Discussion Topic
Bottom's Character, Role, Transformation, and Significance in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Summary:
Nick Bottom, a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is a comic figure known for his overconfidence and lack of self-awareness. Initially, Bottom is thrilled to play Pyramus and ambitiously requests to perform every role in the play, revealing his inflated self-image. Despite his foolishness, Bottom's innocence and enthusiasm make him endearing. His transformation into a donkey by Puck highlights human folly, a central theme of the play. Bottom's "dream" reflects the blurred lines between reality and illusion, and while he remains largely unchanged, he acknowledges the inexplicable nature of his experience. His character serves as comedic relief and underscores the play's exploration of human folly and imagination.
What is Bottom's reaction to his role in act 1, scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Bottom's initial response to being offered the role of Pyramus, the male
lead that commits and is in love with Thisbe, is to be quite pleased. He feels
a great deal of excessive pride in his abilities as an actor, even though he
has never really performed before. He feels that he will be able to play the
role in such a convincing manner that the audience will be moved to tears, as
we see in his lines, "If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will
move storms" (I.ii.22-23). However, he also feels that he would play the role
of a "tyrant" better than a lover, meaning a powerful, authoritative figure,
like Hercules.
In addition, Bottom is so enthusiastic about the play and thinks so highly of his skills that, ridiculously, he asks to play every major role in the play. When Flute hesitates to...
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play the role of the female lead, Thisbe, Bottom asks to play that role as well. When Snug is asked to play the part of the lion that frightens away Thisbe, leading to both Pyramus's and Thisbe's suicides, Bottom enthusiastically asks to play that part as well, saying that he will roar so well that it "will do any man's heart good to hear [him]" (65-66). Of course this is an absurd idea of Bottom's because he would have to be on stage playing all three major roles at once. He would have to whisper loving words to himself as Thisbe and then scare himself away as the lion.
Finally, Quince convinces Bottom to not only accept the role of Pyramus, but to
play only that part by explaining that only he is suited to the role as he is
the best looking and the most "gentleman-like," as we see in his line, "[F]or
Pyramus is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, ..., a most gentleman-like man"
(77-78). Therefore, Bottom's first reaction to the role as Pyramus is that he
thinks he can do the part well, but he would much rather show off all his
skills by playing every single major part in the play.
What does Bottom mean in his first speech in Act 4, Scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
As the scene opens, Quince, Starveling, and Flute wonder what has become of Bottom and lament that there is no one else in Athens who could play the part of Pryamus but he.
Here, Bottom is telling Quince and Flute of his odd experiences "I am to discourse wonders" means that he has wonders to relate. He will not tell the assembled group, however, because he is saving the story for the Duke. He would not be a "true Athenian" if he gave such juicy information to the likes of his friends! :)
Is Bottom portrayed as a fool in Act 5 of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Bottom is definitely a Fool, and I spell that with a capital 'F' because he is an example of a classical archetype in an ancient, theatrical tradition. Shakespeare wrote different kinds of Fools, some very, very wise, and some apparently "clueless." Bottom is not wise, but he has one of the most endearing of all qualities....Innocence. He is annoying and obnoxious, but everything he says and does comes from enthusiasm and an eagerness to 'play'. He may be foolishly credulous, but he is never cruel or hurtful, and he is kind to those whom he encounters. The most important aspect of Bottom is that he, and he alone, of all the humans in the play, is able to see and consciously interact with the Fairy world. In this way he and his ignorance and his genuine, eager nature are sublimely blessed. He is a Holy Innocent. He is Shakespeare expressing his clarity and deep compassion for the fools in all of us.
I love the way that you worded this question. If I say "no," I'm done. But if I say "yes," I have to explain. I really really want to say no.
But I do believe that Nick Bottom is a fool. And unlike other Shakespeare plays where the foolish character often sees through to the heart of the issue, Nick Bottom is just a clueless fool throughout. He's a terrible actor, but doesn't realize it. In fact, he thinks he awesome. He's not particularly good looking, but assumes that a beauty like Titiana must really be in love with him. He's overbearing among his friends. He doesn't know when to be quiet, and when he does talk, he often says things that just don't make any sense at all. Using act 5 as an example, at one point Bottom says the following:
I see a voice: now will I to the chink,
To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. Thisby!
