WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Read the extract below and answer the question:
The wildest hath not such a heart as you
Run when you will, the story shall be change;
Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase;
The dove pursues the griffin, the mild hind
Makes speed to catch the tiger, bootless speed,
When cowardice pursues, and valour flies.
The speaker is
- Egeus
-
Helena
- Lysander
- Titania
The correct answer is: B
Explanation
This passage is from Act 2, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Helena is speaking to Demetrius, who is trying to escape from her in the forest. She reverses traditional roles in myths and nature to highlight how unnatural it is for her to be chasing him instead of the other way around. She references the myth of Apollo and Daphne, where Apollo pursued Daphne, but she fled. In her case, she is chasing Demetrius, who runs from her.