Edward Tran P.

6
A Midsummers Night Dream: Literary Argument
Prompt #8.: Puck is (give 3 characteristics of a character and explain how/why they are true).
CONSIDER BOLD STATEMENTSdont bore us with plain ones.
The Makings of Robin Badfellow
To do list:
1. Trick a horse into thinking Im a woman horse.
2. Disguise as an apple in a womans drink
3. Make an old woman fall down
AHHH!, the woman cries as she falls off her chair. Just by hearing the sound of
laughter with muffled tears, you know, Puck has been at work. Inside every individual, lies a
quirk that separates them from everyone else. Characteristics and traits are valuable aspects that
make up a person. One example of this can be found in the character Robin Goodfellow (AKA
Puck), from the play, A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeares. To put it briefly,
Puck is a hobgoblin, who serves the fairy King Oberon, and carries out his orders throughout the
play. As a result of being the errand-boy, Puck is seen as a prominent character who brings
trouble wherever he goes. However, when going more depth into his personality, it is evident
that, there's more to him than his fun-loving traits. The characteristics that really make Puck oneof-a-kind are his mischief, loyalty and devil-may-care personality.
To start off, through Pucks deliberate pranks on humans and careless mistakes, his
roguish behavior, is demonstrated throughout the play. This idea is shown when the Fairy
states,Either I mistake your shape and making quite,/Or else you are that shrewd and
knavish sprite/ Called Robin Goodfellow. Are not you he/That frights the maidens of the
villagery,/ Skim milk, and sometimes labor in the quern/And bootless make the breathless
huswife churn,/And sometime make the drink to bear no barm,/Mislead night wanderers,
laughing at their harm?/ Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck, (A
Midsummer Night's Dream: Act 2, Scene 1, Stanza 47-58). I believe this quote captures the
author's use of irony. From my perspective, William Shakespeare purposely named Puck, Robin
Goodfellow to create the ironic feeling; Puck, being the character he is, clearly does not live up
to the name given to him, which is, Good Fellow. The mockery used of Pucks name is shown
in the quote above; clearly presenting to the audience that his name is nothing like his
personality. Everyone is known for something they do, some things worse than others. In this
case, Puck has done a series of horrible things to people. In this world we live in, when a bad
deed is done over and over again by the same person, word is ought to get out to others about
these crimes. This reveals that because all the villagers fear Puck, it contributes to fact that he is
in fact troublesome and famous for his atrocious behavior. Furthermore, another factor that

shows Pucks misbehaved nature is the fact that he is the type of person who would laugh at
another persons pain. All Puck wants is to have fun, pulling pranks is his way of making a joke;
no matter the consequences.Although Pucks mischievous personality is definitely important, he
consists of many other traits that make him who he is.
Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The
spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love(Morihei Ueshiba). Moreover, in
everyones life, they have someone whom they are loyal to and could look up to. Just like any
other person, Puck has loyalty and devotion. When it comes to Oberons demands, Puck is there
to be a brave messenger or even a loving friend. This adds on to his loyalty because it shows how
Puck can adjust to anything Oberon asks of him. This is clearly demonstrated when Puck
reports, I am that merry wanderer of the night./I jest to Oberon and make him smile (A
Midsummer Night's Dream: Act 2, Scene 1, Stanza 45-46). From this, you can see just how far
Pucks devotion stretches, although throughout this play he is seen as a more goofy character
who does whatever he wants, when it comes to Oberon, he is always there for him and enjoys
making him happy. This idea is significant because it highlights his commitment to make him
smile. Pucks loyalty to Oberon is like the relationship of a father and son. Puck figuratively
being the son and Oberon the father. The bond between father and son is something that
cannot be broken. Despite Pucks mischievous behavior and mistakes, his father, Oberon
forgives him. For example, your family will always be there for you, they know you like the
back of their hand. They are always there for you, understanding who you are. Everyone knows
someone that is loyal and someone that looks up to you, just like how Puck looks up to Oberon.
This is why Pucks trait of being loyal relates to a true human being. Another example of Pucks
allegiance is when Puck exclaims, Ill put a girdle round about the Earth/In forty minutes
(A Midsummer Nights Dream: Act 1, Scene 2, Stanza 181-182).The fact that he could run that
fast, just to fulfill Oberons needs, shows his level of reliability. When given a task by someone
you idolize, there are no in order to achieve them. The duty to fulfill this task becomes something
that evolves into more than just completion of a task but rather, a sense of pride that you helped
someone whom you cherish.From reading the statement above, it is clear that Pucks loyalty to
Oberon is far greater than any ordinary devotion.
To continue, all kids want is to have fun, goofy off and doing a bunch of nonsense. Puck
is no exception. His personality and attitude resembles that of an average kid. They are generally
up to mischief, finding a way to make their parents angry. Even though Puck messes up, he's still
thinks its alright and finds a way to be cool about it. This becomes evident when Oberon
states,Thou hast mistaken quite,/And laid the love juice on some true loves sight./Of thy
misprision must perforce ensue/Some true love turned, and not a false turned true.(A
Midsummer Nights Dream Act 3, Scene 2) and when Puck replied, Then fate o'errules
that, one man holding troth,/A million fail, confounding oath on oath(A Midsummer

Nights Dream Act 3, Scene 2). From this you can see that Puck has messed up, and because of
that, he has let down Oberon. However, his carefree attitude comes in and start talking about how
it was meant to be, that this is how the world works, with no sweat or worry. Puck is lighthearted
and easy going, he gets the job done, but he also finds a way to find humor in the things he do,
even though its a mistake. If Oberon yells at him, he apologizes and say he'll fix it, but really his
attitude is Look what I did! Its still cool right?" After all, as the old saying goes Everyone
makes mistakes. Its essentially a complexity of our human characteristic, just like Puck. In
conclusion, these are just a few of Pucks characteristics, and there are many more.
For these reasons, Puck is a true human being at heart because of his traits, or more
specifically. his mischievousness, loyalty and his fun-loving personality. These characteristics are
like the recipe of making Puck, the person he is. A cup of his devil-may-care attitude, a pinch of
loyalty and a whole lot of mischief. However, if you put them all together it makes Puck, one of
the kind just like any other human being. No one is perfect. We all have traits and qualities that
are different from others, which makes us the one and only.

Works Cited
"Morihei Ueshiba Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/moriheiues183603.html?src=t_loyalty>.
"William Shakespeare Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamsha118142.html>.