Johnnie Patricia Mobley resolves the conflict between the characters of Hermia and Helena (on whose behalf Oberon intercedes with his good intentions of administering the magic potion). Hermia and Lysander do this by sharing with Helena their plan to run away beyond the authority of Hermia's father so that they can be together (Mobley 16). This is Shakespeare's way of addressing the love triangle, which must have often come up in the lives of people whose marriages were arranged. It also looks at the solution for Hermia and Lysander, and Oberon's intervention gives the audience, and Hermia, time to contemplate the ramifications of making the choice to defiance of her father's wishes. When Oberon intercedes, making a mistake with the potion that transfers Lysander's affections to Helena, and Hermia can see that, after all, affection is fleeting,...
The play the see puts their lives in perspective for them, but it does not resolve their dilemmas of affection. In the end, whether one makes choices of duty, or not, the heart speaks.
Reference List
Kehler, D. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Critical Essays, Routledge (1998), London,
UK.
Mobley, J.P. A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Facing Pages Translation Into
Contemporary English, Lorenz Educational Publishing (2000), Chicago, Il.
Shakespeare, W. A Midsummer Night's Dream, found online at http://www.onlineliterature.com/shakespeare/midsummer/9/, retrieved 1 December 2009.