Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What are some character traits of Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Demetrius shows insensitivity to other people's needs, doggedness in pursuing his desires, and a tendency to flip-flop in love.


As the play opens, Demetrius has prevailed upon Hermia's father to force Hermia to marry him. He loves her, or so he says, but seems insensitive to her love for Lysander. If he really loved her, one might think, he would let her go, but he seems more focused on his own desires than hers. Demetrius is also insensitive to Helena, who follows him to the forest out of love. He tells her to get lost and hopes wild beasts will devour her.


Demetrius is determined and dogged in his pursuit of Hermia as long as she is the chief object of his desire. Not only does he try to force her to marry him, he pursues her and Lysander into the woods. He doesn't give up easily.


Demetrius had been in love with Helena, but changed his mind. He may love intensely, but that love might not last. As critics like Rene Girard contend, the love potions only reveal tendencies in characters that were already there. It's not terribly surprising given his past that Demetrius flip-flops from one woman to the other.

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