True Love in a Midsummer Night's Dream Essay Example

Shakespeare, known for plays such as Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest, frequently displays examples of true love. If one were to read A Midsummer Night's Dream at face value then they would most likely assume that this is another example of that, but once the reader fully digests the piece, they find that the true love in this story is not true love at all. It's artificial, no more real than Pyramus and Thisbe, magic and potions, or fairies and the Greenspace.

While the text provides no concrete definition, it is fair to assume that true love holds some form of higher power over its less significant counterpart. It should be stronger, more permanent, and unaffected by the influence of others. It is here that the issue lies, as nearly all examples of "true love " in the text are affected by an outside force. In act 2 it is made clear that there is a God of love, cupid, who, with one arrow can cause people to fall in love. "Flying between the cold moon and the Earth, Cupid all armed. A certain aim he took At a fair vestal thronèd by the west, And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts" (2.1 162-166). It isn't made entirely clear whether he controls all love or just those he chooses but regardless of this, his existence alone challenges the idea of true love. It removes the human element of true love along with the idea of destiny. Cupid can choose who falls in love with who, even if the person has already found their so-called true love.

Even if one were to argue that the love created by cupid is true love, there is still another issue. Demetrius, Lysander, and Titania all fall victim to the effects of a magical potion that causes them to fall madly in love with the next person they see. Oberon even goes on to call it true love. "What hast thou done? Thou hast mistaken quite And laid the love juice on some true-love’s sight. Of thy misprision must perforce ensue Some true-love turned, and not a false turned true" (3.2 90-93). Oberon treats his use of the potion as if he was helping them fufil their destiny but in truth, he is tampering with natural events. He teeters so easily between true love and false that it seems as if there is no distinction at all. If it really was true love, then the assistance of the potion shouldn't be necessary. It also goes to show that no love is permanent as long as this potion exists. 

"The course of true love never did run smooth" (1.1 136). While Lysander’s words may hold a touch of merit, there must exist a cusp between true love and not. This is the case between Oberon and Titania, a couple, bound by marriage, who make no effort to conceal their struggling relationship. The two of them are constantly at each other’s wits battling both with their words and actions. Marriage is thought of as a tool. It is used to signify one's undying love and dedication to another. However, this is not true for Oberon and Titania. “What, jealous Oberon? Fairies, skip hence. I have forsworn his bed and company. Tarry, rash wanton. Am not I thy lord?”

The marriage between Oberon and Titania delegitimizes the others because it shows that you don't need to be in love to marry. It removes the connection between love and marriage. 

Between a god with powers of questionable ethics, a love potion in the wrong hands, and a couple in need of counseling, it is fair to say that true love in A Midsummer Night's Dream isn't true. All this begs the question: does true love exist at all. If this book is any indication, the answer is no.