“Lysander” (A Character Analysis Essay) By Sophia D. First Place Award

“You have her father’s love, Demetrius;/ [l]et me have ’s - do you marry him”

(Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I.i.93-94). This sentence is spoken by a character named Lysander in ’s famous comedy A Midsummer Night’s

Dream. First of all, Lysander is a clever character, and he thinks on his feet. Second, he is fierce, and he fights his own battles instead of backing away. Finally, he stays true and noble, as his beliefs do not change through all five acts of the play. All things considered, even though

Lysander is a main character, he is a flat character since his personality traits are the same from beginning to end.

As Lysander is the noble lover to the character Hermia, he must be able to come up with clever plans to help their dream of getting married come true. Currently, Hermia and he are having some trouble as Theseus, the Duke of Athens, enforces the Athenian law at the request of

Egeus, Hermia’s father. The Athenian law gives Hermia the choice between marrying her father’s choice, being a nun, or dying. Unfortunately, ’s choice is not Lysander but a playboy by the name of Demetrius. As Lysander and Hermia do not want to be split apart, he creates a plan and says, “There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee;/[a]nd to that place the sharp

Athenian law/[c]annot pursue us. If thou lov’st me. . .” (I. i. 161-163). This is Lysander explaining to Hermia his plan for them to run away to his widow aunt’s house where the

Athenian law does not apply. His ability to come up with plans demonstrates Lysander’s cleverness.

As Lysander has to protect Hermia and himself from the people trying to split them apart, he must be fierce and not back down easily. He stands up against people who disapprove of their love, including those in higher authority. When first hearing about the Athenian law’s consequences he says, “I am beloved by the beauteous Hermia./Why should not I then prosecute my right?” (I. i.104-105). Lysander speaks this line when Theseus tells Hermia about her three choices under the law. He is staking his claim to Theseus on why he should marry her; after all, they both want to be together, whereas Hermia is not in love with Demetrius. This evidence shows from the very beginning of the play that Lysander is a strong, fierce character who stands his ground even when up against a severe law.

As Lysander goes through so much to be with Hermia, he shows himself to be noble and true. When Lysander and Hermia decided to run into the magical forest, they confide in

Hermia’s best friend, Helena. This becomes a mistake. Helena shares the secret with Demetrius, who is the one she dotes upon. The two of them run after the lovers in hope of stopping them.

Fairy King who lives in the forest witnesses how Demetrius mistreats Helena, but she loves him all the same. He pities her and tells his loyal servant , to put a magical juice on Demetrius’s eyes that will make the Athenian youth fall in love with the first person he sees

(which is supposed to be Helena). Unfortunately, Puck gets it wrong and puts it into Lysander's eyes instead of Demetrius’s. So when Helena finds Lysander, who is sleeping, and wakes him up, he automatically falls madly in love Helena and abandons Hermia. He falls so in love with

Helena that he says to Hermia, “Hang off, thou cat, though burr! Vile thing, let loose,/ [o]r I will shake thee from me like a serpent” (III. ii. 260-261). These lines demonstrate how strong the love potion is.

But by the end of the play, the magic is removed, and Lysander returns to Athens to take

Hermia as his bride. Even though Lysander is under a spell for a while, when it is lifted he feels exactly the same for Hermia as he did before Puck’s error. This proves Lysander is loyal, noble, and true as the romantic lover that Shakespeare intends him to be.

In conclusion, Lysander and Hermia marry one another thanks to Theseus, the Duke of

Athens who has the power to bend the law in Hermia’s favor once he learns Demetrius loves

Helena again. Moreover, Lysander presents himself as a noble, loyal, and true individual when he plans their elopement and remains faithful to Hermia until placed under a magic spell. He also shows that he is fierce and that he is willing to fight for what he wants, which is to marry Hermia at all costs. Lysander wanted to run away with Hermia to get married, but they need not after

Theseus grants their marriage. Even if he had not, they would most likely have gotten married because of Lysander’s brilliant plan. This demonstrates Lysander’s cleverness. In summary,

Lysander is a flat character, a clever character, a fierce character, a noble character, and a authentic lover.

Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ed. Linda Buckle. Cambridge, England,

Cambridge University Press, 2016.