MId-Summer Night's Dream Question #6

          In the play "A Mid-Summers Night's Dream" there are four young lovers Lysander,Demetrius,Helena, and Hermia. Some critics have suggested that the are indistinguishable meaning they are the same(or very similar). I do not think that they are all the same though.They may be similar but i think the differences out weigh the similarities. In the beginnings of the play Egeus is talking to Theseus about Hermia not loving Demetrius like her father wanted her to do. Hermia wanted to get married to Lysander her one true love and he loved her back. Demetrius was in love with Hermia as well but she did not like him at all! Helena was jealous of Hermia because Demetrius loved Hermia not her. She loves Demetrius but he hates her with a passion.
          So now that you have read who loves who and who hates who you probably think that they are all similar? Well there not they have so many differences. First of all Lysander and Demetrius may both love Hermia that's true but Hermia only loves one of them back, Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius but he doesn't love her she doesn't share qualities with any of the other characters. She is bigger than Hermia cause in the play she calls Hermia a dwarf. Nobody is in love with her (until later in the play). The characters are not the same the only time they are at most similar is when a magical spell is put on them. They are both couples and both in love with someone. But the true similarities should be judged based on their true selves not on them after a spell. If you tried to put Helena as Hermia's role it wouldn't work our because Helena is described as having long legs and tall where as Hermia is short like a dwarf. 
          In the group of lovers i personally liked Hermia the best because they made her out to be the prettiest and the most fairest in Athens. Helena is not compared to Hermia says Lysander and Demetrius before they are put on a spell. But that is just my opinion. So in conclusion they are similar in some ways but are different in more meaningful ways. The only thing similar about Hermia and Helena is that their names start with the same letter. If you think they are the same based on that then I don't know what to tell you...