Considered one of William Shakespeare's greatest works, A Midsummer Night's Dream reads like a fantastic and imaginative tale; however, his poetic lines contain a message of love, reality and chance that are not usually present in works of this type. All the characters in the play are playful, carefree and reckless, and Puck: one of the central characters of the play: is significant to the plot, tone and meaning of A Midsummer Night's Dream, thus becoming a representative of the themes mentioned above. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The plot of this Shakespeare play is comical and, at times, ironic. As summarized by Puck in the last stanza of the play: If we shadows have wronged, think of this, and all will be made right: that you have only slept here while these visions appeared. Do not scold: if you forgive, we will make amends. And, as I am an honest Puck, if we have undeserved fortune, now to escape the serpent's tongue we will make amends ere long; otherwise the Puck will be a liar: so, good night to you all. me your hands, if we are friends, and Robin will be fine restorer. (Shakespeare 89)Puck suggests to both viewers and, by extension, readers, that if they did not enjoy the tale, they should pretend it was a dream: an idea so convincing that at times the audience is left bewildered; this effect of his works made Shakespeare seem so cunning, like Puck. The lines above formulate the ending of the work in an ironic and entertaining way, more or less the same way the rest of the story was told. The overall plot, with some characters emphasizing puns more than others, also contributed to the wit of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The clever manner that Shakespeare had developed was often found in the play in ironic forms when a character in the book says something that is a play on words or has several meanings, as when Puck states, "[a]nd, as I said I am and honest Puck/ Otherwise the Puck is a liar: (Shakespeare 90).” In Shakespeare's time the Disco was never honest and always lied to play his tricks on people. Therefore, the audience was deceived into believing that the story was a dream. Many stanzas were intertwined which contained profound critical thoughts the intricate and deceptive setting of the scenes. Puck's important role that contributed to these situations is evident in the unfolding of his character to seem illusory and imaginative. Puck also tied the story to parts where the plot was becoming serious for make them intelligent and fun to watch. The plot of this play contained many different phrases which made the plot intriguing and Puck helped to emphasize the comedic side of the characters in the story and Shakespeare's writing of the play comedy is slightly satirical, but overall good-natured. Historically, Puck has been part of English folklore for a long time, even before Shakespeare. His other name, Robin Goodfellow, meant that "[t]he spirit was not actually good by nature, but was called Goodfellow as a kind of appeasement, intended to deflect the spirit's pranks onto other people" (Bulfinch). Puck in Shakespeare's time was a mischievous creature known for his evil, unserious and playful ways. His other name, Hobgoblin, suggests the true meaning of his nature. In the second half of the play, the characters undergo a change in attitude towards each other, due to the antics administered by Puck. Puck wanders around dispensing a love potion into hiseyes of mortals, making them fall in love with the unsuitable member of the opposite sex. Shakespeare, as an author, plays with the characters, and thanks to Puck, the characters' roles are reversed, making the play more appealing in a comical sense. To make the play's manner pay off with deep meaning despite the comical plot, many of the characters said metaphors like this: “I'm going, I'm going; see how I go/ Swifter than the arrow of Tartarus' bow” (Shakespeare 45). The Tartars were a people who fought with the Mongol hordes and possessed bows that contained a special power, making them faster than lightning. The connotation of the excerpt shows that Puck wandered through the forest so fast that he caused a lot of damage to the characters in the play, like a bow. The ironic and playful tone that the work embodies is realized through Puck's adventurous misadventures. Many meanings can be deciphered from this work and can be interpreted in numerous ways; one of these reveals the extent to which human beings are too easily influenced and subject to non-reality, chance and love through appearance and emotion. "What fools these mortals are!" (Shakespeare 46) expresses Puck, his line alludes to several possible interpretations. In the line above we read Shakespeare's idea that human beings are too easily influenced by their feelings. Puck emphatically states that mortals are foolish because they cannot adequately control their emotions and are never sure of what they feel in their inner selves. Too often the risk is taken, as shown in Puck's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when Puck states "[t]his is the women, but not this the man" (Shakespeare 43). Oberon took a chance on love when he describes the Athenian man on whom Puck must dispense the love potion, and that opportunity was taken unfairly, for Puck put the potion on another man, who should not have been issued with it. This also shows that there is a certain mockery in Puck's statement that not only mortals joke with love, but goblins do too. Reality is often confused with mystical thoughts as well as feelings. Shakespeare must have understood this because he often showed implications in his plays of this kind, for example: when Titania expresses her love for a mortal with an ass's head and says "Come, sit on this flowery bed, While I your lovely cheeks they grow shy, and I stick musk roses into your smooth, smooth head, and kiss your fair big ears, my sweet joy” (Shakespeare 62) exemplifies the kind of ridicule that Shakespeare made his characters suffer in order to express a point, so he had to make other characters like Puck contribute to these events. Therefore, the deeper meaning of the play is much more intricate than the eye can see, and thanks to Puck's actions, these imperative meanings emerged. .Keep in mind: This is just an example.Get a custom paper now from our expert writers Get a custom essay Overall, the play A Midsummer Night's Dream contains many important characteristics represented by Puck. The in-depth analysis of each character depends on the actions and attributes of the other characters and Puck contributes to creating a deceptive aura of the work. Another key factor in this comedy was its many leanings towards comic relief and Puck's involvement in making accidents happen. Atmosphere, implication, and pattern are all carefully woven together in the play, with Puck being a symbol or catalyst for nearly every one of them. Works Cited Bulfinch, T. (n.d.). Robin Goodfellow (Puck). In Bulfinch mythology.). (2003)..