Seriously? See a voice and hear a face? Bottom's ridiculousness is all topped off by the fact that he is completely clueless to all of it. It would be one thing if every once in a while a comment of his cut to the heart of an issue, but it just never does. He acts foolish throughout the play, and is therefore a fool.
What is the significance of Bottom's transformation in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. The play depicts the events surrounding the wedding of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, to the former queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta.
Nick Bottom is a weaver who primarily provides comic relief throughout the play. Puck, the clever fairy, partakes in a number of pranks and practical jokes. One of these actions includes transforming Bottom’s head into the head of an ass. This transformation chiefly serves to underscore Shakespeare’s theme that humans are fools.
Bottom is preparing for the play within the play, and he has an unfounded confidence in his acting abilities—so much so that he requests to play every major role in the play even though he has already secured the lead role.
Bottom constantly makes mistakes while delivering his lines, so the audience understands that he is not a skilled actor. Puck also recognizes Bottom’s overly confident attitude as a break from reality. As such, he decides to give Bottom the head of an ass, which is a physical manifestation of foolishness. This idea is reinforced in the fact that Bottom, at first, does not even realize his head has been transformed. Shakespeare believed this foolishness was a universal human trait and the transformation serves as a warning of sorts for exhibiting hubris.
Bottom's transformation helps to further portray Shakespeare's central theme
that human beings are fools.
The reason behind Puck's choice to transform Bottom's head into a donkey's head
is to point out just exactly how much like a donkey Bottom is behaving. For no
reason at all, Bottom thinks very highly of his acting skills. He thinks so
highly of his skills that he even asks to be allowed to play every major role
in the play, even though he has already been given the part of Pyramus, the
lead male role. The reason he asks for so many roles is partially because he is
overly excited about the play, and also partially because he does not think
much of the other actors' skills. For example, when
Flute hesitates to play the female lead, Bottom insists that he can play both
parts. Furthermore, when Snug hesitates to play the lion because he is afraid
of the role, Bottom insists that he can play that role well, too, saying, "I
will roar that I will do any man's heart good to hear me" (I.ii.65-66). Not
only is it ridiculous for Bottom to think that he can play all three lead roles
at once, the reality is that he actually plays his own role very poorly.
Puck witnesses Bottom bungle up his lines, despite his self-confidence, which
is one reason Puck thinks Bottom is an idiot, or a proverbial ass. One example
of a line Bottom bungles in their rehearsal is, "Thisbe, the flowers of odious
savors sweet--" (III.i.75). Since odious means "repugnant," or "disgusting," we
know that he actually meant to say the word "odors" instead, in reference to
how the flowers smell (Collins English Dictionary). Since Bottom actually
delivers his lines very poorly, we know that the reality is that he is a very
unskilled actor, despite what his illusions are. Furthermore, since Bottom's
illusions do not match his reality, we see just how foolish he really is.
Hence, we see that Puck changed Bottom into a donkey because Puck saw him as a
foolish, ridiculous character, proving just how foolish mankind can
be.
Can you summarize Bottom's dream in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
I think your question refers to Bottom's soliloquy in Act IV Scene 1 when he wakes up after the four lovers have been discovered in the woods by Theseus and Hippolyta. He has had his head of an ass removed, and we see him reflecting on what has happened to him.
A key theme throughout the play and one picked up throughout this scene, both with Bottom and with the lovers, is the relationship between reality and illusion and how we can discern the difference between them. Bottom, reflecting on what has passed, realised that his dream was "past the wit of man, to say, what dream it was." His experience was so fantastical that words don't have the power to communicate it. Indeed, Bottom continues, men are asses if they try to explain the dream. Not every event can be explained rationally, and some things are better off remaining in the realm of imagination and fantasy. Human senses are incapable of capturing such realities ("The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was"). Only literature has the power to capture such dreams, which is why Bottom will have Quince write a ballad of his dream.
The reason for this ballad being called "Bottom's Dream" is because it has "no bottom", perhaps reflecting that works of literature have no bottom - that is, they cannot be quantified, measured or understood solely through the means of logic. Our impressions of a play or novel or poem do not stay static - they change, and there are as many different interpretations of a work of literature as there are people. Shakespeare here therefore is perhaps reflecting on another key theme - that of the conflict between reason and imagination.
