HELENA Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field
You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius!
Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex.
We cannot fight for love as men may do;
We should be wooed, and were not made to woo.
I’ll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell,
To die upon the hand I love so well. (Exit.)
OBERON Fare thee well, nymph. Ere he do leave this grove,
Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love. (2.1.238-246)
Oh, you do me mischief alright, retorts Helena, to Demetrius’s departing back, you HURT me, ay, in the temple, in the town, the field you do me mischief. It sounds almost as if Demetrius has jilted her at the altar, harmed her in public, in the streets, and everywhere. She’s a laughing stock. Fie, Demetrius! BAD Demetrius! This is, sort of, your fault, because your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex. The way you’ve treated me, harmed me, has made me act improperly in return. I’m not just a laughing stock, I’m an awful warning, my reputation’s in tatters. But this is what it’s like for a girl: we cannot fight for love as men may do, as I’ve been discovering, to my great cost. It’s just not fair, we should be wooed, and were not made to woo. It doesn’t WORK, being the one pursuing you, courting you, declaring my love. (Helena is now all too aware of this historical asymmetry. Thanks, the patriarchy.) But she’s resolved, she’s got her feet wet and so she might as well go swimming. I’ll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell, to die upon the hand I love so well. It’s painful enough being in your company but it’s even worse being apart, and so I’ll make more than the best of it, follow you and have the bittersweet, painful pleasure of being with you. Even if you kill me (steady on, sister), that’ll be a kind of ecstasy (and yes, there’s a quibble on die, in the sexual sense too). I don’t CARE anymore.
Off she goes, poor Helena, and Oberon makes clear whose side he’s on: fare thee well, nymph. Good luck with that, lass. But ere he do leave this grove, thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love. Before very long, before he’s out of these woods, he’ll be pursuing you and you’ll be the one trying to get away!
