Hermia's Playlist
By Jackson Dowden
Theme: Love is dangerous and confusing but also a strong and driving force
In the play A Midnight Summer's Dream by William Shakespeare, the playwright expresses the idea that love is a strong, driving force that can sometimes be confusing or dangerous. Most of the character's actions are motivated by love, especially Hermia's. Almost every time you encounter a scene with her she is either arguing for her love or expressing her own love to Lysander. The author also portrays love having trouble or being confusing through both characters; Hermia and Helena. Hermia becoming confused why Lysander no longer loves her while Helena can't understand why Lysander is "pretending" to love her.
Song #1: "Under Pressure" by Queen
At the beginning of A Midnight Summer's Dream Hermia is forced to make a choice between marrying someone she doesn't love, becoming a nun, or death. There is a lot of pressure and she is growing resentful of her father, the one who is forcing her to choose. The family is splitting and Hermia is going through a hard time, making "Under Pressure" a perfect choice for her situation. This shows Hermia that love can be dangerous, because if she continues to love Lysander instead of Demetrius, she might die.
Song #2: "Love Stinks" By J Geils Band
In the play, after Robin Goodfellow puts magic flower (dust?) on Hermia's lover, Lysander, making him love Helena her situation is pretty much the same as the lyrics above. However, you would first need to switch some of the her's and him's to look like this : "You love him, but he loves her, and she loves somebody else." then it would fit perfectly. This is a song for people going through a heart break and during this time, Hermia has recently been insulted by her lover. These specific lyrics really show how confusing her love life has become.
Song #3: "Young Turks" By Rod Stewart
Close to the beginning of the play, Hermia decides to run away with her boyfriend Lysander. She is spurred to make this decision because of the pressure her father has been applying to her. They run off together because of love and this song is about two lovers running away. Much like the song "Under Pressure," "Young Turks" shows Hermia the dangers of love because if they get caught she will be dragged back to her father to face his wrath.
Song #4: "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
Song #5: "Love is a BattleField" by Pat Benatar
Song #6: "You're My Best Friend" by Queen
Song #7: "We Can Work It Out" By The Beatles
While Lysander is in love with Helena because of the magic love flower, he insults Hermia insisting that he now loves Helena. Hermia feels extremely hurt and confused and these lyrics above are pretty much what I imagine she feels like saying. These lyrics would be directed at Lysander show her how confusing love can be.