A Midsummer Night's Dream: Jokes Of Trickster Puck

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'I am that merry wanderer of the night. I jest to Oberon and make him smile' (Robin. 2.1. 43-47). Puck, a playful and mischievous fairy is known to be Oberon's jester who enjoys playing pranks on people. Puck is also known for his fun-loving humor, which creates the atmosphere of the play. I believe that Puck is the protagonist and the most important character in Midsummer Night's dream because he is the character who pulled the pranks on the four lovers by mistakenly putting the love juice on both Lysander and Demetrius' eyes.

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He is also the fairy who turned Bottom's head into an ass, and he was given the last words in the MidSummer Night's Dream. Many critics may argue that Puck isn’t the most important because he is barely seen in the play but, without the actions of Puck in the play, there wouldn't have been anyone moving the play forward.

Puck is considered the most important and the protagonist in this play because his actions of pulling the pranks on Lysander and Demetrius have moved the play forward by making it interesting.

Puck is the character who made almost every plot happen, where one plot is when he dropped a flower's love juice into the eyes of the mortals, and that ruined Oberon's plan of having Hermia marry Lysander. That same flower came from Cupid, the god of love.'Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell, it fell upon a little western flower' (Oberon. 2.1, 171 - 172). In this quote, Oberon is explaining how Cupid's arrow fell on one flower that was white as snow but turned purple and made every other flower around it turn purple.

From these flowers, Puck used one and placed it into the mortals' eyes. Puck caused both a negative and a positive effect on the four lovers in the play. Adding the flower juice in both Lysander and Demetrius' eyes was considered a disaster in the book, but, it resulted in saving Hermia from marrying someone she did not love and helped Helena to finally be loved by Demetrius. Without Puck's actions in the play, Hermia could have married someone she did not love and Helena could have stayed a maiden all her life. Puck made questions and predictions start rising about the four lovers. Pulling the prank on the mortals has shown comedy and drama in the play. Puck is the character that builds the relationship between the lovers and is pretty important because, without this scene, the play would not have been a comedy, where instead, it would have been dull and lost.

Robin Goodfellow (Puck) has contributed to the main plots in MidSummer's Night dream, where he caused mayhem but still restored it. He caused the problems with the four lovers and he changed Bottom's head into a donkey head. Changing Bottom's head into a donkey head has impacted the development and the amusement in the play. 'I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me, to fright me if they could….I will walk up and down here and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid' (Bottom. 3.1. 121-126). This quote was said by Bottom after he was transformed by Puck into a donkey's head, and it is where everyone started to flee from him. The bottom did not realize that he had a donkey's head, so, he starts to sing to show that he is not afraid. Transforming Bottom's head into a donkey was contributed as one of the main plots in the book, where it had both positive and negative effects. The negative effect is that, as Bottom is singing, Titania wakes up and falls in love with the first person she sees; Bottom. After Titania was cured of the loving spell, it shows that being in love with a donkey head was a disaster for Titania but, a funny joke for both Puck and Oberon. Changing Bottom's head has also resulted in a positive effect, it has restored Titania and Oberon's love relationship but where she was tricked by Oberon because the Indian child was no longer with her. Puck's actions have resulted in great amusement throughout the story, and without this plot, the story would have been short, and not amusing to the readers. Having puck in the book has shown that the book is not only about love drama but also about comedy and amusement. It has also shown how love was a joke in the play. Finally, Puck has shown big importance in the amusement and the comedy of the play, where he is truly the most important character, who creates problems and restores them when he pleases.

Puck, a playful fairy is considered the protagonist of the play, since he is the character who showed comedy throughout the book and has made all the drama occur. He is considered the most important because he is the only character who spoke directly to the readers and was the character who was given the last words in the book. The last words in the book were of Puck explaining to the mortals that it was all a dream and that now they are wide awake with no problems to face. 'If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended: That you have but slumbered here. While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream...Give me your hands if we are friends, And Robin shall restore amends' (Puck. 5.1. 445-455). This quote is said by Puck who apologized for all the consequences and the mayhem that he caused to the mortals in the book. Puck spoke directly to the readers and said that he will make up for everything he did to them. Puck is not the central character of the play but he is still the character that made all of these plots happen. After Puck finishes his speech (last words), it is proven that Puck did not rub any love juice into an Athenian's eyes, but instead, he rubbed nothing into their eyes and that shows that love is empty. Puck is not only knowledgeable but also wise when he starts making fun of how humans take love so seriously. Puck is truly a character that defines and creates the book. Puck states in the ending of the play: 'And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream (Puck. 5.1. 423-429) This quote states that Puck thinks that the theme of the book (love) is weak, has no value and is meaningless.

'When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Neighing in the likeness of a filly foal. And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl'(Puck. 2.1. 47-49). A quote said by Puck shows how he is a careless fairy who only likes to joke around. Robin Goodfellow (Puck) is considered the most important character in the play because he caused mayhem toward the four lovers, he turned Bottom's head into a donkey and was the only character to speak directly to the readers, as well as say the last words in the play. All of these plots that were just mentioned, contribute in a very huge way, where they were considered the main plots and the plots that were of most interest. Without all of these plots, the story would have ended with Hermia, either marrying Demetrius or Hermia staying a maiden all her life. It would have been a play that is lost and boring. Robin Goodfellow, a comedic, mischievous trickster has a role that is necessary for the construction of the MidSummer’s Night Dream and is a character who concerns the audience with what is real and what is just a dream.