Use of Puck to Explore Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream

605 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The different aspects of love represented in a midsummer nights dream

Love is a timeless topic. It will forever be the theme of popular entertainment and source of confusion for men and women alike. No one understands this better than William Shakespeare, and he frequently explores this complex emotion in his plays. In "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" Shakespeare cleverly reveals the fickle and inebriating aspects of love through his mischievous character Puck.

Though Puck adds much humor to the play while tormenting and drugging the lovers in the forest, he also acts as a catalyst in redirecting their devotions among one-another, thus demonstrating the fickle nature of love. For example, Lysander, who in one instant is blindly in love with his fair Hermia, will suddenly wake to find himself obsessed with Helena. Without questioning this drastic change, he boldly proclaims to Helena, “Content with Hermia? No, I do repent /The tedious minutes I with her have spent. /Not Hermia, but Helena I love. /Who will not change a raven for a dove?” (II.ii.118-21). Lysander’s drugged state (courtesy of Puck) was the source of his apparent change of heart, but even to this day this abrupt transformation happens more often than the average person would care to admit. Drugged or not, it is in the human nature to desire what isn’t ours, and admire the greener grass that our cute neighbor seems to have growing. The reader can also relate to Demetrius’s statement, “Lysander, keep thy Hermia. I will none. /If e’er I loved her, all that love is gone” (III.ii.172-73)...

Show More
Related

  • Love, Lust and Infatuation in Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love, lust and infatuation all beguile the senses of the characters in this dreamy and whimsical work of Shakespeare, and leads them to act in outlandish ways, which throughly amuses the reader. True love does prevail in the end for Hermia and Lysander, and the initial charm of infatuation ends up proving to have happy consequence for Helena and Demetrius as well. Even when at first the reader thinks that, in theory, the effects the potion will wear off and Lysander will once again reject Helena, Oberon places a blessings on all the couples that they should live happily ever after.

    Read More

  • Cheyenne Indian Tribe

    1678 Words  | 4 Pages

    At first, this tribe moved from the Great Lakes region to the North Dakota area. This happened in the 1600-1700s. Also at this time, the Cheyenne were a sedentary tribe who relied on agriculture and pottery. Though, in the 1800s, they decided to abandon this lifestyle and become nomadic and move to South Dakota (Black Hills), Wyoming, and Colorado areas. No matter where the Cheyenne lived, they always kept their natural language, which was part of the Algonquin language family (Lewis). The Cheyenne tribe, like other tribes, had their own lifestyle, beliefs, and customs and also had conflicts with the whites. Even today, the Cheyenne Indians exist and are living well.

    Read More

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream: Nature and Consequences of Infatuation

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nature of the infatuation Demetrius has for Hermia is fickle and selfish. Demetrius affections switch from Helena to Hermia, sparing no thought for Helena, who is deeply in love with him. Lysander calls Demetrius a ?spotted and inconsistent man?, indicating Demetrius? fickleness towards women, that he is flirtatious and flawed.

    Read More

  • Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Power of Love

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love is a powerful emotion, capable of turning reasonable people into fools. Out of love, ridiculous emotions arise, like jealousy and desperation. Love can shield us from the truth, narrowing a perspective to solely what the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaws and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena, are confronted by love’s challenge, one that becomes increasingly difficult with the interference of the fairy world. Through specific word choice and word order, a struggle between lovers is revealed throughout the play. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses descriptive diction to emphasize the impact love has on reality and one’s own rationality, and how society’s desperate pursuit to find love can turn even strong individuals into fools.

    Read More

  • The Genocide Still Going on in Darfur, Sudan

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Darfur is located in Northeastern Africa. The genocide started in 1956, when war broke out, the genocide continued till July 2011, because South Sudan became their own country. The government had attacks on Darfur and Air Force bombings. There was mass of slaughtering and rape of men, women, and children. The tribe and citizens are targeted because the government got over thrown by a military and then the government forces bombed civilizes to facilitate exploitation. (Darfur Genocide, World Without Genocide)The government wanted Darfur to be used for oil exploration, but the citizens didn’t want to leave Darfur because that’s where they live and produce resources. Also the weather in Darfur was good for the people be...

    Read More

  • Choctaw indians

    314 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Choctaw Indians is a tribe of Musksgean stock .The Choctaws were once part of a larger tribe that included the Greeks and Seminoles and are considered one of the five civilized tribes (Cherokees , Greeks, Choctaws , Seminoles, and Chickasaws) . At one time Choctaw territory extended from Mississippi to Georgia, but by the time Europeans began to arrive in North America they were primarily in Mississippi and Louisiana.

