An Essay on William Shakespear's A Midsummer Night's Dream
The role and character of Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, is not only entertaining but quite useful.
William Shakespeare seems to have created the character of Puck from his own childhood. In Shakespeare's time it was believed that fairies and little people did exist. Whenever something went wrong around the farmyard or house or village, incidents such as buckets of milk 'accidentally' spilling over, or tools suddenly disappearing, or doors opening for no reason, it was blamed on 'those damn little people!'.
The idea of Puck's character is a lovely one. One can't help but be attracted to him and his innocent, little pranks. He is also known by the name Robin Goodfellow. The audience can only see this 'Robin Goodfellow' side of Puck when he is trying to fix something he disrupted, hence the name Goodfellow
When compared to Oberon, King of the Fairies and Titania, Queen of the Fairies and the remaining fairies of the play, Puck does not seem to fit in as well.
English: "Midsummer Nights Dream Act IV Scene I--A...
Washington Allston's 1818 painting Hermia and Hele...
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Fi...While Oberon and Titania belong to the forest and the world of dainty fairies, a small village setting seems more appropriate for Puck. He is the type of fairy that likes to be around mortals and cause them trouble, as opposed to other fairies. This is why Puck's little job with a love potion and a young couple is perfect for him and he perfect for the job.
Puck is a likable character who tends to create mischief around himself. Everything is a game to crafty little Puck. Yet once he realizes that he has caused a problem he will make sure to the best of his ability and power that it is rectified. As in the scene with...