Excerpt from Act II, Scene 1, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Helena
I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius,
The more you beat me I will fawn on you.
Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.
In this passage Helena speaks of herself as Demetrius’s spaniel.
Which mood does this metaphor create in this excerpt?
It is desperate because she is willing to be treated like a dog as long as she can be near him.
It is angry because she feels he has treated her no better than he would treat a dog.
It is affectionate because she is as loyal to him as a faithful dog.
It is fearful because he has threatened to beat her as he would a dog.