Transcript Character List Notes..

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Character List
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow
Puck is the
mischievous sprite
who serves
Oberon, the Fairy
King.
He enjoys playing
practical jokes on
people and sets in
motion all of the
comical misunderstandings.
He also restores
order at the end
of the play.
Nick Bottom, a weaver
During play rehearsal, Bottom's head is
transformed (by Puck) into that of an "ass"
(donkey), making him the butt of the play's
biggest joke. Of course, the joke's not just on
Bottom – it's on Titania too because she's been
charmed with Oberon's love juice and has a
romantic relationship with an "ass."
He has no idea he’s been
transformed!
Theseus, Duke of Athens
• Theseus is the Duke of Athens,
and consequently the most
powerful character in the courtly
realm of the play. As the Duke of
Athens, he's also the play's
resident Judge Judy, so he's all
about upholding law and order.
• Egeus turns to him when his
unruly daughter (Hermia) refuses
to marry the guy he's chosen for
her. In this case, Egeus begs
Theseus to uphold Athenian law,
which dictates the death penalty
for disobedient children:
Egeus, father to Hermia
• Hermia’s father, who brings a
complaint against his daughter to
Theseus
• Egeus has given Demetrius
permission to marry Hermia, but
Hermia, in love with Lysander,
refuses to marry Demetrius.
Egeus’s severe insistence that
Hermia either respect his wishes
or be held accountable to
Athenian law places him squarely
outside the whimsical dream
realm of the forest.
Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons,
betrothed to Theseus
Hippolyta marries Theseus (offstage in Act 4, Scene 1). Aside from
the implications of Hippolyta's
submission to Theseus, this brideto-be doesn't play a major role in
how the plot unfolds. Hippolyta
also seems to be a bit of a
romantic. Also, Hippolyta is one of
the few people who actually
believes the young lovers' account
of their zany night in the woods.
Even though Hippolyta is
sympathetic to the young lovers (all
nobles), she turns out to be quite a
snob.
Oberon, king of the fairies (ladies man)
Oberon is King of the Fairies, master of Puck,
and husband of Titania (in a seemingly open
relationship). Oberon only helps the lovers out
after he's had a good laugh at their expense. It
doesn't look so good when Titania refuses to
hand over her foster child, so he sprinkles love
juice in her eyes and makes her fall in love with
an "ass“.
Oberon seems to pursue romance as if it were
a favorite sport or hobby, which tells us that he
(like Theseus) has a thing for making conquests
out of women. Oberon's promiscuity also
shows us that you don't need magic "love
juice" to quickly fall in and out of romantic
relationships.
Titania, queen of the fairies
Titania is Queen of the Fairies,
wife of Oberon. Despite her
marriage to Oberon, and the fact
that they kind of share the whole
ruling-the-fairy-kingdom gig, they
spend quite a bit of time apart and
have several non-spouse overnight
guests during the process. Titania
has distinct parallels with
Hippolyta, another queen who was
subdued by an over-eager suitor.
The Titania we know disappears
when she becomes the fawning
creature in love with Bottom
(remember, he was transformed
into a donkey).
Lysander, Demetrius, in love with
Hermia
Lysander is Hermia's boyfriend and he really
wants to get hitched. Since Hermia's dad isn't
having it, Lysander runs off with Hermia to
elope. In the woods, he's drugged (by mistake)
when Puck squeezes love juice in his eyes,
causing him to love Helena until Puck finally
gives him an antidote.
Lysander is a lot like Romeo—a hopeless
romantic. His love is challenged by Demetrius
(who is also in love with Hermia). After Puck
sloshes the magic love juice all over the woods
and Lysander and Demetrius go chasing after
the same girl, it's really hard to tell the
difference between the two guys. As much as
the lovers like to think that they are unique,
Shakespeare basically tells us that all foolish
young lovers are alike.
Hermia, daughter to Egeus, in love
with Lysander
The disobedient daughter of Egeus. She's
supposed to marry Demetrius (remember, her
father will have her killed if she doesn’t—it’s
the law), but she's fallen in love with
Lysander.
