Helena is one of the four young lovers – the others being

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumi ...

Lysander Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an en ...

, Hermia – featured in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

''.

Role in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''

Helena, the daughter of Nedar, is the lifelong friend of Hermia (whom she often compares herself to). Before the events of the play, Helena was betrothed to the nobleman

, but she was jilted when his affections turned to Hermia. Despite this, Helena's abiding love for Demetrius remains consistent throughout the play. Hermia and her suitor,

, confide in Helena that they plan to

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting m ...

. In the hopes that she will gain back some of Demetrius' respect, Helena tells him of Hermia and Lysander's plans, and they follow the escaping lovers into the forest. Though Demetrius is deliberately cruel towards her, Helena remains true to her devotion. Her ardor catches the attention of

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...

, who commands that Puck enchant Demetrius so that he will fall back in love with Helena. When Puck mistakenly enchants a sleeping Lysander instead, Lysander wakes and falls instantly in love with Helena. He pursues a shocked and hurt Helena, deserting a sleeping Hermia. Oberon, trying to correct Puck's error, then puts the potion on Demetrius, who also falls in love with Helena. Confused by the men's change in behavior, Helena is left confused and hurt by how cruel and unkind her closest friend and her two suitors have become. In the climatic fight, she and Hermia nearly come to blows while the two men fight over who is more worthy of Helena's affections. Oberon commands Puck to correct the enchantment placed on Lysander. Separated by Oberon's command and Puck's magic, and with dawn approaching, the lovers each go to sleep again. Puck crushes another herb into Lysander's eyes, negating the effect of the first one. When the lovers are discovered in the morning by a hunting Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus, all is put to rights. Demetrius claims that a metaphorical 'sickness' made him love Hermia, but in health, his love has returned to Helena. The lovers are married in a joint ceremony with Theseus and

Hippolyta In Classical Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; grc-gre, Ἱππολύτη ''Hippolytē'') was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Gre ...

and together watch the play put on by the Mechanicals in honor of the marriages. While not the only

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', Helena is one of its most talkative characters. Her dialogue provides key insight for the audience into humanist beliefs on the nature of love and the process of falling in love. It is her honest, unrequited love that convinces Oberon to meddle with the lovers, and her pain in being "tricked" by her friends that convinces Oberon to restore everyone. Helena is never criticised for her

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dict ...

for Demetrius; her constancy is seen by other characters as a great virtue, compared to his fickle nature. She also demonstrates great

platonic love Platonic love (often lowercased as platonic love) is a type of love in which sexual desire or romantic features are nonexistent or has been suppressed or sublimated, but it means more than simple friendship. The term is derived from the na ...

and sisterly devotion to Hermia. Within the cast of the lovers, her role is comparable to Lysander's. Both are more outwardly romantic and thoughtful than their partners, and both speak those lines most pertinent to the play's themes of romantic maturity and the source of lasting love. While Lysander says, 'the course of true love ne'er did run smooth', Helena's speech in Act I includes the well-known quote: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore, is wing'd

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

painted blind." Her name is reminiscent of

Helen of Troy Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...

, a reference made by Theseus towards the play's end, and her character is similar to another of Shakespeare's Helenas in '' All's Well That End's Well''.

References

# Shakespeare, William & Gill, Roma (ed.)1981, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Oxford University Press, United Kingdom. # Shakespeare, William. ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. "The Penguin Shakespeare." Penguin/Puffin Books, 1977. # Jacobson, Karin. ''CliffsNotes on A Midsummer Night's Dream''. 15 November 2010 . # Shakespeare, William. ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. Evans, Bertrand, ed.; Lynch, James J., ed. ''The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream''. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1963. 131–238. {{DISPLAYTITLE:Helena (''A Midsummer Night's Dream'') Literary characters introduced in 1596 Female Shakespearean characters Characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream Fictional Greek people Fictional nobility