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My initial impression of Helena is that she is very envious of Hermia for having Demetrius wrapped around her finger without trying. Her description of love being blind and childlike in the sense that it is prone to beguilement leads her to betray her friend Hermia in her attempt to escape with the one she truly loves: Lysander. She wishes to have Hermia’s beauty, wanting to be her just to have Demetrius’s attention. She expresses these desires when she explains that she would give anything (except for Demetrius) “to be to you translated” to Hermia (1.1.195). I picture her moping about her unrequited love in a comedic way (at least for the audience). Furthermore, one can see how much she idolizes Hermia for attracting Demetrius when she describes Hermia’s voice and eyes (1.1.186-7). Her constant comparisons of herself and Hermia illustrate her dissatisfaction with herself.
Bennett’s modern take of Helena depicts her as an emotional lady experiencing a breakup as she types away and drinks wine while sobbing.
She seems more introverted and relative to Hermia, who seems to outshine her in every way. When she goes to perform her soliloquy in front of a small audience on stage, her interpretation regarding love is well executed.
As for the version directed by Dromgoole, it is more aligned to my perception of Helena while reading. She looked whinier about being rejected by Demetrius as well as more dramatic. When she performs her soliloquy in this case, the facial expressions matched the theatrical expressions I pictured in my head while reading the scene. Furthermore, Dromgoole’s version nailed the moment after Helena asks Hermia how she gets Demetrius’s love and attention just the way I imagined it— comical (1.1.195-206.).
I believe that the audience is going to find Helena very relatable. Everyone at some point must have felt lonely in one way or another. They might relate to Helena in the way people relate to posts that do comparisons of their friends with themselves. They might be drawn to her because they may have had a similar experience as Helena.
(I felt compelled to add this because Helena might relate to this meme.)
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The gif game is killing me.
Helena is one of my favorite characters, but I have to admit that Bennet’s and Dromgoole’s versions don’t quite hit the mark for me. I think Helena should be comical as you do, but for me what’s important is the <i>direction</i> of that laughter. If we’re laughing <i>at</i> Helena, then it can seem kind of cruel (not just because it’s not nice to laugh at someone). Does Shakespeare think this is funny along stereotypical lines, where Helena is just another delusional woman obsessed with a guy (isn’t that the origin story for Cat Woman)?
I think there’s a way to read Helena as <i>aware</i> of her foolishness and where she’s equally angry with herself for loving Demetrius. That’s the Helena <i>I</i> feel sympathetic towards, at least.
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Helena is a character I found interest in while reading Act 1. Hermia, her best-friend at the time is arranged to marry Demetrius because her father wants her to. Hermia is in love with someone else though, Lysander. Helena is heated because she wants to marry Demetrius and feels that it is unfair that Hermia is arranged to marry him.
Throughout act 1 Helena shows her jealousy toward Hermia with complaints of Hermia’s “unfair” beauty. She says,
“Call you me fair? that fair again unsay.
Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair!
Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue’s sweet air
More tuneable than lark to shepherd’s ear,
When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching: O, were favour so,
Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,
My tongue should catch your tongue’s sweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The rest I’d give to be to you translated.
O, teach me how you look, and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart.”Here she is trying to make her-self look unpleasant and Hermia prepossessing as she points out all the beauty in Hermia.
When I read this in the book I felt sorry for Helena as she was announcing all of her flaws. I did not picture her as devious and cruel as when I watched the filmed productions. When I watched her speak this part I saw her evil and sneaky side and realized that she was trying to make herself look unattractive so that Hermia would feel sorry for her. I also realized how desperate she was acting in the movie. My first impression about Helena was completely different to when I read the book and when I watched the part being acted out. Her desperateness showed her weak side.
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Hmm… I wish you’d discussed more of your interpretation of Helena in comparison with the productions. You have some observations, but you don’t give much attention to explaining how you came to those conclusions (for instance, what, specifically, changed your mind about the character in which production?).
Do you think your initial impression was wrong, or do you think you just like the other interpretations better?
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