Lysander Speech

In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander is a young man in love with Hermia, who is betrothed to Demetrius. In the play, Lysander delivers a famous speech in Act I, Scene 1, in which he comments on Demetrius’ position as the favoured suitor of Hermia’s father, Egeus. Here is an analysis of Lysander’s speech and how it reveals his character and his feelings towards Demetrius:

The speech begins with Lysander acknowledging that Demetrius has the support of Hermia’s father, saying “You have her father’s love, Demetrius; / Let me have Hermia’s; do you marry him.” This line reveals Lysander’s frustration with the social conventions that dictate who is allowed to marry whom, and his desire to be with Hermia despite her father’s objections.

Lysander goes on to criticize Demetrius’ character, saying “I am, my lord, as well derived as he, / As well possessed; my love is more than his.” Here, Lysander is asserting that he is just as worthy a suitor as Demetrius, if not more so, because he genuinely loves Hermia rather than seeking her for political or social gain.

The speech concludes with Lysander expressing his determination to win Hermia’s love, saying “The course of true love never did run smooth; / But either it was different in blood–” Here, Lysander acknowledges the challenges he will face in trying to win Hermia’s hand, but he remains committed to the pursuit of true love.

Overall, Lysander’s speech reveals his confident and assertive personality, as well as his deep love for Hermia. It also shows his disdain for the societal conventions that dictate who is allowed to marry whom and his determination to follow his heart, regardless of the obstacles in his path. In the speech, I used Lysander’s self-confidence to come off as unfazed, as to drop my guard or break. Over the span of the speech I kept that façade up to trick Demetrius and Egeus into believing he wasn’t offended by how he couldn’t marry who he wanted due to societal standards.

Lysander goes on to criticize Demetrius’ character, saying “I am, my lord, as well derived as he, / As well possessed; my love is more than his.” Here, Lysander is asserting that he is just as worthy a suitor as Demetrius, if not more so, because he genuinely loves Hermia rather than seeking her for political or social gain. This part of the speech helps show that Lysander, despite his facetious façade, truly does love Ophelia. On top of this, with subtle changes in facial expressions, I showed that Lysander didn’t fake thinking he was above Demetrius, as he truly believed and knew he was.

Overall, Lysander’s speech reveals his confident and assertive personality, as well as his deep love for Hermia. It also shows his disdain for the societal conventions that dictate who is allowed to marry whom and his determination to follow his heart, regardless of the obstacles in his path. I think I captured his thoughts very well in this speech.