THE MAGICAL MODELS OF LOVE

It is hard to define love, since it is different for everyone who experiences it but

Shakespeare uses his poetry and writing to come to an idea. In Shakespeares Sonnet 16,

he attempts to tell what love is: Let me not to the marriage of true minds, Admit

impediments. Love is not love(Shakespeare, Sonnet 16). Throughout his sonnet he

defines qualities that are and are not a part of love. This is one definition and it can be

analyzed for ones own interpretation but he is saying true love is for eternity; it does not

end at death and it is permanent. He says that you cannot merely say love is love because

love is a word and love itself is so much more. Derived from this emotion there are

ultimately three different models of love. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are three

models that every human embodies consciously and subconsciously. Shakespeares A

Midsummers Night Dream shows us that different people or settings bring out different

models of love or, forms of humanity, and will in turn influence the person's actions.

These models subsequently lead to forms of human emotion and how humans act in the

world. It is clear that human emotions are all a part of love, for love is seen as the only

magic because of the power it holds.

Shakespeare shows us the different models of love through comparing and

contrasting different perspectives and highlighting the different moments at which these

models are brought to life. Evidence of someone who adequately displayed all three

forms, is Theseus. This is shown when he is hearing the tales of the lovers from their time

in the forest. Theseus is the poet when he takes his ideas and the stories and tries to

separate what is real and what is fantasy. He searches for something he can hold onto and

he does not know what he believes. And as imagination bodies forth, the forms of things
unknown(Act 5, Scene 1, 15). Theseus isnt discounting the fairy-world or the mystic

happenings in the forest. They arent unreal but they are unknown. Maybe this is because

of his alleged past affair with Titania. I think that he hadnt accepted it happened or

didnt believe it had happened, until he heard the lovers resonated somewhere inside him.

He is the lunatic because of his superstition for what was reality. He does not want to

necessarily admit this however, Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing (Act 5,

Scene 1, 17). Theseus may not be the man we originally thought and he is hiding

something he may not even know he is hiding. I think his subconscious voice inside him

is the reason he let the lovers marry who they pleased. This is where the lover in him is

seen because his heart influences his decision. Without hearing the lovers stories or being

somewhat apart of the magic of love he wouldn't have made that decision. The

moment, the words, and the people,all affect what parts of you are emphasized and when.

In the forest, all reason was lost and the lovers were highlighting the madness and crazy

love inside them and not their poetry or art or reasoning.

Dana Gioia continues to study and analyze what Shakespeare wrote and describes

the forms of humanity that all humans embody whether we realize it or not, and how

each affect how we act when we are epitomizing these models. In his poem he speaks of

the lunatic, the lover and the poet; this compares to Theseuss speech at the end of the

play when he is hearing the lovers story. He makes it easier for us to relate and

understand these mentalities and personages, especially the poet. We all have each of

these models in us. At the beginning of his speech Theseus pronounces, The lunatic, the

lover and the poet are of imagination all compact(Act 5, Scene I, 7-8)...and then he goes

in to show why this is. The poets eye, in a fine frenzy rolling(Act 5, Scene I, 12). The
poets eye sees things in a different way, different than someone who has not yet realized

their lyricist potential would see something. Furthermore his mind is in a frenzy because

he is constantly assimilating what he sees and thinks into words; his brainwork is on a

continual roll and in a well-timed rhythm. He is an artist. His thoughts and actions are

heavily influenced by his heart, similar to the lover. Doth glance from heaven to earth,

from earth to heaven (Act 5, Scene I, 13). In addition to forming what he sees into

songs, the poet looks to find what is reality and what is fiction, what is known and what is

unknown. From the poem by Dana Gioia, he says The tales we tell are either false or

true, but neither purpose is the point.(Dana Gioia, The Lunatic, The Lover and the Poet).

He is telling us that it doesnt matter if the story is fact or fiction, either way it is a story

and that is what matters. And as imagination bodies forth(Act 5, Scene 1, 15). As he

sees what is real he begins to form a story out of his new found discoveries about the

lover and the lunatic. The forms of things unknown, the poets pen(Act 5, Scene 1,

