Preview

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Comedy Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
658 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Comedy Essay Example
A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy that is full of mischief. Instead of having a main plot, it seems to be about random thoughts and emotions (much the same as dreams are). In fact, I have to wonder how much of the whole play is really supposed to be a dream – as Puck even suggests toward the end of the play.

There is no real protagonist to latch onto in this play, probably because there are three main groups of characters, but many people will find Puck to be the most interesting character. The whole play is based around Puck's antics, and he seems to be the play's main fool. In addition, it is he who sends everyone on hard (but funny) adventures. Puck is a fool in the true sense of the word during the time of this play - someone that entertains for his master. It was Puck's job in this play to entertain the fairy king Oberon. I picture Puck as wearing a funny hat and pointed toe shoes.

Another fool in this play would be Nick Bottom, but he is a fool in the present-day sense of the word. Bottom is not the type of fool who entertains his master. He is a fool because he allows his own idiocy and ego to stop him from accomplishing his goals, and he is totally unaware of how ridiculous he looks. Nick Bottom always thinks he is the best at everything. Even when Puck gave Bottom the head of a donkey, it didn't change his inflated opinion of himself.

This play begins when the duke of Athens (Theseus) is preparing for his marriage to the queen of the Amazons (Hippolyta). He is planning a four-day celebration for the occasion. As time goes on, there are so many twists and turns in the play that it is sometimes hard to keep things sorted out.

In one part of the play, Puck is sent to find a magical flower that is thought to contain a love potion. The juice of this flower can be spread over a sleeping person's eyelids to make that person fall in love with the first thing he or she sees when

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander, an Athenian man, portrays insult comedy. Insult comedy is the use of insults, often one liners, at the expense of another character to create comedy. In this case Insult comedy is used to insult another person or object with the intent of creating humor. In act 1, scene 1, Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over the beloved Hermia. Egeus, Hermia's father, expresses his wish to Theseus, the duke of Athens for Hermia to be married to Demetrius. However, Hermia loves Lysander and refuses Egeus's offer. Later the two Athenian men, Lysander, and Demetrius begin arguing about who should get Hermia. During this argument Demetrius exclaims…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s most popular play, A Midsummer Night’s dream, is a romantic comedy that features young lovers that fall deeply in and out of love in a brief period of time. This play is unique because it demonstrates tragedy and comedy at the same time. The comedy not only provides amusement and laughter but also helps ease tension between characters. In the play, A “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, William Shakespeare produces a comedy through foolish characters and mistaken identities.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is established in the play as the jester to the King of Fairies, Oberon. He first appears in Act 2, Scene 1 when he and another fairy discuss the disagreement between Oberon and Titania are having. The fairy gives us some indication of Puck's character as she describes how Puck "frights the maidens of the villagery" and "Misleading the night wanderers" (Act 2.1, line 35). When Titania refuses to give up the boy servant that Oberon wants, he comes up with a plan to steal the child, and enlists Puck's help to do so. Oberon is fully aware of Puck's desire to have a good time at the expense of others, but trusts him with the task of retrieving the flower to make Titania fall in love with "Lion, Bear, Wolf, or Bull." (Act 2.1, line 180) The idea here is to convince Titania to hand over the changeling boy while she is infatuated with a beast. Being attracted to mischief, Puck seems excited to be tasked to this adventure, and claims to return "Within forty minutes" (Act 2.1, line 176) so that they can…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Helena says that love is blind, and this foreshadows the actions that Titania and Egeus make when the interests of loved ones are in mind. First, when they argue about the Indian boy, Titania tells Oberon, “Set your heart at rest/ The Fairyland buys not the child of me”(2.1.121b-122). Titania is blinded to the disasters caused by the fight between her and Oberon because of the Indian boy she will not give up and has begun to love. Lastly, while Theseus and Egeus talk about Hermia’s marriage, Egeus says, “As she is mine, I may dispose of her/ which shall be either to this gentleman or to her death”(1.1.42-44). This quote shows that Egeus is blinded by his pride and what he thinks is right. He cannot see…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lysander says this to Helena when he is in love with her while under the potion. This quote talks about how reason is an important factor when it comes to falling in love with a person, and I think this is true for the most part. Reason comes with maturity and maturity comes with experience. I really love this quote because although there is no need for me to be thinking of true love at my age it gives me a sense of how it’s going to feel when I do fall in love in the future.…

