A Midsummer Nights Dream: Nature and Consequences of Infatuation :: William Shakespeare

Infatuation is revel which is self-indulgent, obsessive and irrational. It causes people to lose their self-possession and perspective. It is often a product of the spirits, which is of physical infatuation rather than psychic compatibility, so it is appropriate for Oberons love potion to be applied to the eyes which is the strongest senses a person depends on to view the world.The nature of the infatuation Demetrius has for Hermia is fickle and selfish. Demetrius affections whip from capital of Montana to Hermia, sparing no thought for capital of Montana, who is deeply in love with him. Lysander calls Demetrius a ?spotted and inconsistent man?, indicating Demetrius? fickleness towards women, that he is flirtatious and flawed. Demetrius is willing to go to any extent to have Hermia marry him, stock-still allowing Hermia to be subject to a life of a nun or death, if she does not marry him. Demetrius? infatuation with Hermia brings out the tyrannical and possessive relegate of his character, as can be seen when he says ?and, Lysander, yield thy crazed human activity to my certain right?As in the case of Demetrius, infatuation causes Helena to be selfish, thinking only of her own relationship betterment with Demetrius, thus Helena betrays Hermia and Lysander?s secret in the hopes that Demetrius will be satisfying to her and that she could meet him. Helena, too, is infatuated with Demetrius, who ?dotes, devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry? on Demetrius. The repeating of the word ?dotes? emphasizes on the extent of Helena?s besotted state. Helena fails to consider Hermia and Lysander?s feelings and the consequences of her actions, only contemplating on how to have Demetrius? ?sight in that location and back again?.Infatuation causes Helena to lose all sense of dignity, as can be seen when in the woods, she desperately pleads with Demetrius to ?but plow me as your spaniel?. Here, Helena also becomes irrational, obsessed with pursuing Demetrius, though it i s open-and-shut that Demetrius is fixated on winning Hermia?s hand in marriage. Helena?s infatuation also causes her to see things from a skewed perspective, for she falsely believes that when she divulges Hermia?s plans for eloping with Lysander, Demetrius? love for Helena will rekindle. As the audience, we know that the most seeming course of action for Demetrius upon hearing such news is to pursue Lysander and Hermia, or to report them to Theseus or Egeus. Clearly, infatuation has clouded Helena?s energy to think clearly, and she sees things in her own idealistic way.