Does Bottom change after his experience in the forest in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
I would argue that Bottom is changed by his experience in the forest. It may not be overtly evident: Nick Bottom will never be considered the best actor, or the smartest of Shakespeare's characters, but he certainly recognizes that something unexplainable has happened to him, & he wants to preserve its memory. When we first meet Bottom, he is eager to demonstrate his acting talents. He is assigned the role of Pyramus, and he volunteers also to play the role of Thisby and that of the lion. Quince convinces him, however, that he "can play no part but Pyramus."
At the first rehearsal, Puck changes Bottom's head into the head of an donkey. When the rest of the machanicals see this, they run off, frightened. Bottom thinks they are playing a trick on him, trying to scare him, but he meets Titania, who has just woken up, having been anointed with the love juice by Oberon. Titania swears she is in love with Bottom, and he replies ''Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that". When Titania tells Bottom that he is both wise and beautiful, he assures her that he is not. Nevertheless, he seems to accept her affection and follows her with little objection. When Bottom and Titania fall asleep, Oberon reverses the effect of the love juice on Titania. As Titania wakes up, she sees Bottom lying next to her and exclaims "O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now!". Puck then returns Bottom to his former self. When Bottom awakens, he determines that he has had a "rare vision", and he vows to get Quince to write it down for him.
Bottom is considered by many critics to be the central figure of the play, because he seems to represent the common experience of humanity. Additionally, Bottom is the only character in the play who can see and interact directly with the fairy world. When he wakes up and has been returned to his former self, he acknowledges that something has happened to him, and it would be foolish to try explain it: "I have had a most / rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of / man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass, / if he go about to expound this dream". In fact, it is this speech, referred to as the awakening speech or soliloquy, that intrigues many critics. The speech is often argued to be indicative of Shakespeare's acknowledgment of the possibility of spiritual life beyond our everyday existence. The speech is also said to demonstrate both nature's and love's inexplicability. Additionally, Bottom's lively involvement in the thus, it is clear that he has been somehow changed by his adventure.
Can you explain the character of Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Nick Bottom is an Athenian weaver and part of the cast of “Mechanicals” planning a theatrical performance for the royal wedding. Bottom first appears in act 1, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” when a group of six uneducated craftsmen meets for theater practice. In this scene, Bottom vastly overestimates his acting ability and knowledge of theater to great comic effect. He bickers with Peter Quince, the leader of the acting troupe, and attempts to override his orders at every turn.
Later, in act 3, when the sprite Puck, sees Nick Bottom’s horrific acting during secret practice-session in the woods, he pranks the aspiring actor by giving him the head of a donkey. Bottom is miffed that his friends flee on the sight of him, claiming:
I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
to fright me, if they could.
This ironic line is directly followed by Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, awaking from her deep slumber and seeing Bottom. As a result of Puck’s flower-potion, Titania falls in love with Bottom. Although he finds this sudden attention strange, Bottom quickly and comically adapts. He orders his fairy servants to dote on him by scratching his ears and sending them on ridiculous errands, such as “kill me a red-hipped / humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good / monsieur, bring me the honey-bag.” When Oberon orders Puck to release the spell on Titania, she is disgusted at Bottom’s ass-like appearance and flees. Puck reluctantly transforms Bottom’s head back to normal and he returns to Athens.
In the final scene of the play in act 5, Nick Bottom and the other “Mechanicals” perform their atrociously bad version of “Pyramus and Thisbe.” Nick Bottom is the butt of several jokes from the royal audience because he forgets his lines, misses his cues and generally makes “proves an ass” of himself. Bottom’s final lines consist of begging the royals to be permitted to show off his skills through a “Bergomask dance” which is kindly indulged by Theseus.
Nick Bottom ranks among the most memorable characters from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” because he is so blissfully unaware of his incompetence. He fancies himself a skilled actor yet cannot remember his lines or cues. He imagines himself is a great leader but struggles to command the respect of his acting troupe. Bottom’s character serves as one of the foundational comedic elements of Shakespeare’s famous comedy.
