Act 4, Scene 1



Demetrius now says he will love Helena forever. Helena responds to his renewal of love with a paradox (a contradiction), describing Demetrius as "Mine own, and not mine own" (line 191). What does she mean? Do you think she should still feel uncertain about Demetrius or trust him completely?

31 comments:

  1. Helena means that she isn’t certain of Demetrius’s love and doesn’t know if he is loyal to her. She isn’t sure about him. Before the potion Demetrius liked Hermia more than Helena which made Helena jealous of Hermia but now Demetrius loves her. That makes her feel insecure because Demetrius might fall in love with another woman. Helena thinks that because first he liked her but then had feelings for Hermia and now he likes Helena. I think that Helena should feel uncertain about Demetrius because he is under a potion which might wear out and may cause Demetrius to love Hermia again and leave Helena heartbroken. But then again, there is still a chance that the potion won’t wear out and the potion might work for the rest of their lives. I think she should feel a little uncertain about Demetrius. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

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  2. I think that Helena still loves Demetrius and he will slowly but surely gain her trust and love back. She does have strong feelings for him but he did break her heart before. The two being married now may help the process but most likely will not make up for it. On Demetrius' part, I believe that the real Demetrius will fall in love with Helena therefore if the potion wears off or gets taken off, it won't matter.

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  3. Helena should be uncertain about him. If I was her, I wouldnt trust him because he threaten to kill me and he also loves my friend. If I wake up and finally see him loving me, I would find that suspicious, since just before he loved Hermia. Like Gurpreet said he might fall in love with someone else. What Helena means by 'Mine own, and not mine own" is that Demetrius is hers but also since he liked Hermia, he still have some kind emotions around her. So he isnt 100% devoted with Helena

    I also find it unfair for Demetrius since he is forced to love someone against his will.

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  4. Mine own, and not mine own is Helena saying that Demetrius who loves her now is hers, but not yet entirely hers. She’ll gladly take it, but she’s not certain whether or not the love that he’s proclaiming is true. She walked into the forest with him loathing her, ready to kill her, and ready to rape her. Also, at the start he wanted Hermia. All this makes his love for her seem not totally genuine. I think that she shouldn’t feel too ambiguous. The way he talked about how much he loved Helena, and how his love for Hermia vanished into thin air sounded true. The way talk he spoke about how he didn’t like Hermia anymore sounded real. His revelations about his love for Helena sounded like the truth to Theseus too. These facts should lessen Helena's paranoia, but at the same time he did hate her before. I don’t think that she should trust Demetrius completely. I think that she should feel uncertain, but lean a little more towards certainty.

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  5. What Helena means by describing Demetrius as "Mine own, and not mine own" is that his love is for her but at the same time, not for her since he previously loved Hermia. Before being affected by the love juice, he was getting very annoyed with her and tried blowing her off with multiple threats, going as far as to even rape her if she didn't leave him alone. After being affected by the love juice, he instantly started loving Helena instead of Hermia. Helena still accepted his love for her but because he might still be affected by the love juice, I don't think his love for her is completely from the heart and so I don't think she should fully trust him.

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  6. When Helena says "Mine own, and not mine own" she means that she does love him a lot but she isn't sure that she is 100% sure that he actually loves her and that if he does love her, he will be loyal to her and wont leave her when they are married. She should be uncertain about him because anything can happen. He is only in love with her because Puck put the love potion in his eyes when he was sleeping so that he would fall in love with her when he woke up. Also, if something happens and puck takes off the love potion, he won't love Helena anymore and she will be left alone.

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  7. I think what Helena means by “Mine own, and not mine own” is that she feels like she’s hers but at the same time she feels like it is weird because before he used to hate her and all of a sudden he is deeply in love with her, she probably finds it very weird. I don’t think she should trust Demetrious but at the same time I think she should stay with him because she has been in love with him for a while so she should be grateful. If they get married and have a life together then Demetrious will probably fall in love with her for real because he will spend more time with her and realize that he is perfect for her with not just the potion. So I think that Helena should trust Demetrious because they should be together.
    -Severina Ferreira-Lopes

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  8. When Helena describes Demetrius as "Mine own, and not mine own," she means that he is hers, although he was previously Hermia's, so he isn't only hers. I think that she should be careful in her relationship with him, because it's strange that in a matter of days he goes from hating Helena and being completely in love with Hermia, to completely forgetting about his feelings for Hermia and once again loving Helena because of a potion. His love for her wasn't real. If i were in her place I wouldn't trust him at all, because no person could fall out of love, then fall in love again, that quickly.

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  9. What Helena means of mine own is that Demetrius finally loves her and that she knew it all along but also that he did love hermia so it's like fifty fifty. If I was Helena I wouldn't trust or date him because he was always being rude and had no respect with his words towards her. She has been waiting along time for him to finally like her and she's been trying so hard but it's a little wierd how the next morning he loves her and gives her all the attention that she need so in the I wouldn't trust him or be in love with him.

