Realism and Romanticism in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Realism and Romanticism in A Midsummer Night’s Dream In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, love is viewed in different ways. While the four main characters believe in romanticism, Theseus is a strong supporter of realism. Bottom proves to be quite accurate characterizing the four main lovers when he states, "O what fools these mortals be.". Demetrius and Lysander both speak in figurative language and both are very handsome. Their love for …

…far more romanticized and less thought out than older, more realistic love. Theseus compares the four characters feelings for each other to poets and lunatics. Each, he says, see their fantasies more clearly than they see what’s actually there. This has proven to be so in the minds of the four lovers. Their devotion to each other is far more romanticized and figurative than the more realistic, mature love that Theseus shares with Hippolyta.