    • 97 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Numerous scholars who examine and analyze the comedy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare point to Puck as the most significant character in the play. Although Shakespeare masks Puck’s important role in the comedy by hiding him amongst the more powerful characters, it becomes apparent that Puck’s mischievous attitude and knack for creating chaos are what moves the play along without a designated climax (“The Comedies: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream”). Puck is first introduced in “Act II Scene I” when a fairy notions Puck’s infamy by inquiring to him, “Either I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite called Robin Goodfellow” (II. i. 33-35). The fact that Puck is especially known for his ability to morph order to disorder, and likewise, foreshadows the idea of Puck playing an important role in the inevitable chaos and subsequent order between both the mortals and the fairies. Puck, the “shrewd and knavish” fairy assistant to Oberon, plays and undeniably important part in the constant battle between order and disorder in A Midsummer Night’s Dream through his intentional antics, comedic mistakes, and convoluted relationship with both fairies and mortals.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What if you were tricked into no longer loving your true love. In Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare a shakespearean comedy, Puck is a fairy who’s profession is serving Oberon the king of the fairies. Puck also is a known jokester who always is getting himself in trouble. He is also a very static character throughout the play. Puck is a three dimensional and complex character because of his difference in traits from mischievous to loyalty to compassion.…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the play, had a variety of characters which made this comedy interesting and original. Reading the play in its entirety is hard to comprehend right away, but watching what you read explains much more. The main lovers in the play are Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena. This is just a big mess because you have Hermia who refuses to follow her father’s orders to marry the man he has chosen for her named Demetrius. There is a conflict of interest because her father wants her to marry Demetrius but she is in love with other man named Lysander. Hermia’s father goes to the Duke of Athens Theseus where there by watching the movie the audience can help distinguish what kind of characters they are because being able to see it makes a clear picture. In Act 1 Scene 1 for example, Theseus has a speech in which he describes consequences for Hermia’s actions of her disobeying her father orders of marriage. When you are reading it, you don’t know if Theseus is a harsh quick-tempered judge or a nice, mellow patient person. Theseus in…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, love is impulsive; it changes hearts and minds in an instant. Although magic and fairy mischief is a large part of the play, this theme is still portrayed for the quick changing hearts of young lovers. Shakespeare does a wonderful job of portraying that quickly changing love known to young people. In the play love’s restlessness is shown when the fairy Queen falls in love with an ass, best friends become bitter enemies, and a haphazard love triangle suddenly sorts itself out.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Lysander says, "The course of true love never did run smooth." Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream is portrayed as complicated and difficult, yet Shakespeare does it in a way that is humorous and lighthearted. In this play love often brings out the worst in people, yet in the end it's what brings everyone back together. Love has the ability to spellbind people as Shakespeare represents symbolically through Puck's actions, and we see how intensely complicated it can be when it nearly tears apart Hermia's family and causes argument between the four main human characters. The four types of love, forced love, parental love, romantic love and complicated love permeate all aspects of life in this play and we see the awesome power it has over human emotion, psychology, and behavior.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Manipulation Of Love And

    • 971 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream is a tale involving the manipulation of love and the way love works itself out between various sets of people. It tells the story of characters that encounter chaotic situations of real love and also love that was controlled for the benefit of others. The characters caught up in the "love scandal"� are Oberon, Titania, Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena. All these characters were involved in the different triangles of love presented in the story. The main theme in A Midsummer Nights Dream is the manipulation of love and how occasionally it takes time get the path of love on the right track.…

    • 971 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An earlier play entitled, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, by William Shakespeare, is a comedy outlining the destinies of two bothered couples. Shakespeare tactically demonstrates the love of two Athens individuals, Lysander and Hermia. The conflict is, Hermia’s father is against the marriage of the two and insists upon marriage with a man named Demetrius. However, the already complicated situation becomes more complex when Hermia discovers that Helena, a deep-rooted friend, is in love with Demetrius. My initial interest of the play arose during the introduction of this conflict.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of the most prevailing themes of love is that of romantic, young love. It is portrayed as an emotion that lacks logical sense, one that is spontaneous, tragic, and disregards consequences. Hermia is madly in love with Lysander whom her father does not approve of. Because of this Hermia tragically declares that she will give up her life either to the nuns or death rather that marry Demetrious who her father consents to her marrying.…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare uses both fate and free will to present his philosophy towards the nature of love. The characters struggle through confusion and conflicts to be with the one they love. Although the course of their love did not go well, love ultimately triumphs over all at the end of the play. The chaos reaches a climax causing great disruption among the lovers. However, the turmoil is eventually resolved by Puck, who fixes his mistake. The confusion then ends and the lovers are with their true love. Throughout the play Shakespeare's philosophy was displayed in various scenes, and his concept still holds true in modern society.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Magic and illusions can be used to manipulate others, alter one’s mind, impact their decisions and force one to think differently. The power that one has over others and how they use it against them, can impact their lives significantly. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare creates a world of fairies and magic where they interact with humans who wander there, but this world is not as enchanting for those who are influenced throughout the events of the play. The fairies and their magical powers are the essential elements of the plot. Shakespeare uses Puck, the fairy to connect the two plots: the realm of the fairies and the humans, by playing the puppet master bringing about chaotic events. Puck’s mischievous personality causes…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays