HELENA         And will you rent our ancient love asunder

To join with men in scorning your poor friend?

It is not friendly, ’tis not maidenly.

Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it,

Though I alone do feel the injury.

HERMIA         I am amazed at your passionate words.

I scorn you not; it seems that you scorn me.          (3.2.215-221)

Helena’s winding up to the conclusion of her indictment of Hermia, or at least the first part of it? and will you rent our ancient love asunder—as if their friendship were akin to the sampler she’s just recalled them creating together, now to be torn down the middle, frayed, unravelled, destroyed—to join with men in scorning your poor friend? It’s not just the rejection, it’s the betrayal, that you’re on their side now, that you’re mocking me too! It is not friendly, ’tis not maidenly. Helena sounds very young here; her world’s a playground where it’s boys against girls; has Hermia forgotten that? (And also a world where behaving ‘appropriately’ as a woman is a form of protection, as well as security, dignity, identity?) Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it, though I alone do feel the injury. OBVIOUSLY I’m the only one directly suffering here, I’M the injured party, but you’ve betrayed and embarrassed all women through your actions; you should be ashamed of yourself and expect a proper telling off for the way you’ve let me down—because you’ve broken all the rules of female solidarity; you’re a traitor to the sisterhood!

Helena draws breath, it seems, and Hermia is both baffled and starting to be more than a bit annoyed: I am amazed at your passionate words; this just isn’t making sense, and also, steady on, calm down? I scorn you not; it seems that you scorn me. YOU’RE the one saying we’re not friends anymore, not me, I haven’t DONE anything WRONG!!