Throughout the play, Hermia has to deal with
her love being thwarted in one way or another.
First, her father doesn't want her to marry
Lysander. Then Lysander seems to no longer
love her. Thinking this is Helena's doing,
Hermia's willing to fight Helena (no matter the
cost to their friendship) because, in her book,
love is worth fighting for. Even after Lysander
has deserted her, Hermia's final thoughts
before going to sleep in the forest are of
Lysander; she prays for his safety rather than
cursing him.
Demetrius
Demetrius is engaged to Hermia...who, for her
part, doesn't want anything to do with him. In
the play, he's dosed with Oberon's magic love
juice and falls madly in love with Helena,
whom he eventually marries.
When we meet Demetrius, he's busy insisting
that Hermia should be legally forced to marry
him. Then, we find out that Demetrius once
romanced Helena, but ditched her so that he
could get engaged to Hermia, which tells us
that Demetrius, is seriously fickle. Demetrius is
also pretty abusive and insensitive to Helena
when she refuses to give up on him. Here's
how he handles her: First, he tells her flat out
that he doesn't love her and never will be able
to love her. Then, he informs her that she
makes him sick when he looks at her.
Helena, in love with Demetrius
Shakespeare introduces Helena to us as the character that
nobody loves.
In the play, even when Demetrius
and Lysander both fall for Helena,
she can't believe them. It seems
Helena has spent so much time
rationalizing why she isn't loved
that, when the thing comes along
(real or not), she can't embrace it
and enjoy it for what it is. She
becomes even more self-pitying
when she believes that she has
gone from a loner to a joke. Even
at the end of the play, when
Demetrius still loves her
(remember he was really mean t
her), Helena is skeptical.
THE ACTORS
Peter Quince, a carpenter
Francis Flute, a bellows-mender
• Quince: A carpenter and the nominal leader of the
craftsmen’s attempt to put on a play for Theseus’s
marriage celebration. Quince is often shoved aside by
the abundantly confident Bottom. During the
craftsmen’s play, Quince plays the Prologue.
• Flute: The bellows-mender chosen to play Thisbe in the
craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration.
Forced to play a young girl in love, the bearded
craftsman determines to speak his lines in a high,
squeaky voice.
THE ACTORS cont…
Robin Starveling, a tailor
Snug, a joiner
• Starveling: As one of the not-so-talented
Mechanicals, Starveling plays the role of
Moonshine in Pyramus and Thisbe.
• Snug: During Pyramus and Thisbe, the "play
within the play," Snug is quick to point out
that the ladies in the audience should not fear,
because, although he may act the role of the
lion, he is none other than Snug the Joiner.
THE ACTORS cont..
Tom Snout, a tinker
The tinker chosen to play
Pyramus’s father in the
craftsmen’s play for
Theseus’s marriage
celebration. He ends up
playing the part of Wall,
dividing the two lovers.
Philostrate, master of the revels to
Theseus
•
•
Philostrate is Duke Theseus's party planner.
His official title is "Master of the Revels,"
which happened to be a court appointed
position in Shakespeare's day. Basically, the
Master of the Revels organized courtly
entertainments and also determined which
play could be performed at court and on
public stages. Because plays weren't
supposed to be rebellious or offensive to the
monarch, this job also entailed a fair amount
of censorship.
In the play, Philostrate doesn't think the
Mechanical's play is worthy of a court
performance in honor of Theseus's wedding.
When Theseus demands to see it, Philostrate
replies like a snob: "No, my noble lord; / It is
not for you: I have heard it over, / And it is
nothing, nothing in the world;" (5.1.4). Is
Shakespeare bagging on the uptight masters
of revels who determined which plays could
be performed in London? You decide.
PeaseBlossom, Cobweb, Moth,
Mustardseed, fairies
• The fairies ordered by Titania to attend to
Bottom after she falls in love with him.