Bottom is full of energy, enthusiasm and good intentions. He would be happy to take over direction, management, and all the roles in the play all at once if it were possible to do so. He considers himself an expert, very knowledgeable in the production of plays and in the interpretation of all the emotions and motives that might be needed. He is confident of his ability to play a moving Pyramus, the tragic lover, although his preference is to play the villain or tyrant.
That will ask some tears in the true performing of
it. If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will
move storms; I will condole in some measure. To the
rest: yet my chief humor is for a tyrant.
However, he is quick to volunteer to also play the part of Thisbe when it is
announced...
An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too. I'll
speak in a monstrous little voice: ‘Thisne, Thisne!’ [Thenspeaking small] ‘Ah Pyramus, my lover dear! Thy Thisbe
dear, and lady dear!’
and the part of the lion as well when it is assigned. Bottom means well in
his efforts and offers, but his willingness exceeds his actual
ability.
Does Bottom's transformation reveal a truth about his character in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
I disagree with the above answers in that, I do believe his transformation reveals something very important about the essential truth of his character. First of all, after his first transformation, we become aware that he is the only human character who is able to see and communicate with the fairy creatures. This reveals a very special quality about him, that I believe was Shakespeare's point. He is, what has been called, the Holy Innocent. It is wrong to assume from his blustery manner that he is arrogant, conceited, or in any way negative. His outspoken-ness earlier is the result of enthusiasm and excitement, not arrogance. He is graceless, perhaps, but never mean nor unkind. Also, his transformation out of his 'dream,' reveals another very important quality about him. He remembers his dream clearly and plans to incorporate that experience into his reawakened, human, everyday life. He will have Peter Quince turn his dream into a ballad to be shared in the everyday world they all inhabit. He will turn his experience into art to share with others. This character, like his name, is the bottom line for Shakespeare in this play. He represents essential humanity.
Literary interpretation is always going to be a thorny premise as it is so
very subjective but it would seem that Bottom's transformation doesn't reveal
any more truth about his character than his dialogue had up until that point of
the play.
We have already established in Act 1 that he is quite full of himself and sure
of his talents as an actor as he volunteers to play all of the parts in their
production of Pyramus and Thisbe and explains exactly how
good he will be when they perform in front of the Duke on his wedding day. So
early on, he's sharing characteristics like conceit and stubbornness with
common literary tropes related to the donkey.
When the transformation does actually occur in Act 3, he has further established these characteristics by making fun of his comrades as they flee his transformed figure and calling them "asses" in a delightful bit of irony as he has not yet realized his altered form.
It can't even be said that by the close of the play he has shed these donkey-like characteristics as his over-acting and interruptions of the Duke during the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe lean back on the idea of a brazen and loud braying donkey.
While the transformation may serve to deepen Shakespeare's characterization of Bottom, it reveals no more truth about the character than the dialogue and actions already had.
Is Bottom portrayed as a fool in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?
One could certainly say that Bottom is a fool in A Midsummer Night's Dream, especially since he seems relatively oblivious to the reality of his situation throughout the play. For example, Bottom is too oblivious and dim-witted to understand that, when Titania and her fairies lavish him with attention, the joke's really on him. Puck purposefully bewitches Bottom and Titania in order to play a prank on the fairy queen (and provide some hilarious entertainment for himself in the process). Bottom, however, considers the fairy queen's attentions to be genuine, and so he is foolishly unaware that both the audience in the play (Puck) and the audience watching the play are laughing at him the whole time.
However, it would probably be unfair to say that Bottom is only a fool and nothing else. For instance, he's also an energetic and excitable fellow who's passionate about the rude mechanicals' play. While his acting isn't very good, and while his excitement about such a rudimentary performance certainly makes him seem foolish in many ways, his genuine enthusiasm for his part should make us occasionally regard him with a little more charity.
What is Bottom's perspective on love in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Bottom's love story in A Midsummer Night's Dream is a side-plot, mainly intended for comic relief. He is given the head of a donkey by the mischievous fairy Puck, who then enchants Titania, the queen of the fairies, to be infatuated with him. Bottom never seems particularly taken with her, though he appreciates the luxuries of her court. When he first meets her, he tries to get away, more concerned with getting back to his theater troupe than starting a romance with the supernatural beauty. Eventually, both enchantments are lifted, and the pair part ways without heartache on either side.
