Everybody is born with an innate fear of the dark. People instinctively abhor the unknown, and they dread the chaos and disorder that they believe lies in the shadows. Yet A Midsummer Night’s Dream challenges the notion that chaos, trickery, and deceit are perils that always end in disaster. Instead, the green world of the unknown and the disarrayed is where the four lovers: Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena finally find peace and true love. The very chaos that many impulsively dread is the primary factor that allows for the harmonious resolution of the play. Robin, nicknamed Puck, is the main source of disruption and deceit, and he is able to use cunning and chaos to his advantage because he is not playing pranks because of ill will,
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Puck’s character is integral to the mood of the play and his carefree and jovial nature allows for the audience to also enjoy the play because none of Puck’s practical jokes are harmful or done out of spite. His character allows for the rare use of chaos as a comedic tool rather than a tragic device and it keeps with the dreamy and pleasant tone of the play as a whole. Puck’s practical jokes additionally serve to resolve the lovers’ conflicts by reversing Demetrius’ feelings for Helena and preventing a fight between Demetrius and Lysander, showing how his trickery plays human nature in a positive way. However, Shakespeare still emphasizes how easily A Midsummer Night’s Dream could have ended badly. The mechanicals’ play in Act 5, Pyramus and Thisbe, serves to highlight how chaos created by ill intentions, such as family rivalry, can end in disaster and even death. There are alarming similarities between the mechanicals’ play and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, most notably, young love not accepted by family. This further evidences just how essential Puck’s positive intentions are to the resolution of the play as a whole. Puck exemplifies how often the best memories and friends are made in the worst of times and places. He reminds the audience that sometimes chaos is necessary to prevent greater catastrophes, and as long as one follows their heart with good intentions, even the seemingly worst of times can turn into happily ever
Puck’s character is integral to the mood of the play and his carefree and jovial nature allows for the audience to also enjoy the play because none of Puck’s practical jokes are harmful or done out of spite. His character allows for the rare use of chaos as a comedic tool rather than a tragic device and it keeps with the dreamy and pleasant tone of the play as a whole. Puck’s practical jokes additionally serve to resolve the lovers’ conflicts by reversing Demetrius’ feelings for Helena and preventing a fight between Demetrius and Lysander, showing how his trickery plays human nature in a positive way. However, Shakespeare still emphasizes how easily A Midsummer Night’s Dream could have ended badly. The mechanicals’ play in Act 5, Pyramus and Thisbe, serves to highlight how chaos created by ill intentions, such as family rivalry, can end in disaster and even death. There are alarming similarities between the mechanicals’ play and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, most notably, young love not accepted by family. This further evidences just how essential Puck’s positive intentions are to the resolution of the play as a whole. Puck exemplifies how often the best memories and friends are made in the worst of times and places. He reminds the audience that sometimes chaos is necessary to prevent greater catastrophes, and as long as one follows their heart with good intentions, even the seemingly worst of times can turn into happily ever