This monologue is based on the fight between Hermia and Helena during Act III, Scene II from A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is when Hermia thinks Helena has stolen Lysander away from her and Helena thinks that they are all playing a cruel joke on her. I placed this piece in the modern contemporary setting of band break up. Hermia is venting her feelings on a vlog. It was written for English class earlier this year.
Vlog #18, 3rd April, 2012, 12:45am. Oh. My. God. I can't believe that just happened! Why me? Helena is such a backstabbing bitch. That's our friendship is over. All of us, we're over.
As you guys will know, I'm in, or I was, in a band. Helena was our lead guitarist and backing vocals, Luke was our bassist and Demetrius was our drummer. That was until that viper Helena decided she wanted to be the lead singer and guitarist in her own band!
I suppose you guys will want to know what happened to make me shun my best friend. I don't really want to talk about it. But as they say sometimes it good to get it off the chest. Well here goes nothing…
So, I came out of the back door of the pub we had performed at right, all the other guys decided that they would leave me by myself to pack up the equipment. I was carrying the last of the amps to the van when I saw Lysander.
Carrying the heavy amp across the damp car park to the van I yelled out to him. He looked up, and as soon as he saw me he looked like he was going to run away. From me, one of his best friends.
I finally got to him after almost dropping the amp on my foot, like, a million times. He stumbled backwards, like he was, I don't know repulsed by me or something. I asked him why he didn't help pack up. I mean we're in a band; everyone has to pull their share of the weight.
He stuttered through his words, and finally managed to get out that he was leaving the band!
It took me a few seconds to comprehend what he said. Why would he leave the band after all of the hard work we had all put into it? The long hours into the night spent practising with one another!
Through his stuttering one more word stood out to me… Helena! That viper somehow managed to say something to Lysander that convinced him it would be a good idea to leave with her!
"That's impossible!" I whispered to him still trying to wrap my head around the idea, "You don't mean that; you just can't."
I turned away from him, in a vain attempt to clear my head from the swirling thoughts that were threatening to make my head explode.
That's when I saw her, the cause of the problem: Helena!
I'd decided that because Lysander had had a few drinks before the gig that he was just a little drunk. So I asked Helena if it were true, well I would have if she hadn't yelled at me!
She started shouting about how this wasn't a funny joke, that this prank had taken it too far and she just couldn't stand it anymore. That she was leaving.
This was all the confirmation that I needed to convince me that she was starting her own band with Lysander. How could she? We were best friends!
Right about then Demetrius came out from the pub. He came up to Helena and wrapped his arm around her in a… more than friendly way. And for someone who had a crush on him for the past ten years she didn't exactly react in the way I expected.
Neither did Lysander, he death stared Demetrius, his face set in a cold, stony gaze.
Demetrius started saying something about Helena's new band. Oh, so he was going to desert me too?
That's sort of when I may have lost my cool a little bit. I mean can you blame me? My supposed best friend had decided she wanted start another band without me! I just couldn't take it anymore.
I yelled at her, at them, at anyone who would listen. I hope everyone watching this is still listening, my life is already sad enough without being rejected by people on the internet.
I just didn't get it, I still don't get it! Why would they just leave me with nothing? Why, after all the hard work that we had all put in, would they start it all over again down one person?
I asked them all these questions, not allowing them anytime to answer them. I asked what Helena had used against me to get the boys to decide it would be better to leave the band with her rather than stay with me.
Helena then thought that it would be a good idea to insult me even further by accusing me yet again of playing a joke on her. How could she think that I would pull such a cruel joke on her? I'm not that mean, and I'm certainly not that good of an actress.
She wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell her that though. She wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. That's when I realised how deep this was. My best friend was accusing me of lying and not listening to me.
When I realised this I took moment to take it in. I stood there like an idiot just listening to all precious Helena could accuse me of.
After hearing all that, I lost it just that little bit more, enough to push me to charge towards her. I wanted to tear her eyes from her sockets because of what she had done.
Looking back on it now, it doesn't really seem like the best thing to have done. But, hey, I was really pissed off with her. I'm just lucky that Lysander and Demetrius were so blinded by her that they protected her.
I didn't think it was so lucky at the time. I screamed and shouted and kicked, trying to let me go so I could go and kill Helena. Don't judge me, I was really mad.
When I realised that they weren't going to let me get to Helena I tried to convince them that Helena had lied to them, she wasn't going to make it any bigger when and if she started this new band.
That didn't work out how I planned. They started going at each other's throats, saying stuff about how one cared more for Helena than the other.
After a few minutes of this bantering they decided it would be a good idea to leave our presence to 'settle' who loved Helena more.
What were they doing one of them could get killed. They were both drunk and as that ad that ran a few years ago, one punch can kill, especially when you're under the influence.
I turned around after watching them run off, facing Helena again. Suddenly, I didn't want to kill her any more. I just wanted to make her feel guilty. So I prattled on to her about how it was her fault that they were fighting. That one of them was most likely going to be dead by morning. I blamed her even though part of it was my fault, by pointing out that they were pinned against each other like enemies and not best friends.
Guess what she did next. Go on guess. She ran. Not what I was expecting, but run she did, like the coward she has become.
That's it, I suppose. That's my side of the story. After that I came home and decided to vlog to get the story off my chest. It did sort of help I guess. Talking about it. It made me think about it more than I had in the moment.
I just hope Lysander and Demetrius are okay. I really didn't mean to pin them against each other like I did. I hope they didn't end up killing each other. Oh God, do I hope they are okay.
I don't have anything to say any more. Except this, if Helena is out there somewhere and you happen to be watching this, which I highly doubt, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I should have respected your decision to leave like any other friend would have. Just… I can't tell you how sorry I am through the internet. That's even if you are. But… on the chance you are, can you please call me and talk to me about it. You're my best friend.
I guess that's it. I have nothing more to say.
That's it guys. I hope you enjoyed it and please, please, please read and review!