Unrequited Love
Helena's Playlist
Theme: When love is not mutual between two people it usually does not end well.
During the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare there are multiple examples of the theme that love does not work when it is one sided, mainly with Helena and Demetrius. Helena is madly in love with Demetrius, but he doesn't, and does not understand why she is so obsessed with him and why she won't let it go.
U2 - With Or Without You
Track One: "With Or Without You By" by U2
Helena would listen to the whole song, because every section of the song has something that conveys her emotions. For example, in the first verse, the line "and I wait without you" describes how Helena is waiting for Demetrius to love her again. Also, in the chorus, the line, "I can't live, with or without you," it shows Helena's pain of watching Demetrius going after Hermia. Helena's emotions are directed towards Demetrius, who doesn't want to be with her. This song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because it brings out her longing feelings for Demetrius.
Taylor Swift - I'm Only Me When I'm With You
Track 2: "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift.
Helena would listen to the first verse because one of the lines is "And I know everything about you, I don't want to live without you," which shows the more obsessive side of Helena, the fact that she knows all about Demetrius and can't live without him. She is directing the sentiments of the song towards Demetrius, who does not want to be with her. This song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because she realizes that when she madly loves Demetrius and he doesn't love her back, it is hard for both of them.
Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
Track 3: "You Belong With Me" By Taylor Swift
Helena would listen to the second verse because the line "I know you better than that. Hey what you doing with a girl like that?", relates to how Demetrius left Helena and is now arranged to marry Hermia. There is a lot of pain for Helena because Hermia is her friend, even if Hermia doesn't love Demetrius back. Helena would direct the sentiments of the song to Demetrius and partially Hermia because of Demetrius' love for her. This song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because the song conveys that usually when love is not mutual between two people, one person loves someone else that is not the other of the two people, making it a difficult situation for the person who does have feelings for them.
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
Track 4: "Torn" By Natalie Imbruglia
Helena would listen to the chorus because the line "I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel," related to how Helena feels about her love for Demetrius. She directs the sentiments of the song towards Demetrius, because she had all she ever wanted, but now she is torn that he left her to be with Hermia. This advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because the song would help her relate to someone else who had someone they loved leave for someone else.
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) - official video
Track 5: "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye feat. Kimbra
Helena would listen to the chorus because the line "But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough" relates to how Demetrius just shrugs her off and ignores her. Helena would direct the sentiments of the song to Demetrius because he is the one who doesn't treat her like someone he was in love with. The song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because it helps her relate to another person who is in a rough time because someone they love treats them like a stranger.
One and Only - Adele (Lyrics)
Track 6: "One And Only" by Adele
Helena would listen chorus because the line "I dare you to let me be your one and only, Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms," because it relates to how she wants to be with Demetrius, but he wants to be with Hermia. She would direct the sentiments of the song to Demetrius. This advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because it shows that there are many people with the same issue of unrequited love.
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Track 7: "I Will Always Love You" By Whitney Houston
Helena would listen to the chorus and the first verse because the lines "I will always love you" and "We both know I'm not what you, you need" relate to how she will always have feelings for Demetrius, who she would direct the sentiments of the song to. This advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because the song is similar to her situation because both the singer and Helena know the person they love doesn't love them back, but they love the person anyway.
Taylor Swift - Teardrops On My Guitar
Track 8: "Teardrops On My Guitar" by Taylor Swift
Helena would listen to the first verse because the lines "He says he's so in love" and "I wonder if he knows he's all I think about a night" relate to the situation between Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia. She would direct the sentiments of the song towards Demetrius. This song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because the song shows that other people experience unrequited love.
Michael Jackson - This Is It
Track 9: "This Is It" By Michael Jackson
Helena would listen to the chorus, because the line "And you said to me you don't want me hanging around" relates to how Demetrius wants Helena to leave him alone. Helena would direct the sentiments of the song towards Demetrius because he is the one she desperately loves but is shunned by. This song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because it shows that unrequited love is not just one person have feelings and one person not, it can also be the case that one of the people doesn't want the other person's love and instead wants them to leave him/her alone.
Evanescence-Missing Lyrics
Track 10: "Missing" By Evanescence
Helena would listen to the first verse because the line "You forgot me long ago, Am I that unimportant?" relates to the anger Helena has that Demetrius ignores her. She would direct the sentiments of the song toward Demetrius. The song advances Helena's interpretation of the theme because it showcases the anger that can come about from unrequited love.