Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Encyclopedia
Helena is one of the icon
ic four young lovers
in William Shakespeare
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
, and is a very desperate woman. She is generally interpreted as being tall, slim and blonde - her best friend Hermia
calls her a "painted maypole
" during an argument. Although she does not see herself as attractive, she is just as pretty as Hermia. Helena comes from a rich
family
in Athens and, with regards to status
, is towards the higher end of the social hierarchy.
Helena and Demetrius were previously betrothed. Demetrius is known to not care about who he is with. He was first engaged to Helena, but was told to marry Hermia. He was fine with that, but Helena wasn't. She wishes to have his love again. In act I, Scene I, Lysander says "Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head, Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena" showing us that Demetrius is a fickle lover. When she hears that Lysander
and Hermia have planned to elope
, she informs Demetrius in the hope that this will make him love her. However, her plan backfires when Demetrius insists on following them in the hope of winning Hermia's love. Eventually, all four lovers find themselves in the Athenian
forest, where the sleeping Lysander and Demetrius have a love juice
sprinkled into their eyes by an errant fairy
called Puck
. This causes the pair to fall in love with the first person they see when they awaken; for both, this is Helena.
Demetrius and Lysander then begin to declare their love for Helena, and argue with each other over who should claim her affection. Helena, who has been used to being overlooked by men
, believes that the pair are mocking her. Hermia arrives and sees that her lover, Lysander, loves Helena, however refuses to believe him and storms off. This leads to an argument
between Hermia and Helena, and Helena storms off.
When Demetrius and Lysander decide to rest again, Oberon, King
of the Fairies, commands Puck to right the situation. This leads to Lysander falling in love with Hermia again, and eventually, to the marriage of Helena and Demetrius, who remains in love with her due to the love juice Puck had sprinkled on him. Helena continues to love Demetrius as she always has.
Helena is considered to be a very vulnerable, sensitive
and obsessive character, due to her growing up in the shadow of Hermia, as well as because of her treatment by Demetrius: she shows strength and a new belief in herself by refusing his advances when she believes he is making fun of her, despite the fact that he claimed that she was his one true love. Helena can also be a humorous
character at times, particularly during some of her desperate arguments with Demetrius. Overall, Helena is the character who changes most and for the better, changing from a self conscious, lovesick girl into a confident, happy beautiful
woman
.
Helena helps the audience understand key themes and motifs in the play such as the difficulty of love and contrast.
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
ic four young lovers
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, and is a very desperate woman. She is generally interpreted as being tall, slim and blonde - her best friend Hermia
Hermia
Hermia is a science park near Tampere University of Technology . Hermia is located in Hervanta, a suburb of Tampere, Finland. Hermia is also acting as a technology centre for its region....
calls her a "painted maypole
Maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
" during an argument. Although she does not see herself as attractive, she is just as pretty as Hermia. Helena comes from a rich
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
in Athens and, with regards to status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
, is towards the higher end of the social hierarchy.
Helena and Demetrius were previously betrothed. Demetrius is known to not care about who he is with. He was first engaged to Helena, but was told to marry Hermia. He was fine with that, but Helena wasn't. She wishes to have his love again. In act I, Scene I, Lysander says "Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head, Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena" showing us that Demetrius is a fickle lover. When she hears that Lysander
Lysander (Shakespeare)
Lysander is one of the iconic lovers in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. A handsome young man of Athens, Lysander is in love with Hermia and plans to run away from her father with her to escape Athenian law and wed. But his plans are disrupted when Oberon decides to have some...
and Hermia have planned to elope
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
, she informs Demetrius in the hope that this will make him love her. However, her plan backfires when Demetrius insists on following them in the hope of winning Hermia's love. Eventually, all four lovers find themselves in the Athenian
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
forest, where the sleeping Lysander and Demetrius have a love juice
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
sprinkled into their eyes by an errant fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
called Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
. This causes the pair to fall in love with the first person they see when they awaken; for both, this is Helena.
Demetrius and Lysander then begin to declare their love for Helena, and argue with each other over who should claim her affection. Helena, who has been used to being overlooked by men
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...
, believes that the pair are mocking her. Hermia arrives and sees that her lover, Lysander, loves Helena, however refuses to believe him and storms off. This leads to an argument
Argument
In philosophy and logic, an argument is an attempt to persuade someone of something, or give evidence or reasons for accepting a particular conclusion.Argument may also refer to:-Mathematics and computer science:...
between Hermia and Helena, and Helena storms off.
When Demetrius and Lysander decide to rest again, Oberon, King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of the Fairies, commands Puck to right the situation. This leads to Lysander falling in love with Hermia again, and eventually, to the marriage of Helena and Demetrius, who remains in love with her due to the love juice Puck had sprinkled on him. Helena continues to love Demetrius as she always has.
Helena is considered to be a very vulnerable, sensitive
Sensitivity (human)
The sensitivity or insensitivity of a human, often considered with regard to a particular kind of stimulus, is the strength of the feeling it results in, in comparison with the strength of the stimulus...
and obsessive character, due to her growing up in the shadow of Hermia, as well as because of her treatment by Demetrius: she shows strength and a new belief in herself by refusing his advances when she believes he is making fun of her, despite the fact that he claimed that she was his one true love. Helena can also be a humorous
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
character at times, particularly during some of her desperate arguments with Demetrius. Overall, Helena is the character who changes most and for the better, changing from a self conscious, lovesick girl into a confident, happy beautiful
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
woman
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
.
Helena helps the audience understand key themes and motifs in the play such as the difficulty of love and contrast.
Cited sources
- Shakespeare, Willy. A Midsummer Night's Dream. "The Penguin Shakespeare." Penguin Books, 1977.
- Jacobson, Karin. CliffsNotes on A Midsummer Night's Dream. 15 November 2010
- Shakespeare, William. "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Evans, Bertrand, ed.; Lynch, James J., ed. The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1963. 131-238.