The Master of Knaveries
－I am that merry wanderer of the night.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is the heart of this play. He is a mischievous fairy that serves the Fairy King Oberon. When Puck first appears in the play in Act 2, arguing with the Fairy, the Fairy accuses him of “Frights the maidens of the villagery….make the breathless housewife churn/and sometimes make the drink to bear no barm/ mislead night wanderers, laughing at their harm” (2.1.35-39). He likes to play practical jokes on mortals more than anything else, especially those villagers whom he teases. After he transforms Bottom into an ass, and Titania falls in love with him, he delightedly reports to Oberon that “My mistress with a monster is in love” (3.2.6). Puck considers Titania falling in love with Bottom hilarious, while Oberon is a little compassionate about this situation. More importantly, his magic, though seems naughty, is not malevolent.
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When Oberon sees Hermia and Helena were quarreling, he finds out that Puck mistakenly puts love potion on Lysander instead of Demetrius. Oberon blames Puck, saying that whether it is his negligence, or it is his “knaveries wilfully” (3.2.345). But puck says, “And so far blameless proves my enterprise/….And so far am I glad it so did sort” (3.2.350-352). He admits that he does it wrong, but he still considers this fun and entertaining; or in other words, he is prone to make mistakes. Seeing the Athenians lovers suffering, he does not try to remedy it; instead, he sits aside and observe them, “Shall we their fond pageant see?/ Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (3.2.116-117). He thinks that the lovers’ foolishness is a source of entertainment, and such a chaotic situation a pageant. Although he restores love among four Athenians, he does it only because of Oberon’s order, not because he has any feeling of