Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Demetrius- Jack and Jake
Demetrius is a very fascinating character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummers Night Dream. There are many ways to describe the character Demetrius, he is rude, determined, and very straightforward. An example of his being rude is when he says, "Tempt me not too much the hatred of me spirit, for I am sick when I do look on thee" (2.1.218-219). This occurs when Helena follows Demetrius into the woods and continues to annoy him. Her, expressing her love for him further angers him to the point of insults. In the play, Demetrius is determined to win over the love of Hermia, until the fairies charm him into loving Helena. Then, Demetrius becomes determined to win the love of Helena. An example of him doing this towards Hermia, "I had rather give his carcass to my hounds" (3.2.66). This makes him seem as if he is willing to resort to violence to win her love. Even after being charmed into loving Helena, he still uses very determined language when he says, "I say I love thee more than he can do" (3.2.261). When Demetrius says this, he is trying to convince Helena that he loves her more that Lysander could ever love her. Demetrius' final trait is his straightforwardness. He is very blunt in the way that he talks, and he shows this when he tells Helena, "I love thee not; therefore pursue me not" (2.1.195). Demetrius' main goal throughout the play is to win over the love of Hermia, and then to win over the love of Helena, before being switched back to loving Hermia. Demetrius mainly speaks in Trochaic Pentameter because that is the way that Shakespeare made his character
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Very good examples from the book. It must have been difficult to find those characteristics because it seems that Demetrius only cared about love . Overall, well-written, but a conclusion sentence may have helped wrap up the entire paragraph. Besides that, great job.
ReplyDeleteGood quotes from the book, guys. I have one question though: why do you think Shakespeare wrote Demetrius in trochaic pentameter? Does it have something to do with his place in society? Shakespeare wrote him that way and no one is disputing that, but why? I believe it shows his relatively prestigious place in society and that he has undergone some form of higher education.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Q. This is very well written! As Q said, a clear conclusion or explanation of why he speaks in this combination would end it nicely. Over all I'm impressed.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fantastic characterization of the love stricken Demetrius. You have many examples and quotes from the book to support your arguments. I agree with Q in saying that it must have been difficult to develop other characteristics of Demetrius other than being in love. Also, like Q mentioned, a conclusion sentence, or maybe even a period, at the end of your paragraph would help end the summary well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that Demetrius can be rather abrasive and insensitive at times. I think is it is really well written. However, I have a question. Is there a reason for why Shakespeare made Demetrius speak in trochaic pentameter? I don't think it is just because Shakespeare felt like it. All playwrights, especially Shakespeare, would have thought through every possible way of conveying information about the character, especially through the way they speak. Maybe you could have expanded on that a little bit. Overall, a really good job!!!
ReplyDeleteI like how you included determined as one of his character traits because that doesn't come to mind immediately when thinking about Demetrius, but is certainly true. Both his actions and speech reflect upon this quality. Also, what words does Demetrius often repeat? Why do you think he does this?
ReplyDeleteThese character traits are unique and I originally didn't consider these as part of his character. The examples also support your thesis and points. Nice analysis!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your examples, nice paragraph also. I found it very interesting what character traits you used because I would almost agree but you said them in such a different way. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is really good! I liked the way you did your paragraph. I think you can explain the reasoning behind his speech pattern better than "because that is the way that Shakespeare made his character". Overall, good job!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more about him being rude. All Helena wants is love!
ReplyDeleteI've never actually realized how determined Demetrius actually is. There are many ways to analyze what each character says in a play, but this is exactly how I would make Demetrius, if I had to direct it.
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