The Destructive Properties of Love
Hermia's Playlist
Theme: Love is not always what it seems...
Song One: "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye
Quite literally, this is how Hermia feels after Lysander dumps her under the magical spell. She would definitely listen to this song in that time, as it expresses her feelings toward lysander; regretful, but still hopeful, that her love may mend the relationship more than it destroyed it.
Song Two: Payphone
Hermia's love for Lysander is portrayed in this song; after Lysander left Hermia, she would listen to this song to relate, similarly to the first song. She tries to lure him back, but eventually realizes it's futile. Lamenting about the situation is the best she can do. Again, similarly to the first song, she would listen to this after the breakup.
Song Three: Because of You by Kelly Clarkson
This is a great interpretation of how Hermia feels towards the chaos going around her; she is confused, sad, lost; and can't believe what happened. She is so distraught that her Lysander is leaving her that she can't accept the truth. She probably thinks that it's her fault, and this song shows that perfectly. Again, she would listen to this right around middle of the play, where all the relationship chaos starts.
Song Four: I won't give up by Jason Mraz
I won't give up on us, Even if the skies get rough, I'm giving you all my love, I'm still looking up
Hermia's feelings towards Lysander relent and continue even while he beats her down. She is confused and hurt, but still protects and supports Lysander, who constantly rebuffs her affections. She still holds on to the hope that he will take her back. She would listen to this song to give her motivation to continue trying to lure Lysander back, from his magical spell.
Song Five: You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift
Pretty obvious how this connects here. This song pretty much sums up the entire second half of the play. The guy is unimpressed with her, goes with another girl, she gets sad and confused. Then, the guy likes her again. On a simple level, this song goes perfectly with the second half. She would listen to this after they get back together as a reminder to what happened.
Song Six: It's Time by Imagine Dragons
This song serves a little bit of a different purpose in this playlist; it portrays Hermia's humbleness and stubbornness. The quote above really relates in two ways:
1) In the beginning of the book, Demetrius liked Hermia. However, her heart was with Lysander, and that remained adamant throughout the entire play.
2) More importantly, she remained sticking loyally to Lysander even after he rejected her multiple times.
Basically, she can't deal with the idea of losing Lysander, and that is the whole point of this theme.
Song Seven: Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
If you're doing or have done this project with any other classes, I'm sure you've heard this song way too many times now. It just, fits too well! Anyways, the reason should be obvious here; Hermia's loyalty to Lysander stays strong and she will Never Give Him Up. She would listen to this the entire play I think, at first to charm Lysander, and during the middle to get him back, and then at the end to promise him her love.
Song Eight: King Of Anything by Sara Bareilles
Hermia could easily relate to this song; her king (Lysander, not the actual king Theseus) has gone missing with another pretty maiden, and she is confused and really disgusted with the whole thing. Hermia would listen to this song at the end of the chaos as an "I'm fed up with this" kind of thing. Maybe even more of a mockery than an actual pleasurable listen.
Song Nine: Like I Can by Sam Smith
This song is the best depiction of her relationship with Lysander during the mixed relationships part of the story. If there were one song she would be singing out to Lysander, it would be this. Honestly, I think she would listen to this song the entire play just cause of how it would cheer her up thinking about Lysander.
Song Ten: Someone Like You by Adele
While a more interesting way to look at it, I think Someone Like You fits the theme pretty well. You can look at it as if she just broke up with Lysander (true), and she needs to find someone else (not true), BUT, instead she just tries to lure Lysander back with the song. Because if you listen to it, it sounds more like a mock or an "I can live without you" kind of bait song to get someone back. So if you dig a little deeper, you realize that this song is a pretty accurate depiction of the drama of the story. She would sing and listen to this song at the end of the breakup to try and get Lysander back, because she is just disgusted by the whole thing.