Helena is one of four young lovers – the others being Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia – featured in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''.

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

Helena, the daughter of Nedar, is the lifelong friend of Hermia (to whom she often compares herself). Before the events of the play, Helena was betrothed to the nobleman Demetrius, but she was rejected when his affections turned to Hermia. Despite this, Helena maintained an abiding love for Demetrius. Hermia confides in Helena that she plans to elope with a man called Lysander. Helena tells Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander's plans and, together, they follow the eloping lovers. Though Demetrius is deliberately cruel towards her, Helena remains devoted to him. Her devotion catches the attention of

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, 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 ...

, the king of the fairies. Oberon commands a spirit, Puck, to enchant Demetrius into falling 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, enchants Demetrius, who also falls in love with Helena. In the denouement, Helena and Hermia nearly come to blows while Lysander and Demetrius fight over who is more worthy of Helena's affections. Puck by A Rackham

Oberon commands Puck to fix the enchantment mistakenly placed upon Lysander. With dawn approaching, the lovers each go to sleep again, and Puck reverses the enchantment he put upon Lysander. By the time the lovers are discovered in the morning by a hunting Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus, all has been put right. 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, and together watch the play put on by the Mechanicals in their honour. 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 ...

of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', Helena is one of its most talkative characters. Her dialogue presents a

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

belief in the nature of love and the process of falling in love. She is also the catalyst of the play's drama, as Oberon (in his role as a deus ex machina) is moved to action by her situation. Helena is never criticized for her unrequited love for Demetrius; her constancy is seen by other characters as a great virtue, compared to their fickle nature. She also demonstrates great platonic love 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 ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

painted blind." Her name is reminiscent of

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

, a reference made by Theseus towards the play's end. Her character is similar to that of Shakespeare's Helena in '' All's Well That Ends Well''.

Portrayals

* In the 1925

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

called Wood Love, Helena is portrayed by Barbara von Annenkoff. * In the 1935

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, Helena is portrayed by Jean Muir. * In the 1968

, Helena is portrayed by

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...

. * In the 1969

, Helena is portrayed by Claude Jade. * In the 1981

BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to ...

production, produced by Jonathan Miller, Helena was portrayed by Lynn Redgrave. * In the 1996 film directed by Adrian Noble, Helena is portrayed by Emily Raymond. * In the 1999

, Helena is portrayed by Calista Flockhart. * In another 1999 film directed by James Kerwin, Helena is portrayed by Regan Kerwin. * In the 2002 film '' A Midsummer Night's Rave'', the character Elena, who is portrayed by Lauren German, corresponds to Helena. * In the 2012 Indian romcom film ''10ml Love'' by Sharat Katariya, the character Minnie, who is portrayed by Koel Purie, corresponds to Helena. * In Emma Rice's 2016 production at Shakespeare's Globe in London, the gay hero Helenus was played by Ankur Bahl.“Globe Player: A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (2016).
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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