Blog #2- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I
Act I: Choose one of the following questions to
answer. Be sure that your answer is
clear and includes cited evidence.
- · Lysander says, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” What did he mean by this? How has this been shown so far?
- · Why do you suppose Shakespeare has the lovers speaking in verse but the mechanicals speaking in prose?
- · How would you describe the character of Bottom? How would Bottom describe himself?
- · What kind of leader does Theseus seem to be? How can you tell?
Remember to
sign your post with your first initial, last name, and class period.
When Lysander states "The course of true love never did run smooth", he helps us interpret that true love is hard to find, and also that every love story always has a problem or multiple. Lysander and Hermia faced many problems throughout the book. More specifically, in Act 1 Lysander and Hermia are faced with being told that they cannot love each other because his father wanted her to marry Demetrius. During this time period, the father chose the man he wanted his daughter to marry, and anything else is not permitted. Due to Hermia not being allowed to marry Lysander, they make a plan to run off into the woods. "The course of true love never did run smooth" is also foreshadowing how true love is going to have its obstacles, not only for Lysander and Hermia, but for others as well.
ReplyDeleteE.Barfield 5
I fully agree with your statements. Especially about the foreshadowing of how true love is going to have its obstacles. (M. McAlister 5th)
DeleteI think your examples are very profound and really prove what Lysander is saying about love being difficult and obstacles.
Delete1st (S. Cohran)
Your examples and evidence really helped you prove your point. I liked how you included "during this time period" because it could help readers understand the situation better. (E. Adkins 6th)
DeleteI completely agree with your points, especially your interpretation of Lysander's quote. I feel as though all of your evidence helps support your point fully.
DeleteWhen Lysander states "The course of true love never did run smooth" he is saying that love is never easy and their is always obstacles you must overcome. Hermia and Lysander face such obstacles and in turn plan to run away together. One of the obstacles the couple faces , which is the reason why they are not allowed to be together, is that Hermias father wants her to marry Demetrius, whom she does not love. Anther obstacle is that if Hermia does not marry Lysander she will have to choose between death or become a nun, never allowed to marry. Because of this the couple has now vowed to run off together, which will prove to be another challenge they face together. C.Beale 5th
ReplyDeleteI believe that when Lysander says "The course of true love never did run smooth.” he is referring to the fact that all relationships will have trials whether that be small everyday trials or large pressing trials. Shakespeare emphasizes that if two people truly want to be together they will work through whatever problems come their way. An example of this would be in Act I when Hermia's father forbids Lysander and Hermia from being together because he wants her to marry Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander then decide to run away to be together. (M. McAlister, 5th)
ReplyDeleteWhen Lysander says "The course of true love never runs smooth," he means that no relationship has ever been or ever will be easy. It is similar to the saying, 'True love is not easy and easy love is not true.' Love will always have obstacles and problems and things or people in the way. This has been shown greatly as Hermia and Lysander are blindly in love but they have many obstacles such as Egeus, Theseus and Demetrius trying to part them. True love, like their love, will last and overcome the trials. K. Stanley 5th
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements. No relationship will ever be perfect in any way, shape or form. I also agree that they were blindly in love but i feel as though that is in the start of every relationship. (7J.Shillow)
DeleteIn Act 1, Lysander states that "The course of true love never did run smooth." This means that love is difficult and has bumps in the road. Hermia and Lysander love each other, but Egeus is demanding Hermia to marry Demetrius. Obviously, Hermia refuses and Eegus tells her that she can marry Demetrius, become a nun, or die. Hermia tells Eegus that she'd rather do either than marry someone she does not love. Lysander and Hermia's love isn't easy and decide to run away together. This may also be another hardship in their "course of true love". (1J. Alston)
ReplyDeleteThis was a very good description of what Lysander means. Also, good explanation for how Hermia is feeling. (1M. Reyome)
DeleteBottom is written as a egotistical, self-absorbed, show off. Bottom is a know-it-all that is seen as very aggravating. Peter Quince is constantly trying to bring him back down to earth and not allow him to override the show. Bottom would describe himself as a hero of mankind, an amazing actor, and an all around good person.
ReplyDelete1st (S. Cohran)
When Lysander states that "The course of love never did run smooth; But, either it was different in blood, -)" (I.i.p5), he means that true love is never easy. This is especially true in the case of Lysander and Hermia, because they are forbid to wed. I believe here that Shakespeare is drawing a parallel to his other play Romeo and Juliet (R&J). In R&J as well as this play, the main characters are in love but are forbid to wed and have to overcome many obstacles in order to be with each other. This has been shown so far in this play by the fact that Lysander and Hermia have to run away from the town in order to live together and get married.
ReplyDeleteT.Johnson. 7
When Lysander states "The course of true love never runs smooth," he means that love will never be an easy feat and obstacles will be faced. This statement reflects his feelings after in Act 1 where Hermia's father refuses to let them marry. Hermia's father doesn't think he is fit to support her, though Hermia doesn't love Demetrius. Egeus says, "You’ve connived to steal my daughter’s heart, making her stubborn and harsh instead of obedient (like she should be).—And, my gracious duke, if she won’t agree to marry Demetrius right now, I ask you to let me exercise the right that all fathers have in Athens. Since she belongs to me, I can do what I want with her—as the law says: I can either make her marry Demetrius—or have her killed."