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  10. When she says ‘And I have found Demetrius like a jewel, Mine own, and not mine own.’ She means that she feels so lucky to have just randomly found a jewel out of nowhere that it almost seems too good to be true. She doesn’t feel at ease because only a couple of hours ago Demetrius wanted nothing to do with her and now he is suddenly in love with her. She feels as if he might be tricking her, like it is too good. From my point of view I do think she could trust him because the love juice has made him fall head over heels in love with her, but from her point of view I wouldn’t even give an ounce of trust to him. It is impossible for someone too suddenly change their feelings towards you, no matter what they say, no one could ever love you within a small amount of time.

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  11. When she says this she means that in a way Demetrius is her's since he is declaring his love for her. At the same time Helena doesn't truly believe that she could trust him completely since not so long ago he had said quite the opposite and threatened rape upon her if she did not leave him alone. In this way she has every right to be confused and i would be too had i not known about the fairies. If I were in her shoes I wouldn't trust him at first. However over time I think he could prove his love to Helena and then I would trust him. At the same time if I knew about the fairies then I wouldn't trust him at all. The only reason that he loves her is due to a love juice that was placed in his eyes. This isn't true love he only thinks it is. If this potion were to somehow wear off then he would go back to hating her again.

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  12. The response Helena gives describing Demetrius as "Mine own, and not mine own" (line 191), she means that she's a bit wary and uncertain about Demetrius showing affection towards her, but at the same time she is quite delighted that he has shown his love toward her. I think Helena should trust him, or either be uncertain in their relationship, but only depending on the situation. I say depending on the situation because in the beginning when they entered the forest, he was really annoyed by the presence of Helena. He gave multiple threats towards her and trying to get her out of his sight. This might be a little crazy, but what if, the love potion only works when there is even a tiniest bit of love towards the other person/object they come across? The love potion could've been basically a booster or an aid for the love hiding somewhere ready to burst. Also, during while they were in the forest when Demetrius was trying to get rid of Helena, what if Demetrius just keep on denying his love for her, and tried to push away his feeling. Perhaps maybe that was a possibility for him saying that he wasn't in love with her before the love potion, but it's just and assumption.

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  13. I think that Helena means that he is hers because she loves him so much but not hers because she is shocked about the fact that they entered the forest fighting and hating each other and got out loving each other like never before. So it wouldn't be true love because true love can't happen during a nigh, it takes a much longer time. So she will love him forever but maybe he won't because is under the effect of the love potion and if it runs out Demetrius will completely change and move away from Helena so she shouldn't trust him one hundred percent because he can be cheating on her and loving Hermia because that's how he was before going into the forest. So she means that she will love him as long as he stays loving her and watch out for her.

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  14. What I think Helena means by this is that she is not sure of where Demetrius’s loyalties lie. At one point Demetrius hated Helena and in a matter of hours he idolized her. What Helena doesn’t know is that this sudden change happened because of the influence of a love potion. I think that Helena should be uncertain of whether or not Demetrius’s love toward her is true but at the same time she should be happy because she did get what she wanted, Demetrius’s love. Helena should profit off the love that Demetrius is giving her because who knows, maybe one day the potion will wear off or maybe it will be removed by a heartless being. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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  15. What Helena means when she says “Mine own, and not mine own” is that she isn't certain whether or not she should trust Demetrius. He was first in love with Hermia, then he suddenly fell in love with Helena. She thinks that Demetrius might leave her just like he stopped loving Hermia or he might be playing a trick on her. She of course doesn't know that he has the love potion on so she is very confused. If I were Helena, I would be suspicious. I would wait a couple weeks before fully committing to the relationship. I would see if he would stay with me and if after a while, he still loves me, I would accept it as the truth.

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  16. When she says "Mine own, and not mine own" she means that she loves Demetrious but she is not certain if he loves her back, he will be loyal to her and wont leave her when they are married. She should be uncertain about this man because he might be lying to her. He is in love with Helena because Robin or Puck put the love potion in his eyes so when he was sleeping he would fall in love with her or anything in first sight. When Puck will fix this situation I don't believe he will love her as much as he loves her in the potion's eyes.

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  17. What I think she is saying is that she is not sure if Demetrius is actually telling the truth. She thinks that Demetrius could be playing with her to believe that he actually loves her when she is not too sure. She might think that Demetrius is not being loyal to her by telling her this and thinks that he is lying. Demetrius could have just said that so if she falls in love with him, he could just take advantage of her and get whatever he wants. I think she should still feel uncertain about it because she doesn't actually know that Demetrius is under a love potion and is magically in love with her when he is actually not. She should just stay away from him until the potion wares off and then she will told the truth

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  18. When Helena says "Mine own, and not mine own", I believe she is saying that Demetrius is in love with her now, due to the potion, but she is suspicious of him because of his previous love of Hermia, and when she thought he was mocking her in the woods, though she is glad he loves her now. I think she should trust him, fir as long as the potion is in effect, he will love her. Even if the potion does wear off, Demetrius will have loved her for years, and may have developed an attachment to her.
    ~Clayton Ridpath

