How do we analyze the main characters from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, such as Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius, with respect...

The psychological condition known as
Antisocial Personality Disorder, otherwise called
sociopathy, is mostly a personality disorder in which the
person has a pattern of disrespect for the rights of others, as well as a pattern of
violating others' rights ( href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder">Psychology
Today, "Diagnosis Dictionary: Antisocial Personality Disorder,"
psychologytoday.com). Sociopathy is similar to psychopathy, but specialists
define sociopathy as "something severely wrong with one's conscience," while psychopathy
is a "complete lack of conscience" ( href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder">Psychology
Today). While not all of the main characters can be considered sociopaths,
Demetrius certainly can be, and due to external circumstances, Helena does demonstrate
at least one sociopathic symptom.

We especially see how Demetrius can
be considered sociopathic with respect to his treatment of Helena. For absolutely no
known reason, he transfers his affection from Helena to Hermia, even though he was
already engaged to Helena. An engagement is considered a social contract. Having
complete disregard for his social contract helps peg Demetrius as a sociopath. We
further see sociopathic behavior in his treatment of Helena after she follows him into
the woods. He threatens her with physical violence, even rape, showing us that he has
complete disregard for her rights as a person. We see him threaten her with violence
when, after she begs him to treat her as a spaniel, he replies, "Tempt not too much the
hatred of my spirit; / For I am sick when I do look on thee" (II.i.215-126). We further
see him threaten her with rape in his next lines:

readability="7">

You do impeach your modesty too much
To
leave the city and commit yourself
Into the hands of one that loves you
not;
To trust the opportunity of night,
...
With the rich
worth of your virginity.
(218-223)

The references to
her modesty and virginity are a clear threat upon her maidenhood and a clear threat of
rape. Demetrius's threats of violence show that he lacks a conscience and also lacks
respect for social codes and for Helena as a person, showing us that he is indeed
sociopathic.

While I would hesitate to call Helena, or any of the
other characters sociopathic, we do see one instance in which Helena forgets moral codes
and the rights of others. In the very first scene, she decides to betray her best
friend's secret plans to escape with Lysander into the woods and out of Athens so that
they can marry. Her motive for her decision of betrayal is that she may be gratified
with just a simple "thank you" from Demetrius, as we see in her lines, "...and for this
intelligence / If I have thanks, it is a dear expense" (I.i.253-254). While Helena does
disregard moral codes for a moment, it cannot really be said that she has a questionable
conscience as this is the only instance of disregard that we see in her.  Therefore, it
cannot be said that she is sociopathic. Instead, one must consider the external
circumstances that have led her to make this decision, which is Demetrius's own abusive,
unconscionable behavior.