A Midsummer Night's Dream

Do you believe that the use of love potions is unethical, considering the distress and confusion of the four Athenian lovers? Or is it ultimately justifiable, given the happy conclusion?

Consider these points as you reflect on the text to answer the question.

• How does Helena react when both Lysander and Demetrius declare their love for her in Act 3?
• How does Hermia feel to learn that Lysander no longer loves her in Act 3?
• To what extent does Demetrius remain confused in Act 4?
• Compare Helena’s romantic situation at the beginning of the play to the end of the play.
• Compare Demetrius’s romantic situation at the beginning of the play to the end of the play.

Teaching Suggestion: Students can discuss this as a whole class or in groups. Encourage students to justify their opinions by drawing on evidence from the text (i.e., characters’ joy or distress at certain points). This discussion prompt may be converted into a paragraph or brief essay, where students justify and explain their assertion on the ethics of love potions using textual evidence. Finally, ask students to identify any ways modern or future technology might pose similar ethical problems—are there any modern/potential love potions society should consider with caution? Films such as Her (2013) or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and Marge Piercy’s novel He, She and It (1991) offer analogous glimpses of the future where love is fabricated, erased, or “perfected” through technology.