Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Essay on Nick Bottom in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights...

Nick Bottom in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Roget’s thesaurus defines the word â€Å"ass† as â€Å"one deficient in judgment and good sense: a fool†. In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the ass is undeniably tied to the character of Nick Bottom on many different levels. As the play is a comedy, Bottom’s central role is to provide laughter. At the same time, however, through his role as the Ass, he acts as a sort of symbolic center-piece that ties all of the action in the play together. Throughout the play, Shakespeare has various characters making word-plays on the Ass, in relation to Nick Bottom and otherwise. These many references combined with the physical Ass’ head that Bottom†¦show more content†¦Therefore, his use of the word ass several times is not only comical for the audience, but also serves to ironically point out the fact that Bottom is an Ass, in all meanings of the word. He does it again later after Titania has fallen in â€Å"love† with him: â€Å"...for me thinks I am marvelous hairy about the face, and I am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me, I must scratch† (Shakespeare 62). Two other important references occur during the ill-fated performance of Pyramus and Thisby. Demetrius and Theseus both have something to say. When it is mentioned that the lion is speaking, Demetrius says, â€Å"No wonder, my Lord. One lion may when many asses do† (Shakespeare 78). The reader may also take this comment figuratively, implying that many men are fools and that they speak with fool’s mouths, as in the case of Bottom. Theseus also exclaims later, after Pyramus has killed himself, â€Å"With the help of a surgeon he might yet recover, and prove an ass† (Shakespeare 84). This follows a pun on the word ace, but it also serves as yet another poke at Bottom, this time as Pyramus, on the part of Shakespeare. Bottom’s head is mentioned literally quite a few times by Puck and Titania. â€Å"Titania waked and straightway loved an ass,†says Puck (Shakespeare 42). â€Å"Methought I was enamored of an ass,† says Titania (Shakespeare 64). And she was, literally and figuratively. The very fact that Puck chose to give Bottom the head ofShow MoreRelatedDefining Nick Bottom in a Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay754 Words   |  4 PagesDefining Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Perhaps one of William Shakespeares greatest plays of all time, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play intended to be watched, rather than read, with an imaginative mind. It is a play that is in the genre of romantic comedy. The romantic aspects of the play are made possible with the characters of Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, Helena and Demetrius, and Oberon with Titania. 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