Fairies In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Be it supernatural or celestial, the influence of an “other” world is something that exists across the mythologies of the world as it exerts itself in the stories the people create. Thus, it should come to the surprise of no one that William Shakespeare, who is often credited as being the greatest writer of the English language, would incorporate the world of fairies from British mythos into one of his most beloved plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The significance created from Shakespeare’s use of the fairy world comes from the main storyline of the play; the world and workings of the human characters clashes with that of the fairies in such a way that it is clear they work together. The fairy world is a reflection of the human world, parallel
Queen Elizabeth I was a common sight at his plays, thus making this reverence the fairies held for their queen important, especially once Titania is made a fool of by Oberon. Having a monarchy based off British fairy myths and legends was a powerful statement, one that was both nationalistic to smooth over the queen and her subjects as well as send a message in favor of absolute monarchy (Kehler). The characters are human in their mannerisms and similar cultural ideals; the British audiences were shown a glimpse of their reality through this dynamic, and it was a necessary one for all sets of eyes. Building on Shakespeare’s use of this unique setting, his use of the character Puck is particularly interesting and brilliant. The way the audience is introduced to this mischievous figure is pretty telling, I think, due to the exposition the fairy doing the introduction gives. It is standard to introduce characters through the words of other characters, but in Puck’s case, he is actually the exception. Where other characters are introduced and left to develop by their own actions, Puck is introduced to the audience and there are expectations created from the
Additionally, the nickname given to this character─whose actual name is Robin Goodfellow─picks up on both the nature of the introduction and the character. Shakespeare does not shy away from taking inspiration from cultures and stories from countries outside of his native England, such as Denmark from Hamlet. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that he took Puck’s name from Scandinavian mythos, “the Norwegian “Puke” was used to describe an evil spirit, while the version from Old Icelandic, “Púki”, was used as a name for the Devil itself” (Exploratory Shakespeare). The reference to the Devil is not to meant to be missed; the Devil is a being who, too, is only ever introduced by others and often with mention of their past deeds, which are, more often than not, on the wrong side of good. To drive this comparison further, Puck is the being who really drives the plot along and causes trouble for the other characters through manipulative means. His tricks are dirty and he is under the command of Obernon. The significance of this particular relationship in the play plays out through something most modern Westerners are familiar with,