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Ms. Zen
English 9E
4/12/19

The Blessing and Curse of Magic Formatted: Centered

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In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are many conflicts between the characters. These Formatted: Font: Not Italic

conflicts have a significant impact on the overall importance of the book. These conflicts are

almost always solved in unrealistic ways that seem very quick, easy and convenient. However

these ways of solving problems often create more problems and are unethical. In A Midsummers

Night’s Dream, relationships are filled with conflict that is ultimately solved with magic.

One example of this is the conflict between Oberon and Titania over the changeling boy.

Titania even “forswore [Oberon’s] bed and company”, meaning that she does not want to see

him or sleep with him again (II.i.62). However, Oberon and Puck’s magic ultimately resolve this

conflict. The magic made Titania fall in love with Bottom, a mortal with the face of a donkey.

Titania even says “out of this wood [I] do not desire to go” and eventually sleeps with him

(III.i.126). After Oberon removes the magic from her eyes she realizes what she did and does not

care about the changeling boy, who Oberon takes. As far as we can see in the book, Oberon and

Titania are happy and Titania never asksed about the changeling boy. Therefore, so this conflict

was is ultimately a positive thing for their relationship. However, since Titania promisedd the

child’s mother that she would take care of the changeling boy while his mother was on his death

bed. Because of this, if Titania found finds out that she is being was tricked ed withby magic

into giving up the changeling boy she would likely be very mad and have a bigger conflict thaen

the original conflict at hand.

Another conflict in A Midsummers Night Dream that is ultimately solved with magic is a

complex one involving Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius. The fairies try to solve the
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Ms. Zen
English 9E
4/12/19

love triangle by using magic to make Demetrius love Helena but fail and make both Lysander

and Demetrius love Helena, leaving both Hermia and Helena confused and suspicious of each

other. At firsfirst, the use of magic ruins all relationships involved because Helena thinks that it

is all a cruel joke on her. Meanwhile, , Hermia thinks that Helena betrayed herher, and that

Demetrius killed Lysander. Due to this a massive and a fight between both Hermia and Helena

and alsoand between Lysander and Demetrius ensued. However, the fairies eventually fixed the

problem and made Demetrius love Helena and Lysander love Hermia again and they are happy,

with Hermia getting to marry Lysander who she loved in the first place and Helena getting to

marry Demetrius who she loved in the first place. Even though the use of magic starts this

conflict in the first place, uUltimately, the magic worked and resulted in a good outcome for

Hermia, Helena and Lysander. However, though the magic makes Demetrius think that he loves

Helena, but before the magic was in place, he had told Helena “I love thee not therefore pursue

me not” (II.i.188). Therefore, unbeknownst to him, the magic completely changed his views on

someone who now wants to marry him which is extremely unethical.

Although the conflict between Oberon and Titania over the ownership and use of the

changeling boy and between Hermia, and Lysanders love and Helena, Lysander and

Demetrius’s love ended with the desired outcome due to the magic being used by the fairies, not

all conflict ended this way. Hermia and her father, Egeus experienced conflict in their

relationship when Egeus refused to allow Hermia to marry Lysander, who she loved and instead

tried to force a marriage between Hermia and Demetrius. Egeus says that since “she is [his]” to

do whatever he wants to, Hermia must marry “spotted and inconsistent” Demetrius and not

“beloved” Lysander (I.i.97,110,104). This conflict has a substantial impact on Egeus and
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Ms. Zen
English 9E
4/12/19

Hermia’s relationship, even prompting Hermia to run away to marry Lysander in the isolated

woods.

The conflict between Hermia and Egeus is never solved., and Tthe fact that it is Formatted: Centered, Indent: Left: 0.5", Line spacing:
the only conflict in the book that is not altered by magic and the only conflict that is not Multiple 1.15 li

solved shows is Shakespeare implementing morals into the story. The lesson of this
particular storystory is that the magic is an easy and quick way to mask the conflict in a
relationship, but when magic is not involved conflict can be much harder, or impossible
to resolve. The magic was a quicker and easier route to resolving the conflict but in real
life magic is not a viable option to solving conflict in relationships.