Puck engages in all manners of mischief in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: he drugs teenagers, he transfigures unsuspecting weavers, he proves himself adept at covert surveillance, trespassing, unauthorized gardening, impersonating an Athenian (twice) and that’s just what we see. He also confesses to ruining cooking projects, attacking old women, teasing horses, and deliberately getting people lost. Some people file all this under tricksterish good fun, but some people see something darker. The Polish critic...
Puck engages in all manners of mischief in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: he drugs teenagers, he transfigures unsuspecting weavers, he proves himself adept at covert surveillance, trespassing, unauthorized gardening, impersonating an Athenian (twice) and that’s just what we see. He also confesses to ruining cooking projects, attacking old women, teasing horses, and deliberately getting people lost. Some people file all this under tricksterish good fun, but some people see something darker. The Polish critic Jan Kott thought Puck reminded him of the scary, secretive practices of KGB agents at the height of the Cold War, and some productions make Puck a very sinister figure. On the other hand, because he is a fairy, he’s not subject to the same laws as the rest of us, so it’s hard to call his behavior truly criminal. All’s fair in love and ass heads.
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