ReplyDelete(whoops I didn't finish this) By Egeus forcing his daughter to marry another man, this sets up the first conflict of the play that brings hopelessness to Lysander and Hermia. M. Meadows 1
DeleteWhen Lysander said, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” He meant that no relation will be perfect. Every relationship will have problems at one point, its inevitable. Hermia's father forbid them from getting married. That was a very large problem they had to face. But their love for one another was so strong that they didn't care about the consequences. They decided to run away together because they loved each other so much and they did not want to marry anyone else. (7. J. shillow0
ReplyDeleteBottom is a craftsman, one of those referred to as "the mechanicals," and he seems to be the "butt" of the joke in the play. At first, Bottom is presented as brave, bubbly, and a bit conceited man, but throughout the play we see more of Bottom's serious side as he addresses world oddities. I think Bottom would describe himself as a funny, handsome, and charismatic man.
ReplyDelete(6 M.Greene)
Bottom is a craftsman, one of those referred to as "the mechanicals," and he seems to be the "butt" of the joke in the play. At first, Bottom is presented as brave, bubbly, and a bit conceited man, but throughout the play we see more of Bottom's serious side as he addresses world oddities. I think Bottom would describe himself as a funny, handsome, and charismatic man.
ReplyDelete(6 M.Greene)
Bottom is a craftsman, one of those referred to as "the mechanicals," and he seems to be the "butt" of the joke in the play. At first, Bottom is presented as brave, bubbly, and a bit conceited man, but throughout the play we see more of Bottom's serious side as he addresses world oddities. I think Bottom would describe himself as a funny, handsome, and charismatic man.
ReplyDelete(6 M.Greene)
In Act One, when Lysander says, "The course of true love never did run smooth." he is saying that true love is not easily dealt with and can be especially tough at times. This is true because of Hermia's father, Ednus, who is preventing Lysander from being with his true love. Lysander is deeply in love and devoted to Hermia; however, they cannot marry because she has already been married off to Demetrius by Hermia's father. Hermia's life is quite literally on the line and she must chose between her true love and her death. Lysander is also saying that although their love isn't easy, they should still fight for it, which is why they decide to run away together. (H. Bryant 6th)
ReplyDeleteIn Act One of Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysander states "The course of true love never did run smooth", which means love is very difficult and will have ways of not going in the right direction. Egeus, Hermia's father, is forcing Hermia to marry Demetrius while she is in love with Lysander. She does not want to follow the law, Egeus tells her she can either be killed or become a nun. Hermia states she will do anything to not marry someone she doesn't love. This love is like a triangle but a square or some other shape. Hardships will come throughout their journey through love. (B. Holland 7th)
ReplyDeleteI would describe Bottom as an ass (see the symbolism :) ). Bottom would describe himself as the best thing that has ever happened to the world of theatre. You can see his cockiness when we first meet him in Act 1, Scene 2, when we meet all the actors for Pyramus and Thisbe. He continuously talks about how great of an actor he is, and how he should play all the parts in the play because he is the best. (1M. Reyome)
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1 , When Lysander states "The course of true love never did run smooth", he helps us understand that love is not always going to be easy and there will be bumps along the way and also that every love story always has a conflict. Lysander and Hermia faced many problems throughout the book. For example, in Act 1 Lysander and Hermia are faced with being told that they are not aloud to love each other because his father wanted her to marry another man. During this time period, the father chose the man he wanted his daughter to marry, and anything else is not permitted the daughter has no say in any situation they just have to go along with it even if they disagree. Due to Hermia not being allowed to marry Lysander, they make a plan to run off into the woods together. The moral of this quote is that there will be obstacles and situations that you may not be able to control but can just get through with time. (M. York 1st)
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1 , When Lysander states "The course of true love never did run smooth", he helps us understand that love is not always going to be easy and there will be bumps along the way and also that every love story always has a conflict. Lysander and Hermia faced many problems throughout the book. For example, in Act 1 Lysander and Hermia are faced with being told that they are not aloud to love each other because his father wanted her to marry another man. During this time period, the father chose the man he wanted his daughter to marry, and anything else is not permitted the daughter has no say in any situation they just have to go along with it even if they disagree. Due to Hermia not being allowed to marry Lysander, they make a plan to run off into the woods together. The moral of this quote is that there will be obstacles and situations that you may not be able to control but can just get through with time. (M. York 1st)
ReplyDeleteWhen Lysander said “The course of true love never did run smooth.” He meant that no relationship will be perfect. You will have to endure some sort of problem, it doesn't matter how great the relationship seems. In the book Lysander was madly in love with Hermia but Hermia's father said she had to marry Demetrius or he would disown her. That is a very hard decision to make, but her love for him was so strong that she was willing to go against her father's wishes and run away with him. (7j.shillow)
ReplyDelete