Reversals in Act III of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

"Therefore be out of hope, of question, of doubt. / Be certain, nothing truer, 'tis no jest / That I do hate thee and love Helena" (III.2.293). With these words, Lysander irrevocably cements his rejection of Hermia, once the object of his undying love, but now, in the most significant reversal of Act III, doomed to be reviled and despised by Lysander. This is an absolute reversal of Lysander's feelings in the first two acts of the play, in which the love he and Hermia share is powerful enough for them to forsake their home of Athens for a life together in the country with Lysander's aunt, "remote seven leagues" (I.1.161) from the city, essentially living out their lives as exiles. This is, then, a very powerful sense of love between the two, for them to give up everyone and everything they know and love just to be together; we need only look to the words with which Lysander addresses Hermia to see the true reversal that has taken place. "How now, my love? / Why is your cheek so pale? / How chance the roses there do fade so fast?" (I.1.130), Lysander asks of Hermia in Act I, and the phrase speaks of the true love that he feels for Hermia, as he not only literally calls her "my love", but also uses the imagery of a rose, perennial symbol of love and femininity, in describing her face.

We need now but skip ahead to Act III, Scene 2 in order to understand the magnitude of this reversal that has taken place. In this scene, confusion reigns as Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena deal with the consequences of Robin's mistake, and Hermia is desperately trying to understand just what has happened to Lysander. "Away, you Ethiop!" (III.2.265), Lysander commands her when she takes hold of him in desperation, "Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! Vile thing, let loose, / Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent" (III.2.270). Hermia has turned from a "rose" to a "serpent" in Lysander's eyes, and this truly is a reversal of the greatest magnitude, as the love between these two is the driving force behind this play, the cause of their attempted escape and all the subsequent actions which come to follow in the woods outside Athens. Lysander has not only fallen out of love with Hermia, he has fallen in love with Helena, and, while this definitely adds to the overall ironic effect, it is the fact that Lysander no longer loves Hermia that is the important reversal here.

Helena does not escape Act III unscathed, however, as she comes to play an important part in another reversal, this time involving Hermia's other suitor, and object of Helena's love, Demetrius. Helena spends Acts I and II chasing after Demetrius, who, in turn, is chasing after Hermia, and cannot stand Helena; she goes so far as to forsake Hermia, her childhood friend, in the name of winning Demetrius' love, as she betrays Lysander and Hermia's escape plan to him in the hope of finally winning his favor. Demetrius will have nothing to do with her, however, as we see in a particularly nasty exchange that takes place in the woods in Act II, Scene 1. Helena pledges her undying love to Demetrius, pathetically begging him to treat her as he would his dog, pleading, "Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me / Neglect me, use me; only give me leave / (Unworthy as I am) to follow you" (II.1.212), but to no avail, as Demetrius replies, with pure venom and derision, "Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit, / For I am sick when I do look on thee" (II.1.218).

It is perfectly obvious at this point that Demetrius despises Helena, who is, in turn, madly in love with him. We need now simply go forward to Act III, Scene 2 to see the absolute reversal of affairs that has taken place between this pair, as, owing to the actions of Robin and Oberon, Demetrius has fallen madly in love with Helen, who, sensing deception in Demetrius' abrupt change of heart, now despises him. In sharp contrast to the harsh words of their last meeting, Demetrius, freshly anointed, awakes to find Helena, and, far short of chastising her further, gushes, "O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! / To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne? / Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show / Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!" (III.2.140). This is quite the reversal in itself, but the effect is completed by Helena's misinterpretation of Demetrius' love as mockery. "Can you not hate me, as I know you do, / But you must join in souls to mock me too?" (III.2.152), she accuses both Demetrius and Lysander, who proceed to further proclaim their love for Helena, but to no avail, as every compliment is received as a further insult.

Helena now despises Lysander and Hermia as well as Demetrius, believing them to be confederates in a plot to humiliate her. The reversal is now complete, as the two lovers have switched positions, with desperate Demetrius chasing after hateful Helen, leaving the two in essentially the same position as before, but with attitudes reversed.