The will of man is by his reason sway'd; / And reason says you are the worthier maid.
A man's will is guided by his reason; / And reason says you are the worthier woman.
Demetrius · Act 2, Scene 2
Lysander uses this language of reason and judgment to justify abandoning Hermia for Helena, as if logic could explain the reversal of love. The terrible irony is that he is speaking the play's own language of reason while under a spell that has destroyed reason entirely. He is deceived into thinking he is being rational at the exact moment he is most bewitched.
I am wood within this wood,
I'm lost within this wood,
Demetrius · Act 2, Scene 1
Demetrius speaks this line frustrated and confused, making a pun on his own name while lost in the forest pursuing Hermia. The wordplay captures the play's logic: the forest is not just a place but a condition of mind, a state of being where identity dissolves into the landscape. Being 'wood' (both mad and drawn into the wood) is the same thing.
I love thee not, therefore pursue me not. Where is Lysander and fair Hermia? The one I’ll slay, the other slayeth me. Thou told’st me they were stolen unto this wood; And here am I, and wode within this wood, Because I cannot meet my Hermia. Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.
I don’t love you, so stop following me. Where is Lysander and beautiful Hermia? One I’ll kill, the other will kill me. You told me they ran off to this forest; And here I am, lost in this wood, Because I can’t find my Hermia. Go away, and stop following me.
Demetrius · Act 2, Scene 1
Demetrius is lost in the forest, desperate to find Hermia and furious at Helena's pursuit. The line captures a man torn between his promised love and his obsession, speaking rejection as if it were fact. It shows how love in this play is not a choice but a force that overtakes reason, leaving the speaker unsure of his own desires.
My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth, Of this their purpose hither to this wood; And I in fury hither follow’d them, Fair Helena in fancy following me. But, my good lord, I wot not by what power,-- But by some power it is,--my love to Hermia, Melted as the snow, seems to me now As the remembrance of an idle gaud Which in my childhood I did dote upon; And all the faith, the virtue of my heart, The object and the pleasure of mine eye, Is only Helena. To her, my lord, Was I betroth’d ere I saw Hermia: But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food; But, as in health, come to my natural taste, Now I do wish it, love it, long for it, And will for evermore be true to it.
My lord, fair Helena told me about their secret plan, About their intention to come to this wood; And I, in a rage, followed them here, With Helena in love following me. But, my good lord, I don’t know by what magic,— But some magic, for sure,—my love for Hermia, Melted away like snow, and now it seems Like a childish fancy I once had; And all the faith, the goodness in my heart, The object and the joy of my eyes, Is only Helena. To her, my lord, Was I promised before I even saw Hermia: But just like when sick, I hated that food; Now, in health, I crave it, I love it, I long for it, And I will forever be true to it.
Demetrius · Act 4, Scene 1
Demetrius stands before the Duke and confesses that his love for Hermia has simply vanished, replaced by an equally powerful attachment to Helena. The speech lands because it describes a transformation that feels both magical and involuntary, a man watching his own heart remake itself. It crystallizes the play's central argument: that love is not governed by reason or will, but by some force outside the self.
