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Even though Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream share common themes and have the same name below their titles, they display differing ideas on human love. Romeo and Juliet is the food of romantics; affirming their trivial beliefs of true love and destiny, and always there to console their crying souls. In the famed opening lines of the tragedy, the narration states, “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star cross’d lovers take their life...” It appears that Romeo and Juliet were meant to be together, hence “star cross’d.” This shows the writer’s apparent belief in a fate with love; that there are people who are destined to be together. When Romeo and Juliet are conversing in the classic balcony sequence, Romeo seems very certain he is in real love. He says to Juliet, “By love, who did first prompt me to inquire, He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.” Romeo says that love told him to execute his actions, and that the power of love is the true cause of his behavior. Shakespeare really seems to put faith in the power of love. Romeo and Juliet is the story that hopeless romantics and naïve schoolgirls pray to, with its rooted ideas of destiny and true love. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is much more akin to Annie Hall than The Notebook, despite contradicting endings. No romantic will be pulling out any tissues while reading this play, unlike its above counterpart, as the ideas promoted are very different. Helena is a hopeless romantic in this story, with her classic case of unrequited love to a man, Demetrius, who is in love with Helena’s friend, Hermia. Helena says in exasperation to Hermia, “Call you me “fair”? That “fair” again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair!” Helena states that she is not desirable to Demetrius, and that he only desires Hermia. She appears victim to the idea that love is not chosen by the victims, and that it is random, and sometimes unfair. While in Romeo and Juliet, the process of falling perfectly into love took place in a matter of minutes, love is not easy in MSND, with Lysander capturing this idea perfectly “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Shakespeare seems to think now that love is not something that happens at first sight, and that it takes time. He also seems to think that it isn’t fair or chosen, unlike his the above play.

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EventhoughRomeo&JulietandAMidsummerNightsDreamsharecommonthemesandhavethesamenamebelowtheirtitles,theydisplaydifferingideasonhumanlove.

RomeoandJulietisthefoodofromanticsaffirmingtheirtrivialbeliefsoftrueloveanddestiny,andalwaystheretoconsoletheircryingsouls.Inthefamedopeninglinesofthetragedy,thenarrationstates,Fromforththefatalloinsofthesetwofoes,Apairofstarcrossdloverstaketheirlife...ItappearsthatRomeoandJulietweremeanttobetogether,hencestarcrossd.Thisshowsthewritersapparentbeliefinafatewithlovethattherearepeoplewhoaredestinedtobetogether.WhenRomeoandJulietareconversingintheclassicbalconysequence,Romeoseemsverycertainheisinreallove.HesaystoJuliet,Bylove,whodidfirstpromptmetoinquire,HelentmecounselandIlenthimeyes.Romeosaysthatlovetoldhimtoexecutehisactions,andthatthepowerofloveisthetruecauseofhisbehavior.Shakespearereallyseemstoputfaithinthepoweroflove.RomeoandJulietisthestorythathopelessromanticsandnaveschoolgirlsprayto,withitsrootedideasofdestinyandtruelove.

AMidsummerNightsDreamismuchmoreakintoAnnieHallthanTheNotebook,despitecontradictingendings.Noromanticwillbepullingoutanytissueswhilereadingthisplay,unlikeitsabovecounterpart,astheideaspromotedareverydifferent.Helenaisahopelessromanticinthisstory,withherclassiccaseofunrequitedlovetoaman,Demetrius,whoisinlovewithHelenasfriend,Hermia.HelenasaysinexasperationtoHermia,Callyoumefair?Thatfairagainunsay.Demetriuslovesyourfair.Ohappyfair!HelenastatesthatsheisnotdesirabletoDemetrius,andthatheonlydesiresHermia.Sheappearsvictimtotheideathatloveisnotchosenbythevictims,andthatitisrandom,andsometimesunfair.WhileinRomeoandJuliet,theprocessoffallingperfectlyintolovetookplaceinamatterofminutes,loveisnoteasyinMSND,withLysandercapturingthisideaperfectlyThecourseoftrueloveneverdidrunsmooth.Shakespeareseemstothinknowthatloveisnotsomethingthathappensatfirstsight,andthatittakestime.Healsoseemstothinkthatitisntfairorchosen,unlikehistheaboveplay.