Puck (Shakespeare)

Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Based on Puck from English mythology Puck is a mischievous fairy, sprite, or jester. He is the first of the main fairy characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream to appear, and he significantly is an influencer of most events in the play. He delights in pranks such as replacing Bottom's head with that of an asinus.
Puck is a servant to the fairy king King Oberon. King Oberon is furious at Queen Titania, the fairy queen, for she will not let him have a particular "little changeling boy" (2.1.120). Because of this, Puck is sent to fetch a particular flower, whereof the juice "on sleeping eyelids laid / Will make or man or woman madly dote / Upon the next live creature that it sees" (2.1.170-72). Puck is told to apply some of it to the "disdainful youth" (2.1.261) in "Athenian garments" (2.1.264) to Demetrius, but Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius, and as a result, does it on Lysander. Oberon applies some of the juice to Queen Titania, and Titania is waked by a singing Nick Bottom, whose head has been transformed to an asinus. Later, Puck is ordered to rectify his mistake with Lysander and Demetrius, and he creates a black fog through which he separates the "testy rivals" (3.2.358), imitating their voices until they are asleep.
Category:Shakespearean Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Fairies
Category:Mischievous
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Category:Theatrical Heroes
Category:True Neutral
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Successful
Category:Jerks
Category:Pragmatists
Category:Tricksters