The character Nick Bottom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is one of the most comedic characters in the play. Bottom is unique from all the other characters in the play not only because of his humorous personality which makes the play more comical and cheery, but because he is the only character able to enter in both the human world and the world of the fairies. He has many different traits, some of which are egoistic, bossy, and foolish. One thing about Bottom is that he thinks very highly of himself making him egoistic. However, he has very little reason to think so. Hence, the reason why Puck decides to give him a donkey's head. The donkey's head represents Bottom's foolish and arrogant personality. In the play, Bottom's arrogant personality is especially portrayed when he keeps demanding to play all the other actors’ roles when saying, "An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too." (1. 2. 45), and also when saying "Let me play the Lion too." (1. 2. 63), showing that he thinks very highly of his own skills and very poorly of others. His ideas for the play are not only arrogant, but they are also foolish because of how unrealistic it is for him …show more content…
Particularly in the way that he bosses Quince around when trying to conduct a meeting for the play that he is directing. This happens especially when Bottom is giving commands on how to organize Quince’s play when he says, "You were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the scrip" (1. 2. 2-3). Bottom continually interrupts him with advice and direction. He even announces that he is a tyrant when he says, "Yet my chief humor is for a tyrant,"(1. 2. 24-25) meaning that he is aiming to be a tyrant, or play a tyrant. Furthermore, Quince confirms Bottom's bossiness when saying, "What sayest thou, bully Bottom?" (3. 1. 7). Given these points, Bottom’s behavior makes him eminently
The undeniable pursuit for power is Richard’s flaw as a Vice character. This aspect is demonstrated in Shakespeare’s play King Richard III through the actions Richard portrays in an attempt to take the throne, allowing the audience to perceive this as an abhorrent transgression against the divine order. The deformity of Richards arm and back also symbolically imply a sense of villainy through Shakespeare’s context. In one of Richard’s soliloquies, he states how ‘thus like the formal Vice Iniquity/ I moralize two meanings in one word’. Through the use of immoral jargons, Shakespeare emphasises Richard’s tenacity to attain a sense of power. However, Richard’s personal struggle with power causes him to become paranoid and demanding, as demonstrated through the use of modality ‘I wish’ in ‘I wish the bastards dead’. This act thus becomes heavily discordant to the accepted great chain of being and conveys Richard’s consumption by power.
Jack’s authoritative figure in the beginning of Lord of the Flies is one quality that shows how he is a dynamic character. To begin with, Jack shows he is authoritative by sabotaging Ralph’s integrity and rules. For instance, on pages one-hundred and one and one-hundred and two, Jack says, “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.” Jack is trying to get rid of the idea that the conch, or freedom of speech, is needed. This is another step away from civilized behavior because a newly established order of power replaces the conch. Another way Jack shows he is authoritative is by wanting to be a leader. First, Jack forms his own group that he calls the hunters. Then, Jack intimidates the other boys to join his group by talking about the beast. Jack tells the little ‘uns that are scared that they will forget about the beast. ...
Let’s talk about the characters in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and their various personalities. Alan Bradley’s character portrayal in the book is generally in strict accordance to the social values and beliefs during the period of time the story is set in. His characters reflect the realistic, British people of the 1950’s. However, Flavia de Luce, the main character, is, in a way, the stereotypical rebellious protagonist, and one of the only characters in the book whose traits do not follow the traditions of the time. Flavia’s bold personality and “tomboy-ish” ways do not match the prim-and-proper behaviour expected of women at the time.
