Puck as an Intermediary Between the Human and Fairy World

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.

Puck suggests to both the watchers and, consequently, to the readers, that if they did not enjoy the tale, they should pretend it was a dream, an impression so convincing that at times the audience is left confused. The lines from the last stanza communicate the ending of the play to be ironic and humorous, much in the same way as the rest of the story was told. The general plot, with certain characters implementing stresses on jokes more than others, also contributed to the humor in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare had a way of placing puns in this play, such as when Puck states,"[a]nd, as I am and honest Puck/ Else the Puck a liar call". (G. J. Thomas R. Arp) In Shakespeare's time the Puck was a mischievous nature sprite or fairy (Teller).

He is rather quick with his words and able to manipulate them is such a fashion to motivate the reader to seek more of this character. Wit becomes a part of him that shows itself more than ever. In a book by the name of The Psychology of Laughter and Comedy, it gives a description of two main species of wit. These are listed as harmless wit and tendency w... ... middle of paper ... ... be mad and Hamlet is really trying to convince her that he is not. He knew what he was saying he just meant for Hamlet to lie his head in her lap during the play.

This links to the other main theme of the play, that of entertainment and comic characters. This is illustrated through Sir Toby Belch; who is quite clever and enjoys playing tricks on people such as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Malvolio who are less intelligent and more unaware of their humorous characteristics. The scene in which Sir Toby and Maria trick Malvolio into thinking that Olivia is in love with him is a good example of a humorous and entertaining scene. "Observe him, for the love of mockery, for I know this letter will make a complete idiot of him" Malvolio, although he is a servant, often looks down on Sir Toby as if he is better than him. "Is there no respect of place, persons, nor time in you?"

In addition, his character always puts a twist on the plot for comedic effect, admitting that, “As this their jangling I esteem a sport” (III.ii.353). Puck views his practical jokes as a game, not to be taken seriously. Without his lighthearted spirit, it would simply be a dull, happy ending without any sign of conflict or humor. Shakespeare also emphasizes through Puck that human beings cannot be in control of love because it is much too powerful and complicated. He does so by alluding to the mythical god of romance as he remarks, “Cupid is a knavish lad, thus to make poor females mad” (III.ii.4... ... middle of paper ... ...e’s assertion that through magic, everything appears to be a dream.

Finally, Hamlet's madness is also clever because it allows him to express himself and his thoughts clearly, and through comments full of wit that show his awareness of reality when he mocks other characters in their faces without their noticing. Therefore, Hamlet's antic disposition is not true madness; rather it is feigned because it is self imposed, methodical and clever. Hamlet's antic disposition is self imposed, meaning that he chooses to impose this disposition upon himself. He willingly appears to be mad in order to obtain all he wants. This comes up in the situation after Hamlet has seen his father's ghost and is with Horatio and Marcellus.

The Grimms collecting stories from a wide variety of people also reinforces a greater relatability for readers. People young and old, lower and upper class, woman and men, all can learn and enjoy the stories because they all can relate to the events depicted in the

Even though Puck may not be the typical fairy like creature of magical pixie like characteristics, his main function is to be Oberon's go-to guy and to entertain the Fairy King. By setting in motion the events that send the lovers into chaos, Puck also ensures that the audience, have a good time as well. In this way, Puck being played by Kirkpatrick shows a kind of "lord of misrule" figure. Although he is more mischievous than malevolent, Puck reminds us that the fairy world is not all goodness and generosity.

The presence of the clown or fool figure therefore act as a voice of conscience, a merry joy-bringer to the play, or a commentator to the surrounding events. Shakespeare uses the fool in A Midsummer Night Dream and King Lear to bluntly deliver to the reader what he wants them to feel or understand in a tragedy, comedy, romance or any other type of play One important aspect to keep in mind about the fools is their ability to freely move without being affected by what happens around them. Just as their w... ... middle of paper ... ...or reader by merely being themselves, whether it be the wisdom Lear’s Fool offers, or the humorous response that Bottom illicit. As we see that one fool, Bottom is an example of a witty fool, and another is an example of a wise man in a fools disguise, Lear’s fool. Nevertheless as both fools take on roles of their own, and though it might not seem like they have a key role in the play in many ways would not be the plays that they are without these characters.

Puck, a character that enjoys playing around with different magic and potions plays a joke on Bottom. He decided to turn his head into an ass because that is what he feels best represents Bottom. Bottom doesn’t understand why people are humoring him because he does not realize his face is an ass, “This is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could”. (III.i.130-31). He knows he is an idiot but he does not realize he is literally an ass; he is oblivious to the subject.