Puck

Puck, also know as Robin Goodfellow, is a fairy from Oberon’s suite in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Because of his actions which drive many parts of the plot forward, some consider him one of the main characters of the play.

Puck has various magical abilities. He transforms Bottom’s head into the head of a donkey, and then restores Bottom to his natural state when Oberon tells him to. He also has the ability to transform into various animals, and even into objects: “Sometime a horse I’ll be, sometime a hound, / A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire” (3.1.103-104). 

Puck is a trickster. He describes himself as a “merry wanderer of the night” (2.1.48). He has a mischievous sense of humor and likes to play tricks on people, sometimes causing them harm so he can laugh at them. 

For instance, Puck leads travelers away from their path at night, making them lose their way, or he pretends to be a chair and then slips from underneath the person, causing them to fall to the ground. The harm he causes is usually not serious or lasting. He mainly causes chaos because he wants to have fun, and he sees the human world as an endless source of entertainment.

Puck looks ...