Deandra Perea
Professor Tony Stafford
English 3320
18 April 2018
Puck a.k.a Robin Goodfellow
In Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon is the fairy king; his right-hand man, and quite possibly one of the most important characters in the play, albeit unexpectedly, is Puck, or Robin Goodfellow. When first encountering Puck he seems to be merely a “jester” in service to Oberon, nothing more. However, upon further reading the audience quickly discerns that he is much more than Oberon’s entertainment. Puck is crucial to the plot progression and overall tone of Midsummer Night’s Dream. He also ensures that the audience is sensitive to the darker side of the play. And perhaps most importantly, he is an intermediary; between the fairy realm …show more content…
We immediately see that Puck has a reputation as a trickster in his encounter with one of Titania’s attendants. She says to him, “Either I mistake your shape and making quite/Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite/Called Robin Goodfellow. Are you not he/That’s frights the maidens of the villagery…” (2.1.33-36) Her language here makes it clear that Puck, though never malevolent, has a penchant for mischief and misrule. We also see an example this when Puck, of his own accord, and quite happily, transforms Bottom’s head into that of an “ass.” Another way Puck veers away from the more lighthearted tone of the play, is his apparent indifference to human suffering, which is demonstrated several times throughout the play. This is evident from the way he gleefully tells Oberon about the trick he’s played on Bottom and how it all culminated in Titania falling in love with an “ass.” Upon meeting up with Oberon, the first words out of his mouth are, “My mistress with a monster is in love.” (3.2.6) The audience gets the sense that Puck could scarcely contain his delight in the retelling of the events. When Oberon and Puck realize the mistake he has made in administering the love potion to the wrong Athenian, Oberon is clearly agitated, and Puck shows no remorse; in fact, he even blames the misshape on fate: “Then fate o’errules, that, one man holding troth/A million fail, confounding oath on oath.” (3.2.94-95) Puck shows us his apathy towards the young lovers’ conundrum again and again when him and Oberon are witness to the chaos he has created, “Shall we their fond pageant see?/Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (3.2.116-117) Puck sees all this disorder as a show, a play for his amusement, “… As this their jangling I esteem a sport.” (3.2.374) In Midsummer Night’s Dream Puck can be likened to the traditional Shakespearean “fool.”
Professor Tony Stafford
English 3320
18 April 2018
Puck a.k.a Robin Goodfellow
In Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon is the fairy king; his right-hand man, and quite possibly one of the most important characters in the play, albeit unexpectedly, is Puck, or Robin Goodfellow. When first encountering Puck he seems to be merely a “jester” in service to Oberon, nothing more. However, upon further reading the audience quickly discerns that he is much more than Oberon’s entertainment. Puck is crucial to the plot progression and overall tone of Midsummer Night’s Dream. He also ensures that the audience is sensitive to the darker side of the play. And perhaps most importantly, he is an intermediary; between the fairy realm …show more content…
We immediately see that Puck has a reputation as a trickster in his encounter with one of Titania’s attendants. She says to him, “Either I mistake your shape and making quite/Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite/Called Robin Goodfellow. Are you not he/That’s frights the maidens of the villagery…” (2.1.33-36) Her language here makes it clear that Puck, though never malevolent, has a penchant for mischief and misrule. We also see an example this when Puck, of his own accord, and quite happily, transforms Bottom’s head into that of an “ass.” Another way Puck veers away from the more lighthearted tone of the play, is his apparent indifference to human suffering, which is demonstrated several times throughout the play. This is evident from the way he gleefully tells Oberon about the trick he’s played on Bottom and how it all culminated in Titania falling in love with an “ass.” Upon meeting up with Oberon, the first words out of his mouth are, “My mistress with a monster is in love.” (3.2.6) The audience gets the sense that Puck could scarcely contain his delight in the retelling of the events. When Oberon and Puck realize the mistake he has made in administering the love potion to the wrong Athenian, Oberon is clearly agitated, and Puck shows no remorse; in fact, he even blames the misshape on fate: “Then fate o’errules, that, one man holding troth/A million fail, confounding oath on oath.” (3.2.94-95) Puck shows us his apathy towards the young lovers’ conundrum again and again when him and Oberon are witness to the chaos he has created, “Shall we their fond pageant see?/Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (3.2.116-117) Puck sees all this disorder as a show, a play for his amusement, “… As this their jangling I esteem a sport.” (3.2.374) In Midsummer Night’s Dream Puck can be likened to the traditional Shakespearean “fool.”