Help me, Lysander, help me; do thy best
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast.
Ay me, for pity! What a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
– William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 2. Hermia wakes up from a nightmare and calls out for Lysander, to find herself deserted by him. In her terrible dream a serpent devours her heart while Lysander stands by and smiles. The serpent is a metaphor for Lysander’s betrayal and the heart a metaphor for love, as Lyander’s affections switch to Helena. The symbolism of the dream foreshadows Lysander’s newfound love for Helena, as he pursues her, trying to convince her that his affection for her is genuine. The sleeping Hermia’s dream is thus a mirror for reality.