A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare A Midsummer Night's Dream could easily have been a light-hearted, whimsical comedy. Complete with a magical forest and fairy kingdom, it's an iconic setting for romantic escapades and lovelorn scenes. But Shakespeare's writing is never so superficial; through this romantic comedy, Shakespeare postulates an extremely cynical view of love. A Midsummer Night's Dream becomes a commentary on the mystery of love and lovers in general come away ashamed. Especially in the episodes between the four young Athenians, the lover is depicted as a fickle creature, always changing, and love as a passing phenomenon. Love is not a gentle, unfathomable emotion, but it is ironically cruel, and by the end of the play, the concept of true love is tinged with doubt. The lover is unreliable in A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is first seen in Demetrius' treatment of Helena. At the beginning of the play, Demetrius is already in love with Hermia, but Helena tells us that she was once his love: For before Demetrius looked into Hermia's eyes, he swore that he was mine alone; hane some heat felt by Hermia, so it dissolved, and the oath-shows dissolved (1.1.242-245). Demetrius' oaths lose their meaning, and Helena is left with humiliating love. However, Demetrius is not alone in his changeability; Lysander also quickly replaces one love with another. Although Lysander is somewhat redeemed through the use of the love potion, the fact remains that his love changes. At the beginning of the play he tells Hermia: "[My] heart is united with thine, / so that we may make it one heart" (2.2.47-48), but later insults his sup... .. middle of paper ......and deeper and more sensational than conflicts that are resolved. Is it possible that Demetrius and Elena live happily ever after despite the love that binds them being synthetic? Can Lysander and Hermia ever have a relationship of trust, knowing the fickleness of love? A Midsummer Night's Dream has the potential to be a cheerful work, but it has too many rough edges and difficult scenes to be so. The concept of love is questioned quite convincingly. Here love is not faithful, kind or true; it can be lost and produced, and that is alarming. The play ends happily, with the young people in their respective couples, but the bitter undercurrents are too strong to ignore. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Jerome Beaty et. al. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company,2002. 1614-1670.