A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare is considered to be a romantic comedy that highlights Athenian lovers’ adventures. This work is one of the most prominent stories of the author and it is widely known in all countries of the world. The story under analysis sponged some features of mythology in the combination with adventurous motives. During the whole story, Shakespeare strived to show the process of his characters’ change under the influence of social and moral factors. One of the brightest examples of such change among all the characters is Helena, one of the four young lovers of the story.
Helena’s emotional states changes with every passing episode of the story. Unrequited love is the main reason for the complete change of this character. The author showed the transference of the indifference in the jealousy observed in the middle of the book.
“Call you me fair… motion of Demetrius’ heart”
It underlines the completely indifferent attitude of Helena to the feelings of her beloved person. While gradually Shakespeare shows how her jealousy grows and influences her behavior and actions. The concept of love is the most influential in the formation of the character’s individuality which is completed only at the end of the story.
Helena changed her relationship with Hermia after the Puck’s intervention with love potion. Shakespeare highlighted their friendship at the very beginning of the story being at school.
“All school-day friendship, childhood innocence?”
Being friends they tried to do everything together. They had trust in their relations and were ready to tell everything to each other.
“As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds
had been incorporated. So we grew together.”
The intervention of Demetrius and Lysander became the main reason for the rapid change of their relationships, for the disappearance of their friendship.
“You thief of love. What, have you come by night
and stolen my love’s heart from him?”
Thus, Helena’s attitude to Hermia changed completely because of the love potion effect. Two former friends lost trust in each other because of the feelings, emotionality and fight of their men.
Helena is considered one of the most significant changes for the better because she managed to turn from a lovesick girl into a really happy and independent woman. At the beginning of the story, Helena was a naïve and unsuspecting girl who never considered herself to be a beautiful woman. But further on Shakespeare showed the new character of Helena who is a strong and self-confident woman managing to refuse Demetrius’ advance who just made some fun of her. The author showed that Helena was able to show belief in herself and express her individuality.
Thus, it should be noted that the character of Helen is the brightest one in the story because one can observe all the stages of her change during the adventure. She is an example of a woman who despite love difficulties was able to resist society and show her personal individuality. Her change in emotionality and in her relationships with Hermia proved her strong character. It helped her to become an independent and self-confident personality.