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INTRODUCTION
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare contends that love is a difficult and complex emotion, more often than not leading to negative consequences for those that experience it.¹ Throughout his Elizabethan play, Shakespeare effectively characterises the profound pain and dangerous, irrational jealousy that love brings about, and challenges the notion that it is an empowering force. Furthermore, the characters’ behaviour in A Midsummer Night’s Dream rapidly shifts from sensible to foolish when they become mere victims² under the influence of love. Hence, the play explores the nuances of love, and its propensity to exacerbate suffering.³
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1. This is my general thesis statement which reflects my belief about how love can turn individuals into its victims. It’s important to state this clearly and effectively in the very first sentence of your essay.
2. Even though I have used other phrases that clearly link to the prompt (e.g. ‘the negative consequences for those that experience love’), it is good to use the exact key words from the essay topic (i.e. ‘victims’) in the introduction, just to solidify the relevance of this contention.
3. Restating the thesis is also vital, as it reminds the marker what you are arguing.
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PARAGRAPH 1
The characters of A Midsummer Night’s Dream are portrayed as deeply hurt and damaged by love, as opposed to uplifted by it.⁴ From the opening scene, Hermia is introduced as a young woman who is torn between keeping her own life or pursuing her love for Lysander – something which causes an immense amount of pain. This is effectively represented in her repetitious laments, “O spite! too old to be engaged to young,” and “O hell! to choose love by another’s eyes,” which underscore her misery.⁵ Even though Hermia loves Lysander, who loves her in return, she still suffers because of the choice she has to make between love or self-interest, thus proving that she is a victim of the love she experiences.⁶ This notion is furthered in Shakespeare’s depiction of Helena, who by contrast is a victim of unrequited love.⁷ This is portrayed in the dialogue between the two characters in Act 1 Scene 1, which sees Hermia cry, “the more I hate, the more he follows me,” to which Helena responds, “The more I love, the more he hateth me.” This deliberate doubling by Shakespeare reveals that both characters, whether they are loved or unloved, are suffering emotional turmoil. Through Hermia and Helena’s emotional suffering as a result of their affection, Shakespeare laments the victimhood that love creates, and shows how this takes its toll on the characters of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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4. Here I have my first topic sentence, which introduces my first point and links it with my overall thesis statement. It’s important that your topic statement is analytical rather than descriptive, as markers want to see you making a judgement call, rather than simply summarising part of the text.
5. I have included two specific quotes here in order to demonstrate my detailed knowledge of the text. I have also identified the technique, something which further proves to the marker that I know what I am talking about, and I understand the function of structural features within the text.
6. This is a concise explanation of the evidence I have presented. It also brings me back to my argument and the core of the prompt to ensure that I’m not getting off track.
7. Here I have introduced a related, but different piece of evidence. This is a great way to add sophistication to your body paragraphs! Don’t just give your marker two examples of the exact same idea – instead, use similar examples but explain their unique differences, as this allows you to more easily further your arguments and stand out from the crowd!
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PARAGRAPH 2
In addition to being a painful experience, love also has the potential to negatively transform an individual’s behaviour, a notion which Shakespeare draws upon to represent his characters as victims of love⁸. This is particularly evident in Shakespeare’s depiction of Titania⁹, the Queen of the Fairies, to demonstrate the powerfully negative transformative effects of love. Titania, under the influence of the flower, falls in love with Bottom, who she transforms in her eyes, into a desirable lover, as seen in the synecdoche, “Mine ear is much enamored of thy note.” Titania is so transformed by her love for Bottom that she fails to recognise that he is singing poorly and her behaviour is adjusted too. When she wakes, she remarks “O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now,” underscoring her humiliation and sense of shame. This shift in an individual’s behaviour into irrational foolishness can also be seen in the portrayal of Helena, whose desperate language such as, “I am as ugly as a bear¹⁰,” serves as a testament to the demise of her respectability – a direct consequence of the influence of love. Thus, through observing the representations of Helena and Titania’s transformed behaviour, the audience recognises that A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s characters are undoubtedly victims of the love they experience.
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8. Here I have introduced my second point, but I have done so in relation to the first. It’s important that your essay sounds like a cohesive effort and just 3 or 4 entirely separate arguments. Using linking words, and building upon the ideas like this is an excellent way to ensure your piece has cohesion.
9. Notice how we’re talking about the characters as though they’re products of the author’s intention? This is another great strategy to put your essay in the high-range territory (i.e. write about the author’s characterisation of Titania, not just about Titania).
10. It’s a good idea to integrate your quotes into your sentences rather than just throwing them in there. In doing this, your essay will sound more sophisticated, and your use of evidence will be much stronger.
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PARAGRAPH 3
As well as being able to evoke foolish behaviour, love can also elicit jealousy, another driving factor behind the high representation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s characters as casualties of love. This especially true of Oberon, who is characterised by Shakespeare as a controlling and obsessive husband when faced with jealousy caused by his love for Titania. Oberon abuses his power by ordering Puck to subject Titania to the juices of the flower in the hope that it’ll “make [Titania] render up her page to me.”¹¹ This manipulation of Titania out of jealousy demonstrates that both Oberon and Titania are victims of love as it negatively impacts their relationship. Moreover, Shakespeare suggests¹² that unrequited love also begets jealousy, as seen in the fight between Hermia and Helena. When Hermia realises that Lysander has left her for Helena, she turns on her best friend, pejoratively attacking her as “You juggler, you canker blossom, / You thief of love!”¹³ Thus, through their friendship, as well as Titania and Oberon’s relationship, Shakespeare emphasises the victimhood that characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream experience as a result of love.¹⁴
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11. Remember that you can use [square brackets] to modify quotes and add, remove, or clarify information as needed.
12. Always make frequent use of authorial verbs like ‘the author suggests’ or ‘Shakespeare highlights’ – these can help you avoid summary and ensure you are actually analysing the text.
13. When quoting Shakespearean verse, try your hardest to remember to put the forward slash in every line break. Not all teachers will insist on this, but it’s best to try and ensure your quotes are always as accurate as possible.
14. It’s a good idea to end your paragraphs with sentences like ‘Thus...’ or ‘Hence...’ in order to make your overall argument extra clear for both you and your assessor.
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CONCLUSION
Ultimately, A Midsummer Night’s Dream explores the negative and chaotic ramifications of love and thus the characters are to a high extent victims of their emotions, and the emotions of others.¹⁵ Each character is uniquely impacted by the inexplicability and elusiveness of love and in turn, each one falls prey to its machinations. Thus, through the portrayal of individuals who are casualties of love, Shakespeare’s play warns against the dangers of love that may otherwise be overlooked, and cautions audiences against pursuing love at all costs.¹⁶
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15. A conclusion should always restate your thesis and summarise your argument.
16. Though not always a requirement, ending your conclusion with a grand, overarching statement about the message of the text as a whole is a great way to end strongly!
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