Though the king initially represents a joyous man, his physical characteristics and dark humor state otherwise. In fact the narrator makes note of, that for the king “He would have preferred Rabelais’ ‘Gargantua’ to the ‘Zadig’ of Voltaire: and, upon the whole, particle jokes suited his taste far better than verbal ones” (Poe 1).Thus, in accordance to the unknown narrator, the king would fancy laughing at people as opposed to laughing with people. The narrator goes out to even state that the king also has a preference of what type of joke he likes. Instead of enjoying riddles and spoken humor, the king enjoys physically abusive humor. This quote is significant because it gives the reader an idea of how one characters outside role completely differs from their inner darker personality. A King is meant to govern his people, in this case however, the King wishes to oppress for his own pleasure. The Kings main sources of enjoyment were Hop-Frog and Trippetta. Both Hop-Frog and Triplett are described as being helpless and innocent. Hop-Frogs short height only adds to the child-like description given
Paul as well as those of Erasmus that bring to focus various dimensions that are aligned around Shakespeare’s perception of comic faith in the play. The characters of Bottom, Theseus and lovers give out an insight to epistle paradoxes on religious faith coupled with a slight touch of romantic faith which is set out in thee wholesome imaginative experience. Celebration of limitations sits as the precursor for comic happiness in the play; there is an epistemological appeal that focuses on the mannerisms of characters. Most obvious of all allusions of comic faith in the play is Pauline and sets out the central attention that is meant to be captures. Upon waking up from his dream, Bottom has a delightful monologue that sets out a clear difference between ridicule and the sublime of the play, “I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass of he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was – there is no man can tell what. Methought …I had – But man is but a patched fool if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was (Shakespeare and Foakes 203).” Herein we see Bottom considering himself as an ass and he fails to expound further on the meaning of his dream whole his hands
Not a sign of sensitivity would have resided in him. Despite critics which only view Bottom as “an ass and nothing but as ass” (Weiss), there were some who believed different. The way Hoffman portrays Bottom’s reaction to certain events, such as bottles of wine being dumped on him, the viewers can clearly see his embarrassed, and terrified look. “In the film, Hoffman abandons the caricature and clown in order to present Bottom...as a human being who is sympathetic to a realm of experience…” (Riga). Nick Bottom, portrayed by Kevin Kline in Hoffmans 1999 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is almost the complete opposite to what Shakespeare had made of
In Bottom, Shakespeare pokes fun at the quirks in himself and in all plays and actors. By doing this, he makes light of the quirks in us all. To begin, the name "Bottom" has negative undertones, like "bottom of the heap," "bottom of the totem pole," and of course, one's behind. Bottom is a metaphorical ass that becomes a literal ass within the play. Bottom's name tells us not to take him too seriously. Additionally, neither William Shakespeare nor Nick Bottom were born to be aristocrats, both had ambitions beyond their particular position in life. It is Bottom's fate to be a weaver, y...
not one of character, but one of attitude. At the end of the play, we find
He doesn't realize that as a practical joke, a trickster Puck, has put an ass head on his shoulders. This makes all of his companions afraid of him so that they run away. This is an example of the comedy involved in this play. This essay will show you that A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that is mainly composed of comedy. The funniest part of this play seems to be when Puck, the trickster, keeps mixing up the people who he is assigned to put the love juice on.
The character of Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is frequently foolish, but he is not a fool. His exuberance and energy are allied to practicality and resourcefulness, with an alarming lack of self-consciousness. He, at any rate, is not at all tongue-tied before the duke, as Theseus has known others to be. We do laugh at Bottom in many situations, but should note that these are situations in which any man might seem ridiculous: amateur theatricals are almost a byword for unintended comedy, whether in planning (1.2) rehearsal (3.1) or performance (5.1); any artisan afflicted with an ass's head and appetites, and beloved of the fairy queen would have difficulty retaining his dignity.
Bottom is the first fool or idiot to appear in the play. His first appearance is in Act I, scene ii, when the mechanicals got together. He is part of the groups called mechanicals, who are basically tradesmen who planned to put on a play for the wedding of Duke Theseus. Bottom is already acting like a fool right when we meet him. He tells Quince that he could be all the characters in the play at once. Quince gives him the role of Pyramus, and as he starts giving the other roles out, Bottom starts to tell him that he could do it all. Quince easily solves this problem by reassuring that no one else could do Bottom’s part and he has to do his best at it since he’s the only one who could do it. This demonstrates an important aspect of Bottom's character: he is often full of good advice, but he has no idea how to use it. Bottom is also convinced (self-proclaimed) that he is a superb actor and can act any part. In fact, he becomes so excited about his acting prowess that he volunteers to take on every part in the play. By the end of the scene, it is clear that the mechanicals are hopelessly incapable of putting on a good play, and Bottom only complicates the situation further.
Everything is a game to crafty little Puck. Yet once he realizes that he has
The Lord of the Flies signifies obedience and punishment through the character’s leadership roles and their
Feste is able to prevent any delusions of grandeur by a reminder that foolishness is a condition common to all mankind whether one is king or servant. It is Malvolio's vanity that convinces Feste to take part in the joke played on the steward. As "Sir Topas", and Malvolio's `prosecutor` Feste attempted to help Malvolio realize that there was "no darkness but ignorance".
Everybody loves a good laugh, whether it be someone spilling food on themselves or making a joke, laughter is fantastic. Shakspeares play 'Twelfth Night' contains lots of foolery and dry comedy giving everyone a laugh. Fools play an important part in this play. Whether they know it or not every character in this play is a fool, between Malvolio's blinding self love, Feste's obvious foolery and Olivia's dramatics, everyone is bound to be proven of foolery one way or another. Feste's role in the play by definition is the professional jester.