Puck’s Motivation And Depiction In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
What’s Puck’s motivation for A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Puck? The legend that inspired Puck (also known as Robin Goodfellow) is contemporaneous to Shakespeare’s. Puck’s origins were as intriguing as his character. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary refers to him as Robin Goodfellow. Robin Goodfellow is “a sportive and capricious evil elf or goblin believed haunt the English countryside.” (II, I: 33). Puck is a key figure in the plot development for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Puck is true legend. Bottom is transformed by Puck into an assy head, and you can see Bottom’s transformation (III, I: 102). Oberon orders Puck that he anoint Titania & Demitrius’ eyes using a magic love “juice”. This causes confusion and makes Puck mistakenly think Demetrius is Lysander. Puck is also responsible Titania’s misplaced feelings of love. Bottom, the ass is her object of mad affection when she falls in and awakens to love. What is Puck’s motivation? Puck is partially the answer. What is it that Puck desires to make such joy? This intriguing question can be viewed as Puck’s representation of Shakespeare on-stage.
Puck acts as an author and can move between different worlds. Puck is a spirit who interacted with mortals much like Shakespeare. In the epilogue, Puck is the voice of the author.
If shadows have been offended
This is how it works:
This is all you can do.
These visions were real.
This is a weak and inactive theme
There is no more dreaming than yielding… (V: 415-420).
Puck makes the play’s title public and apologizes to any audience members who were offended by the “shadows”. Shakespeare might be speaking through Puck. We know from Shakespeare’s play that a proxy author can address an audience. Bottom proposes to insert a disclaimer in the opening of his play. This will put their fear out of their minds” (III, I: 16-20).
Another parallel between Shakespeare and Puck is when Puck stumbles on a rehearsal by Pyramus. I’ll make an auditor. / I may also make an actor, if necessary” (III.i.74-75). Puck is an auditor through his presence. Bottom, however, becomes an actor because of him. Shakespeare is also an actor, an avantpremiere audience of the play.
Puck’s motivations are easier to comprehend if you think of him like Shakespeare. As Shakespeare, Puck wants to create an entertaining and compelling show. It is fitting that the Old French mischief comes from mes, bad, and chever. To end, it means. Puck encourages the “entertainment-value of subversion”, which Shakespearean drama is known for, to keep the play going to its conclusion. Puck’s mischief will keep the audience entertained, even though it may not be always amusing.