16). His mind is a chaos of ideas but the uncharted thoughts, the exotic words, the

nameless ideas are slowly put into shapes on the paper or spoken out loud in well formed

phrases. They are put to rest as almost a release. Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy

nothing(Act 5, Scene 1, 17). Suddenly his mind isnt a chaos of creativity, its organized

and silent as A local habitation and name (Act 5, Scene 1, 18). The poets mind is at

rest and his creativity exhausted, at least for now. Again from the poem by Gioia,The

tale is often wiser than the teller. The author or poet may be confused as to why he came

up with his story, how he came up with it, and why its now over so suddenly. The story

has a mind of its own however, because each person who reads it or is a part of it has a

different interpretation. This poet mentality is brought forth when humans feel inspired
to do or create something. This mindset however, does not last forever, it is a few brief

moments in time where you feel overtaken with a sense of purpose and urge to do create

or do something you feel strongly about. Then as all things do; the creativity, the storm

in you mind ends and we are left with a blank slate. The lunatic and the lover are more

self explanatory and more obvious personages seen in our everyday lives. All the

different models relate to each other in some way on a deeper level to love.

Love is an emotion; it is so powerful that other emotions stem from from it. Love

is magic. I believe that the only magic is love because it can change people in ways

nothing else can. Love is transformative, it can make or break a family, just as magic

seemingly can. Hermia is ready to die rather than marry someone she doesnt love and

her father is ready to enforce that and let it happen, As she is mine, I may dispose of

her. She responds to this threat with the words, So will I grow, so live, so die, my

lord...My soul consents not to give sovereignty. (Act I, Scene I, 43 & 80-84). What other

emotion would make you feel that strongly? Did that storm in our minds, that was

referenced in the speech by Theseus happen? Did the forest happen? Maybe these forms

of humanity and the models of love are metaphors for a dream, for love or magic, and

for our own reality. When the lovers awake, they try and recount what has happened.

These things seem small and indistinguishable like far off mountains turned into

clouds. (Act 4, Scene I, 194-195) Demetrius, confused questions Are you sure we are

awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep we dream. Do you not think the Duke was here

and bid us follow him?(Act 4, Scene I, 200-204) One of the lovers replies with a yes

and Demetrius responds Why, then we are awake! Lets follow him and by the way let

us recount our dreams. (Act 4, Scene I, 208-209) This proves that we create our own
reality, whatever we want that to be. The forest could have been a symbol of hope for a

certain love form Through Athens gates we have devised to steal to seek new friends

and stranger companies. In a league beyond this town I will marry thee. (Act I, Scene I,

163,167, 218, 224). Demetrius had been in love with Helena, and Lysander and Hermia

were in love. What other than love would have made Demetrius suddenly forget his love

for Helena? (Act I, Scene I, 101-112). An analogy to show the way I see love is a sun. Its

center is humanity and its rays are the different models of love: for example the lunatic,

the lover and the poet. The rays are also human emotions that can be derived from love;

anger, hate, revenge or sadness. Sometimes people do not know the potential for these

rays or even that the possibility exists to grow them further.

Shakespeare was a love enthusiast and he saw all the different perspectives and

models of what it is in such a beautiful way. To me and many others I presume, love is a

mystery. It is the greatest mystery to those who have not experienced it and an even

greater one to those who have. It can make you do the most irrational things and leave a

person asking themselves why. As you can see in Gioias poem, The world, I say,

depends upon a spell, Spoken each night by lovers unaware, Of their own sorcery.

Lovers do not know how their feelings are affecting them; they are unaware at how

intense their love is. It envelopes them, cutting them off from everything else. It is

blinding. As was mentioned in the beginning Helena says "Love sees not with the eyes,

but with the mind and therefore is winged cupid painted blind," and how very true this is.

This passage from Gioia helps us to better see the many hidden meanings of

Shakespeares writing. It is what is under the surface that matters, thats what means

something. It helps to realize that the play and the story is however you perceive it, We
weave the fabric of our own existence out of words, (Dana Gioia, The Lunatic, The

Lover and The Poet) you can choose how to interpret something, you can choose how it

affects you, and you can choose your own reality as the characters in A Midsummer

Nights Dream did. Just as in the poem by Gioia said, your interpretation can be real or

fantasy, it can be real and fantasy, either way its a story. Was the forest a dream?

Dreams are inspired by our daily experiences, because of this are they a 'figment' of our

own reality. Was it a hope or desire? It is for the individual to find that out for

themselves. It is also for the individual to find a balance between the different models of

love in themselves. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet all have their positive and

negative attributes; we all have them in us. The forms of humanity and love are not

perfect but neither are humans and the sooner we recognize the magic of love we have in

our lives and how that affects us and the more fulfilled our lives will be. The powerful

emotion of love creates and subsequently leads to all other human emotions and ideals

and is the essence of what makes us human. It makes a person wonder if love is

something more than an emotion, this is a fantastical idea that some may not believe

exists, but it does for those who believe.