Bottom's response when Titania first sees him and tells him that she loves him in act 3, scene 1 is as follows:
"Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and
love keep little company together now-a-days."
This is the most explicit statement we see from Bottom regarding his view on love in general. It is clear in this statement about reason and love that Bottom believes love to be ungoverned and ungovernable by logic or sense. This view allows him to accept Titania's sudden proclamation of affection, illogical and unfounded as it may seem.
What role does Bottom's observations of love play in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Bottom actually acts as the voice of Shakespeare when he relays his views on
love. We see Bottom relay his views when Titania awakes and begins to fall in
love with him. Bottom observes that there is really no reason for Titania to be
in love with him but that, also, reason and love have very little to do with
each other, as we see in his lines, "And yet, to say the truth, reason and love
keep little company together now-a-days" (III.i.134-135). We know that Bottom's
reflection that love is unreasonable and irrational reflects Shakespeare's own
views because it is a main theme portrayed all throughout the play. We
especially see the theme relayed in Demetrius's treatment of Helena. We know
that Helena is just as beautiful as Hermia, perhaps even more so as she is
taller than Hermia, and yet, Demetrius has rejected Helena to pursue Hermia. He
has even rejected her despite the fact that he was engaged to her before he saw
Hermia.
We further see Shakespeare's voice reflected in Bottom's next witty observation
about love, "The more the pity that some honest neighbors will not make them
friends" (136-137). By the word "them" Bottom is referring to both love and
reason. He is saying that it is a pity that "an honest neighbor" has not
introduced love and reason to each other, which is precisely what Shakespeare
has accomplished in the play. Shakespeare has used the flower to make the
characters act more rationally with respect to love; he has especially made
Demetrius rationally accept Helena as his real love.
What message is conveyed by Bottom's transformation in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
In Bottom's transformations there are several messages. First, think of what he was turned into: a jackass. What is he normally? A jackass. This transformation makes his inner character visible, showing the world what he is. Second, it is a metaphor for any person who gets a chance to be on stage, and for people in love. Many people make fools of themselves to be the star, and many more when they are in love. Third, look at what this does to Titania. Love can make anyone an idiot, even a queen. And finally, remember that this passes, letting us know that even the most extreme or magical state is temporary.
How would you characterize Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Bottom is just a common working "Joe" who thinks this may be his opportunity for the big-time. He believes that an excellent play put together by his fellow tradesmen may lead to some favor in the eyes of the wealthy noblemen. This, of course, leads to his enthusiasm in playing everyone's parts and eventually leads to some excessive overacting and even a song and dance on the wedding night. Definitely a lovable character. We laugh at him, but most of the audience would be able to see the angle he's working.
Bottom, is a leader of a troupe of clowns of a ragtag group of "actors" (term loosely used) bent on putting on a play. He is boisterous and comically serious, directing his players with the utmost sincerity but appears as ridiculous.
It is fitting that the fairy, Puck, turns him into an ass. His behavior is often asinine.
Bottom is often comic in his own failure to either lead or realize what an "ass" he is. Even when Puck's mischief has ended, Bottom is still the butt of the joke. For example, after he has been freed of his ears and tail, he wonders aloud:
"I have had a most / rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of / man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass, / if he go about to expound this dream" (IV.i.204-07).
Still, even if he is ridiculous, he's a winning personality. He is full of humor and word play, and completely without malice.
How does Bottom's character contribute to the theme of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Two of the main themes, within A Midsummer Night's Dream, are love and magic. Bottom, the object of Titania's love, speaks to the theme of love directly. It is this love which brings about the other theme, magic.
Puck, the prankster of the play, decides to turn Bottom's head into that of an ass. Here is where the other theme comes into play (in regards to Bottom). It is only through Puck's magic that Bottom is able to be transformed.
Therefore, it is through Bottom that readers, or watchers, of the play come into contact with different aspects of love and of magic. The love shown in the play is consequently, only existing for Bottom when he looks like a donkey and Titania is under a spell. Regardless, Bottom is a character whose being is entwined with the themes of love and magic in the play.