[Boas considers the various groups of lovers in A Midsummer Night's Dream , arguing that Shakespeare's characterization of the couples is more whimsical than serious. The critic first examines Theseus and Hippolyta's relationship, maintaining that although the playwright illustrates Theseus as a brave soldier who wins Hippolyta with his sword, the Greek ruler ultimately displays a practicality that exhibits no grasp of aesthetic beauty. In addition, Boas notes that in contrast to the generally serene fortunes of Theseus and Hippolyta, the young lovers-Lysander, Hennia, Helena, and Demetrius-are "a troubled lot" due to their "purely human failings. " The similarity of the characters' shortcomings, the critic continues, reflects an ambiguous interchangeabilityfrom onefigure to the next that contributes to the confusion of the comic entanglement in the Athenian wood. According to Boas, another pair of lovers-Oberon and Titania-add.....
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