Saturday, February 16, 2013

In "A Midsummer Night's Dream," what part of her appearance does Hermia believe Helena has exploited to win Lysander's love?

Hermia and Helena are described as opposites of one another. They are both beautiful, but in different ways: Helena is seen as tall, thin, and fair of skin, and Hermia is seen as voluptuous and has darker hair. When Hermia discovers that her sweet Lysander has fallen in love with Helena, she believes that Helena has used her height to gain Lysander's affections:

HERMIA:

‘Puppet!’ why so? Ay, that way goes the game.
Now I perceive that she hath made compare(300)
Between our statures; she hath urged her height;
And with her personage, her tall personage,
Her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him.
And are you grown so high in his esteem
Because I am so dwarfish and so low?(305)

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the main function of the fool in "King Lear"? What is the secondly function?

The fool as a character is confusing, but part of this is the difference between the 1600s and today, as well as the difference in place. If...