Analysis of the Painting Hermia and LYsander by John Simmons

Intro: In the painting of â€Å"Hermia and Lysander† by John Simmons, it portrays the scene in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream when Hermia and Lysander are in the forest, and Lysander persistently invites Hermia to sleep with him in the cold, dark forest. The love of Hermia and Lysander is reciprocated but remains uncertain and quite mysterious at times. When Hermia says no to the convincing and authoritative Lysander, she is left with no choice but to abide to her morals. However, she is worried whether her words would upset the persuasive Lysander or not. Simmons depicts the strong emotion of love tribulations, dominance to male figures, and a blur between the two worlds intermixing the sensible and fanciful realms to portray the lover’s relationship. Tribulations of Love: When love is put through trials and tribulations, love prevails in A Midsummer Nights Dream. However, each character encounters their own situations where they feel uncertain or even doubtful of each other’s company. The light from the luminous moon is shining brightly illuminating Lysander and Hermia, almost to shine a spotlight on the runaway lovers. The Greek god, Diana, is associated with the moon, evil, and nature. Two interpretation can be understood from the moon shining on them. Simmons is trying to emulate how dangerous, unsure, and mysterious love is. The lovers are surrounded with an owl that has glistening yellow sharp eyes, and a rabbit with glowing eyes. The glowing eyes give a nightmare