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Year 8

The character of Puck in Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

I can explain how Puck is introduced in Act 2 of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, and common Elizabethan beliefs about this character.

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Year 8

The character of Puck in Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

I can explain how Puck is introduced in Act 2 of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, and common Elizabethan beliefs about this character.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Oberon’s servant has two names: Puck and Robin Goodfellow.
  2. In Elizabethan folklore, ‘puck’ was a general term for a fairy.
  3. Elizabethan folklore also connected the word ‘puck’ with malevolence and the devil.
  4. Robin Goodfellow is a name from Elizabethan folklore, a character connected with practical jokes and helpfulness.
  5. When Puck is first introduced, we are told about many of his practical jokes.

Common misconception

There is one interpretation of Puck (either malevolent or mischievous) and you have to work out which one is correct.

A play, and its characters, can be interpreted in many different ways. Different performances will draw out particular interpretations.

Keywords

  • Mischievous - naughty, badly behaved

  • Malevolent - cruel, malicious, evil

  • Folklore - stories and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation; these are not written down, but told verbally

  • Foreshadow - an indication or clue of a future event in a story

  • Elizabethan - a person alive when Elizabeth I was on the throne (1558-1603); the first audiences of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ were Elizabethan

This lesson is all about interpretations of Puck. Consider if watching different performances of his introduction would help your pupils understand the range of ways he has been interpreted over the years.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need access to a copy of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. However, the relevant extracts for this lesson can also be found in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
  • Depiction or discussion of nudity
  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', which characters are supernatural?
Theseus
Lysander
Correct answer: Titania
Correct answer: Puck
Bottom
Q2.
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', who is Oberon's servant?
Titania
the little changeling boy
Bottom
Correct answer: Puck
Q3.
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what does Puck do to Bottom?
puts a love potion on him
makes him fall in love with Titania
transforms him into an actor
Correct answer: transforms his head into a donkey's head
transforms him into a fairy
Q4.
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', who does Puck put the magical potion on?
Titania
Bottom
Correct answer: Lysander
Helena
Correct answer: Demetrius
Q5.
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Puck initially puts the love potion on Lysander. Why does he do this?
he knows this will cause chaos and confusion
Oberon tells him to do it to punish Helena
Correct answer: Oberon tells him to use it on an Athenian man, but doesn't say which
he wants Hermia to experience love from Lysander and Demetrius, like Hermia does
he deliberately disobeys Oberon because he is angry with him
Q6.
Starting with the first plot point, pout the storyline of Puck from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' into chronological order.
1 - Puck gets a magic potion for his master, Oberon.
2 - Oberon uses the magic potion on Titania.
3 - Puck puts the magic potion on Lysander (a mistake).
4 - Puck transforms Bottom’s head into that of a donkey.
5 - Puck laughs about Titania falling in love with Bottom.
6 - Puck puts the magic potion on Demetrius.
7 - Puck, on Oberon’s orders, removes the magic potion from Lysander.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which words could describe the character of Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
folklore
foreshadow
Correct answer: mischievous
Elizabethan
Correct answer: malevolent
Q2.
In Act 2, Scene 1 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', we meet Puck for the first time. Match what he says about himself to its modern meaning.
Correct Answer:I am that merry wanderer of the night.,I am out and about at night time.

I am out and about at night time.

Correct Answer:I jest to Oberon, and make him smile[.],I make Oberon laugh with my practical jokes.

I make Oberon laugh with my practical jokes.

Correct Answer:I lurk in a gossip's bowl,I lie in people's drinks.

I lie in people's drinks.

Correct Answer:Then slip I from her bum,After pretending to be a chair, I disappear from under someone.

After pretending to be a chair, I disappear from under someone.

Q3.
In Act 2, Scene 1 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', a fairy and Puck exchange dialogue. They speak about all the practical jokes Puck plays. What are some of the things he does?
Correct answer: scares young women
tricks Oberon into trusting him
Correct answer: makes people walk in the wrong direction
Correct answer: mild physical harm, like drinks being spilled, or falling over
puts love potions on people
Q4.
One of the characters in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is called Puck. The word 'puck' had a known meanings for an Elizabethan audience. What were some of its associations?
it was associated with love and marriage
it was associated with Shakespearean plays
Correct answer: it was connected with the devil
it was associated with fairies who completed housework
Correct answer: it was a general term for a mischievous fairy
Q5.
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', the character of Puck has a second name: Robin Goodfellow. This name was known to Elizabethans. What would they believe this character was like?
Correct answer: helpful
Correct answer: mischievous
malicious
unhappy
malevolent
Q6.
is the name for stories and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation; these are not written down, but told verbally.
Correct Answer: folklore

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