a free sample literary term PDF.
Advanced Search
Refine any search. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more.
Related Themes
Comparing and contrasting texts? Find where any theme occurs across all of LitCharts in seconds.
Poetry Guides
Line-by-line explanations and analysis of figurative language and poetic devices.
For every lyric poem we cover.
For every lyric poem we cover.
