Lysander

Play

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Summary

Lysander is the young Athenian who loves Hermia and elopes with her into the enchanted wood to escape her father's decree and the law of Athens. Of the four young lovers he is perhaps the most conventionally romantic, with a line of poetic persuasion and a genuine tenderness toward Hermia. But it is his eyes onto which Puck mistakenly applies the love-juice, causing him to awaken and pursue Helena with absurd ardor, utterly abandoning Hermia and setting the lovers' quartet into chaos.

Notable Quotations

"The course of true love never did run smooth." *(I.i)*

"Content with Hermia? No, I do repent / The tedious minutes I with her have spent." *(II.ii, enchanted)*

Cross-references

• A Midsummer Night's Dream — the play
• Comedies — genre
• character_hermia — his true love whom he deserts under enchantment
• character_helena_mnd — the woman he is enchanted to pursue
• character_puck — who misapplies the love-potion to his eyes
• character_demetrius — his romantic rival