For example, Helena and Hermia are most in control when the men are chasing them. ... Helena is desperately in love with Demetrius. ... Already an insecure girl, this does nothing for Helena's self-confidence. ... Hermia is Helena's beautiful but short best friend. ... She thinks that Helena has wooed the men with her height. ...
Lysanders emotions toward his one true love, Hermia, had evacuated his heart and now was spilled upon Helena. ... Demetrius, who thought he was in love with Hermia, now had lasting emotion toward Helena, who was also now loved by Lysander. ... We first see this through the character Helena. Helena is in deep love with Demetrius, the king who Egeus wants to exchange vows with Hermia. ... Just as Helena is following her heart, so too are Hermia and Lysander. ...
In contrast with Hermia, Helena thinks that love makes a person be blind. ... Demetrius loves Helena before doting Hermia. ... Helena replies that the reason of Demetrius's treachery is "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind" (773). In this sentence, "the mind" looks like erotic desire because Helena figures "love " as "blind Cupid". ... And more, Helena thinks that she dotes on Demetrius in the same way that he dotes on Hermia. ...
Helena cries out to Demetrius not to abandon her "darkling", or in the dark (Act II, Scene 2, 85). ... Lysander declares "Not Hermia, but Helena I love" (Act II, Scene 2, 112) and Demetrius showers Helena with words of adoration in Act III, Scene 2, Lines 137-144. ... Helena claims that real love has little to do with the eyes and that the gaze of the mind gives love its true shape, but even in making this assertion Helena is forced to rely on sight imagery: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,/ And therefore is winged Cupid blind" (Act I, Scene 1, 234-235). Helena uses sight ...
In trying to force Hermia's submission to his ideas of love and seemingly sustain his superego, it may be that Egeus is experiencing a conflict in his identity causing his conflict to pour over into other identity conflicts, such as the confused "love square" consisting of Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and "helpless little" Helena. ... Considering the relationship between Helena and Demetrius at the beginning of the play, Helena's remark that "love looks not with the eyes but with the mind" seems to be the major transformation that takes place in all of the characters. ... How ironi...
