Hermia calls Demetrius a serpent. On what previous occasion does she refer to a serpent? Might there be a connection in her mind between then and now? Why?
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serpent
In Act 2, scene 2, Hermia has a nightmare about a serpent eating her heart:
II.ii.145-156: Help me, Lysander, help me! Do thy best
to pluck this crawling sepent from my breast!
Aye me, for pity! What a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.
Methought a serpent eat my heart away ,
and you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
...........
In her mind, she connects Demetrius with the serpent image. She thinks that Demetrius may have killed Lysander, the man she loves (although it is unrequited love). However, the connection isn't really valid. Lysander is actually the one who breaks Hermia's heart, by falling in love with another.
II.ii.145-156: Help me, Lysander, help me! Do thy best
to pluck this crawling sepent from my breast!
Aye me, for pity! What a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.
Methought a serpent eat my heart away ,
and you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
...........
In her mind, she connects Demetrius with the serpent image. She thinks that Demetrius may have killed Lysander, the man she loves (although it is unrequited love). However, the connection isn't really valid. Lysander is actually the one who breaks Hermia's heart, by falling in love with another.
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