Starter quiz
- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why does Puck transform Bottom's head into that of a donkey?
- Oberon orders him to.
- He wants to test the power of the magical potion.
- He thinks it will be a funny practical joke. ✓
- He mistakes Bottom for Demetrius.
- He wants Helena to fall in love with someone ridiculous.
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- In Puck's first dialogue with a fairy in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what different things does he tell her he has transformed into in the past in order to play practical jokes on people?
- a chair ✓
- an apple ✓
- a donkey
- a horse ✓
- Bottom
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- In Act 2, Scene 1 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Oberon orders Puck to put the magical potion on Demetrius. Puck replies to these orders with, "Fear not, my ______. Your servant shall do so."
- 'lord' ✓
- In Act 2, Scene 1 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', a fairy accuses Puck of misleading "night wanderers and ______ at their harm".
- 'laughing' ✓
- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there are high and low status and through them, Shakespeare explores ideas around ______, a system by which people or things are ranked.
- 'hierarchy' ✓
- The first audiences of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' were Elizabethan. Hierarchy was incredibly important to them. They believed in a hierarchical system called ______.
- 'The Great Chain of Being' ✓
Exit quiz
- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', how does Puck show that he is a respectful servant to Oberon?
- He transform Bottom into a donkey for him.
- He swiftly follows his orders. ✓
- Through his language. ✓
- He speaks to him like an equal.
- He puts the magical potion on Titania for him.
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', how does Puck show his contempt for the poor Athenian actors?
- He wants to disrupt their rehearsals. ✓
- He deliberately turns the wrong person into a donkey.
- He speaks to them as equals.
- He puts the magical potion on them all.
- He insults their clothing and intelligence. ✓
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why might we think of Puck as irreverent?
- He follows Oberon's orders.
- He sometimes uses crude language. ✓
- He calls Oberon "lord".
- He plays practical jokes on people. ✓
- He transforms Bottom's head into that of a donkey. ✓
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Puck jokes that he transforms himself into a stool that "The wisest aunt" is sitting on, only to disappear so she falls on "her bum" What type of humour is this?
- reverent
- respectful
- supernatural
- crude ✓
- slapstick ✓
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Puck calls the poor Athenian actors the ______.
- 'Rude Mechanicals' ✓
- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', when Puck first sees the Rude Mechanicals, he asks, "What hempen ______ have we swaggering here [...]?"
- 'homespuns' ✓
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Arguably, Puck is first presented as an irreverent character.
- Shakespeare develops Puck’s character by contrasting his initial presentation to his interactions with Oberon.
- Puck’s language when he speaks to Oberon suggests he respects the hierarchy.
- Puck’s language when he first meets the Rude Mechanicals suggests he has contempt for them as low status characters.
Common misconception
Puck is a disrespectful character.
Puck's disrespect is targeted at particular characters. He is shown as respectful to Oberon, for example, and other high status characters.
Keywords
Irreverent - disrespectful
Contemptuous - insulting
Rude mechanicals - the phrase Puck uses to describe the poor Athenian actors, referencing their day jobs as skilled manual labourers
Crude - humour that relies on rude words or ideas
Hierarchy - a system whereby people or things are ranked, with some being higher than others
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