ar(1.1.182-184)Helena cannot understand why Demetrius cannot see in her what the rest of the world sees. Helena refuses to give up on Demetrius because they were engaged, and at that time, an engagement was a promise to marry. Helena wants Demetrius to honor his promise to marry her and will do anything to make that happen. If they do not get married, she could be publicly humiliated and she desperately wants to avoid that. Therefore she decides to tell Demetrius of Lysander’s and Hermia’s plans to meet in the forest and elope because Helena knows that Demetrius will go after them. When Demetrius goes to the forest, Helena can shamelessly pursue him, hidden from the rest of society where she would be limited by the rules that society places on women and how she would be expected to behave:I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight;Then to the wood will be to-morrow nightPursue her; and for this intelligenceIf I have thanks, it is a dear expense.But herein mean I to enrich my pain,To have his sight thither and back again.(1.1.246-251) While in the forest, Demetrius treats her very badly, but she continues to plead with him to come back to her. Instead of getting angry at him for treating her so poorly, she cowers and basically asks for more: “Use me but as your spaniel; spurn me, strike me, / Neglect me, lose me” (2.1.205-206). Helena’s actions are quite childish and immature. With these two personality traits, she will not be able to have any kind of relationship with Demetrius. She needs to gain some emotional stability before she can begin to reconcile with Demetrius. In Act 3 when Helena believes that Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius are playing a joke on her, she is finally able to get angry. This is Helena’s turning point which finally allows her to give up on Demetrius and gain some of the emotional maturity that she was lacking: And now, so you will let me quiet go,To Athens wil...
