Midsummer's Night's Dream

I'm doing a reading next week and I'm playing Lysander the mortal that it's in love Hermia one minute and because of a drug is tricked into loving the detested Helena. Most of Shakespeare's source material is from other works or events, but his skilsl lie in his brilliant storytelling and use of language. English was a "new" sort of language back then and he was one of the first to use it so eloquently.

Midsummer is one of my favorites because of the questions it asks.

• Is love a spell that can be broken?
• How important is intention?
• Is love changeable?
• How does being loved change us?
• How does being rejected change us?
• Is there a place for pride in love?

I remember the first time I was kissed. It happened in a dorm room with no warning. I looked down and when I put my head up...boom! Being found attracted changed how I carried myself. Because I was a larger child (5'10" & 280lbs) I didn't think I was very attractive compared to other in my peers, so I never tried to be noticed. I didn't shop unless it was through catalogs. The kiss was great, but the person it was attached to turned out to be a complete jerk. Oh well, at least I got something out of it.

When the tables are turned and Helena is loved by Lysander and Demetrius she is confused and rejects their love because she knows that love does not turn on a dime. She rightly thinks it's a prank. Meanwhile Hermia, always the object of men's attention, is dumbfounded by Lysander's rejection.

Interesting how expectations are so closely tied to how and who we love.

The photo is by Photo/Michal Daniel and from New York Public Theatre's production of Midsummer Night's Dream this summer. It's Helena and Lysander.