    Read More

  • Brutus Is Julius Caesar-Worthy Leader

    1860 Words  | 4 Pages

    Contrasted to Caesar, who has selfish ambitions, Brutus has selfless goals for Rome – he makes decisions not for his own selfish gain. His honourable nature makes him trustworthy, as he would not do something that is against his conscience. He would only do what he thinks is right, as he would not want to act against his moral code. Therefore, Brutus is a respectable and worthy leader for he is more likely to lead Rome in an incorrupt and righteous way.

    Read More

  • Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love plays a very significant role in this Shakespearian comedy, as it is the driving force of the play: Hermia and Lysander’s forbidden love and their choice to flee Athens is what sets the plot into motion. Love is also what drives many of the characters, and through readers’ perspectives, their actions may seem strange, even comical to us: from Helena pursuing Demetrius and risking her reputation, to fairy queen Titania falling in love with Bottom. However, all these things are done out of love. In conclusion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream displays the blindness of love and how it greatly contradicts with reason.

    Read More

  • Not Noble? Preposterous!

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the character Brutus, was portrayed as a malevolent and hateful person. Although he is forced to betray his best friend and suffer through the bitter passing of his wife, he never lets that distort the goal that he has set, which is to better his country. Throughout the play, Brutus shows very knowledgeable, perceptive, and noble qualities toward the Roman Democracy.

    Read More

  • True Love and Unrequited Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, true love plays a huge role in the play.

    Read More

  • The Behaviour of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    or the word is also used for children so he may think of himself as a

    Read More

  • The Use of magic in A Midsummers Night Dream

    371 Words  | 1 Pages

    When Puck mistakenly applies the love potion to Lysander’s eyelids. At this point, both male characters of the main plot have fallen in love with Helena, leaving Hermia out of balance. The struggle of the four lovers is one of the more complicated conflicts in the play. The conflict could have been avoided if Puck had not misused his magic. However, because Puck mistakenly used his magic on Lysander, conflict erupted.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Tragedy Of Julius Caesar

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brutus’s great character and nobility can be seen in Scene 2 of Act 1, when Cassius is trying to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspiracy. Brutus shows his close relationship with Caesar when he says, “I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well.” (I.II.78-82) Brutus at first didn’t like the idea of Caesar becoming King and Brutus didn’t want to join the conspiracy because he loved Caesar very much. Although, in Act 2, Brutus is so brainwashed that he decides that he needs to stop Caesar before things get any worse when he says, “That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, whereto the climber upward turns his face. But when he once attains the upmost round, he then unto the ladder turns his back.” (II.I.22-25) Brutus does not want Caesar to rise in power, so that then he can turn his back on the people of Rome. Brutus saw that Caesar’s ambition could destroy Rome. Brutus shows his loyalty to his country when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.II.21-22) Brutus cared about Julius Caesar, but he loved the people of Rome more. Brutus’ intentions were noble and his ultimate goal was to save the people of Rome. Brutus’ ethical beliefs help him make the tough choices he encounters to protect the people he most cares about. Brutus is

    Read More

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream Puck Essay

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Analysis of Puck Considered by most as one of William Shakespeare's greatest plays, A Midsummer Nights Dream reads like a fantastical, creative tale; however, its romantic lines contain a message of love, reality, and chance that are not usually present in works of such kind. All characters in the play are playful, careless and thoughtless, and Puck, one of the central characters in the play, is significant to the plot and meaning of A Midsummer Nights Dream, consequently becoming a representative of the above-mentioned themes. The plot of this Shakespeare's plays is comical and, at times, ironic.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream

    491 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Role Of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream & nbsp;           The role and character of Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, is not only entertaining, but quite useful. & nbsp; William Shakespeare seems to have created the character of Puck from his own childhood.  In Shakespeare's  time it was believed that fairies and little people did exist.  Whenever something went wrong around the farmyard or house or village, incidents such as buckets of milk ‘accidentally' spilling over, or tools suddenly disappearing, or doors opening for no reason,  it was blamed on ‘ those damn little people are amazing! i.e. a sym & nbsp;           The idea of Puck's character is a lovely one.  One can't help but be attracted to him and his innocent, little pranks.   He is also known by the name Robin Goodfellow.  The audience can only see this ‘Robin Goodfellow' side of. Puck when he is trying to fix something he disrupted, hence the name Goodfellow. & nbsp;          When compared to Oberon, King of the Fairies and Titania, Queen of the Fairies and the remaining fairies of the play, Puck does not seem to fit in as well. well.  While Oberon and Titania belong to the forest and the world of dainty fairies, a small village setting seems more appropriate for Puck.  He is the type of fairy that likes to be around mortals and cause them trouble, as opposed to the snare. to other fairies.  This is why Puck's  little job with a love potion and a young couple is perfect for him and perfect for the job. & nbsp; Puck is a likable character who tends to create mischief around himself.

    Read More

More about Use of Puck to Explore Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Open Document