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A Midsummer Night’s Dream | What Fools They Be—An Analysis of Puck and Bottom
A discussion of the two "fools" in A Midsummer Night's Dream: Puck and Bottom. Examines their respective roles in the play and their observations about love and life.
Puck and Bottom are the two fools of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck is a fool in the traditional sense of the word—it is his job to entertain Oberon, the fairy king, with his tricks and jokes. Bottom, however, is a fool in the contemporary sense of the word, as his stupidity often gets in the way of what he is trying to accomplish. However, both characters, despite their "foolishness," serve practical functions in the play and also make several intelligent observations about life and love.
Bottom is the first of the fools to appear in the play. We first meet Bottom in...
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- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Introduction
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Summary
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: William Shakespeare Biography
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Reading Shakespeare
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: List of Characters
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Historical Background
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1: Summary and Analysis
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Critical Commentary
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Quizzes
- Act I, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 2: Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1: Questions and Answers
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Essential Passages
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Themes
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Character Analysis
- Note on the Character Analysis
- Bottom (Character Analysis)
- Demetrius (Character Analysis)
- Helena (Character Analysis)
- Hermia (Character Analysis)
- Hippolyta (Character Analysis)
- Lysander (Character Analysis)
- Oberon (Character Analysis)
- Puck (Character Analysis)
- Theseus (Character Analysis)
- Other Characters (Descriptions)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Principal Topics
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Essays
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Criticism
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Selected Quotes
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Suggested Essay Topics
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Sample Essay Outlines
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Modern Connections
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- A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Bibliography and Further Reading
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