Early in Act II, the audience learns that Demetrius has gone into the woods to find Hermia and Lysander and that Helena has foll
owed him. Demetrius tells Helena to leave him alone. Helena’s response is:
You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant!
But yet you draw not iron, for my heart
Is true as steel. Leave you your power to draw,
And I shall have no power to follow you.
What literary terms are used to show how she feels about him?
Question 8 options:
Adamant—an extremely hard stone—was believed to be magnetic and saying Demetrius is a magnet and she is a piece of metal inescapably drawn to him. This is a metaphor used to show she can't escape him.
True as steel means “constant, reliable" and this is a simile. Steel is processed so that it becomes extremely strong. It is stronger than iron, which is brittle and breaks easily. Her love is as strong as steel.
She uses imagery that is masculine (adamant and steel) to describe her feelings to show that things are backwards in their relationship. The male should pursue the woman. She should not be chasing after him.