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  20. "Mine own, and not mine own." This could go multiple ways, in my opinion, it could be Shakespeare himself making a comment about the love potion, and at the same time, it could be Helena speaking her happiness towards the revelation, but also voicing her doubt, as Demetrius himself was full of hatred for the girl, not too long ago, threatening her. In this particular situation, it makes sense for Helena to feel uncertain about his declaration of love, as she does not know what we know, that he has been placed under the spell of the love-in-idleness. Helena saw Demetrius speak about his love for Hermia the day before, and after hearing him, all of a sudden, say how he loves her so, she has every right to be suspicious. All in all, Helena has probably been reduced to an emotional wreck, after all the events in the forest, and though they believe it was a dream, it's understandable that she wonders about the truth behind them.

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  22. When Helena describes Demetrius as “Mine own, and not mine own” she is saying how Demetrius insists he loves her and as readers we know that he believes what he is saying but she is trying to understand how overnight Demetrius suddenly loves her instead of Hermia. If I were Helena I think that I would react the same way because Demetrius has never shown interest in her before and he claims that he is suddenly madly in love with her. As a reader I think that she should not trust him because his love is not his own it is only because of the love potion which could easily be removed. So when Helena says Demetrius is “Mine own, and not mine own” I think what she is really trying to say is that Demetrius finally loves her and as much as she wants to accept that and marry him she knows that she can’t because it is to strange and sudden to be real.

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  23. When Helena says "Mine own, and not mine own", she means that Demetrius may love her, but she is not sure if she should trust him 100 percent. I'm not sure any person would trust anyone 100 percent after being threatened to be killed and raped by that same person. She should feel insecure about him because his love is not true, his love her is a scheme that is reinforced by a potion. I think that if the potion wears off, Demetrius will leave Helena because the love was never really there.

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  24. "Mine own, and not mine own" can refer to how Helena feels as though Demetrius does not really love her, as he did seem to blatantly hate her only a few hours short, but how she will still gladly accept the love being giving, because her feelings for Demetrius are still so incredibly strong that she is willing to take his love, even if it may be false, and the consequences may end up dire.
    I would like to think that she said 'Mine own, and not mine own,' instead of 'Not mine own, and yet still mine' or something of that like because although she is still weary of his new found, wayward tendencies towards her, she still considers him hers more than not, because of how strong her love for Demetrius is.
    This could be Shakespeare's way of making a nod towards the love potion that was thrown onto Demetrius' eyes, and how he will never really be Helena's, because if the potion were to wear off, his feelings would most likely vanish as well.

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  25. When Helena says "Mine own and not mine own" she means that he will be her husband and will be hers but not because he actually loves her, but because of the magic love juice that Puck put on his eyes. She might also be meaning that he is hers but not hers because she does not trust him which is understandable because he did threaten to kill and rape her. I think she can trust him mostly because he married her without doubts and even with the love juice on I'm sure he did realize why he is marrying her and it is because he loves her.

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  26. When Helena describes Demetrius as “Mine own, and not mine own”, she means that he’s hers because she loves him, but then he’s not hers because he went from despising Helena, then he went to loving her. Helena was questioning his love for her, since he wasn’t always there. I think that she should feel uncertain about Demetrius, since he went from one extreme emotion to another. She’s also not sure if he’s just using her to make Hermia feel jealous, or just using her because he has no one else. Helena’s doubting if their love is genuine.

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  27. Helena most likely mean by saying " Mine own and not mine own" is that she somewhat still believes that Demetrius still love Hermia even though Demetrius is keep on saying that he loves her. She is doubting of his love even though deep down she know that he still love him. I think that she has the right to feel uncertain because 10 minutes ago he loved her best friend Hermia and wanted to rape her. Shamar Thompson wrote this

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  28. When Helena said "mine own, and not mine own" she means that she think that Demetrius love her but since he just suddenly fell in love with her so she is confused if he really loves her. I don't think she should trust Demetrius because he just suddenly started to love her so it does not make sense if one day he hates her and the next he falls in love with her.

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  29. Helena means the even though Demetrius is hers, he is not hers, Helena means that even though Demetrius loves her today will he love her tomorrow?, or the next day? i do not think that Helena should trust Demetrius completely, since Oberon put an enchantment on him. Lets say that Oberon comes and takes the enchantment off of Demetrius's eyes, then will Demetrius still love Helena or will he hate her again?

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  30. when Helena says "Mine own, and not mine own" she means that he is mine right now but will he change his mind again and just go back to loving Hermia. she is also questioning if he actually does love her because at first he was threatening her and saying that he would kill her. i don't think that she should trust him mostly because how does someone go from hating a person to be willing to die for them.she should not trust him also because if that potion some how goes away he will leave her right away.

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