Puck In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Every story has a protagonist, a main character that shines through in the story. The protagonist’s actions determine the course of a story, and the side characters only affect a little bit. In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there is no certain protagonist, considering the play is split into three different storylines with four different sets of characters. Yet, there is one character whose actions greatly affect the story. Robin Goodfellow, better known as Puck, is a servant of the fairy king, Oberon, and also a well-known trickster. Throughout the play, readers/audience see how his tricks and folly affect the other characters in the play, such as his mix-up between Lysander and Demetrius, his spell on Bottom, and how he has fixed everything. The significance of his actions shows how he could be the play’s protagonist, despite there being different sets of characters.

In a story, the actions of the protagonist are typically the ones that determine the plot, even if it is simply a mistake. This idea is seen when Oberon instructs Puck to put the juice of the love in idleness flower on Demetrius’ eye when he sleeps to make him fall in love with Helena. Unfortunately, because of Oberon’s vague instructions, Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius.

He drives the plot of the story, a role done by the protagonist, when he causes drama between the Athenian lovers because of his mistake. He also adds comedy to Titania’s relationship with Bottom by making him look like an ass, and he fixes all of the happenings by undoing the love spell on Lysander and amending the play for the audience. With all of Puck’s input into the plot of the play, it is undeniable that he is the protagonist of A Midsummer Night’s