Hermia confides in her good friend Helena that she and Lysander are going to elope. Hermia tells Helena that the she and Lysander are going to meet in the woods to run away together to Lysander's aunt's house. Otherwise, Hermia will be forced either to marry Demetrius or be put in a convent.

Helena betrays Hermia by telling Demetrius about her elopement plans. Helena is in love with Demetrius and thinks that by helping him, she will earn his love and gratitude. As he runs into the forest in search of Hermia, Helena runs after him.

Helena's action is an illustration of Shakespeare's contention that love is form of lunacy that inspires us do crazy and self-destructive things. A more sensible response would have been to let Hermia and Lysander run off to marry without telling Demetrius. That way, once Hermia was married, Demetrius would have been forced to accept the reality that he couldn't marry her. This was have made it possible for him to turn back to loving Helena. In giving Demetrius the chance to catch Hermia and prevent the marriage, Helena did the most illogic possible thing for her own cause.

Helena's unhealthy love for Demetrius will lead her to say she would tolerate him hitting her and abusing her as long as she could be near him. Helena's version of love has a consistently self destructive streak.