Characteristics of Puck from a Midsummer Night's Dream

563 Words3 Pages
PUCK--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck, a fairy, is sharp, quick-witted and mischievous. Puck both sing in trochees, which make their songs more archaic than an iambic foot would be. The trochaic beat alludes to the ancient legends of fairies and magic. The rhymes in Puck’s speeches are usually full rhymes or near rhymes, but always couplets. Puck’s speeches show his rhyming skills of making rhymes. He is capable of word-games as well as other tricks. Puck is a helper of his lord who treats him as his best and most beloved servant and in turn, he does what he is asked to do with enthusiasm. If he is asked to go somewhere, he is fast, when he is asked to do something, he is precise. Puck loves helping his master, whom he loves, and he is proud when he is able to do the things he is asked to do. He enjoys life as it is, and lives it to the fullest. He is lively, full of joy, optimism and does everything with joy and thinks that everything he does is proper. He loves serving a wise sovereign because he believes that he does by helping his master is always correct. That makes his life easier; and so he neither has to be alone nor think about occupying himself with material questions such as what to eat or drink. Puck is a helper because he wants to be one. He does not need freedom because he is free and serves Oberon for his own pleasure. Puck is a conqueror, himself conquering Nature and natives wherever he goes. In other words, Puck’s magic is natural. The relationship of the fairy with his master is very different in this play. Puck uses ‘thou’ to address his master Oberon (except when he is trying to explain that he only made a mistake) and in turn Oberon asks favors from Puck. Puck enjoys his job and usually does it for fun. He also makes mistakes because he
Open Document