Not Hermia, but Helena I love.
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason swayed,
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
– William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 2. Lysander is not in his right mind because he is under the spell of a magic love potion. As a result he has dramatically switched his affections from Hermia to Helena. Ironically he tells us that his new love for Helena is governed by reason and intelligence. He uses bird metaphors to compare Hermia to an ugly raven and Helena to a beautiful dove. The passage also provides dramatic irony because the audience knows that Lysander doesn’t really love Helena, but is under a spell. There is foreshadowing here too of the conflict that will occur between best friends Helena and Hermia.