A Midsummer Night's Dream
Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 305-344
Summary
Most Important Quote
"I told him of your stealth unto this wood." (III.ii.310)
-Paraphrase
I told him that you ran away.
-Why is this quote so important?
Because Helena had told Demetrius that Hermia had fled with Lysander, Demetrius followed them into the forest. If Helena hadn't told him about the flee, she and Demetrius wouldn't have ended up in the forest, and Lysander wouldn't fall in love with Helena.
Character Analysis for Helena
-Who is she?
She is Hermia’s best friend and the lover of Demetrius.
-Why is she significant?
Demetrius is supposed to fall in love with her, but instead, Lysander falls in love with her and creates a problem. She is significant because she is the reason magic was brought to the forest.
-What type of conflict is this character encountering?
She is loved by her best friend’s boyfriend and creates a problem between her and Hermia.
-Which character trait is affecting the conflict? How is it affecting the conflict?
Helena is tall. She constantly uses this trait against Hermia because Hermia is shorter than her.
Character Analysis for Hermia
-Who is she?
Hermia loves Lysander and is Helena’s best friend. Hermia is loved by Demetrius.
-Why is she significant?
Hermia is significant because if she wasn’t in love with Lysander, then there wouldn’t be a conflict between her and Helena.
-What type of conflict is this character encountering?
The conflict Hermia is involved in is that her boyfriend is in love with her best friend.
-Which character trait is affecting the conflict? How is it affecting the conflict?
The fact that Hermia is shorter than Helena is affecting the conflict. Hermia is insulted by Helena because of this. Hermia thinks that Helena’s long legs are the reason that her boyfriend now loves her instead.Character Analysis for Lysander
-Who is he?
Lysander is Hermia’s lover but now he loves Helena.
-Why is he significant?
He is supposed to love Hermia because he ran into the woods with her but when he is in the woods, he falls in love with Helena.
-What type of conflict is this character encountering?
Lysander was drugged with magic and now he loves Helena instead of Hermia.
-Which character trait is affecting the conflict? How is it affecting the conflict?
His friendliness is affecting the conflict because he now loves Helena but he really does not know what is going on and he is trying to be nice about everything.
Character Analysis for Demetrius
-Who is he?
He is the man who is in love with Helena, and is loved by Hermia.
-Why is he significant?
He sets up a love triangle doomed to fail.
-What type of conflict is this character encountering?
First, his love, Hermia, runs off into the forest with Lysander. Then, Demetrius is drugged into loving Helena, but Lysander is also magically in love with Helena. This creates a conflict between the two men.-Which character trait is affecting the conflict? How is it affecting the conflict?
Demetrius is very self-confident. This affects the conflict because he thinks he is more worthy of Helena than Lysander is.