Examination Thesis from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, Bielefeld University, 71 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: "Love" is a central topic in Shakespeare′s plays. Many of his couples have gained a status of immortality: Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, or Beatrice and Benedick are only a few examples. These lovers share one experience, which Lysander in "A Midsummer Night′s Dream" sums up very clearly: "The course of true love never did run smooth ..." (1,1,134) This dilemma is the "raw...