FINAL BLOG–Pd 3–Jenni Kantor–A Midsummer Night’s Dream–illuminator
I felt that in honor of our last blog, I would put the last spoken words of our last play. Here is the passage:
Puck:
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.My questions are as follows:
1. Why did Shakespeare have Puck say these lines?
2. What does Puck mean by it?
3. How does this passage help complete the play?
4. Why did Shakespeare use this passage as the last words of the play?
5. Finally, what type of poem are these last lines? How are they a poem?
There is my final blog for you this year!!
-Jenni Kantor
Fin
Category: Per 3 TBT I, Per 3 TBT Illum 7 comments »
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
Last Blog!!!!!
To start the fourth act, Bottom lays in Titania’s lap and she braids his hair. Bottom tells Cobweb to go get him honey to eat. Titania wonders if Bottom is hungry and Bottom says that he wants hay. She suggests that they get him nuts from squirrels and Bottom says he would like peas. Titania and Bottom fall asleep together and she wishes the fairies away. Oberon and Puck go into the woods and talk about their success of Bottom’s ass-face. He brags about taunting Titania about loving Bottom. He knows he will get the Indian child and undoes the spell on Titania. When she wakes up she is shocked to see Bottom’s bottom on his face. Oberon gets his queen and they leave. Puck undoes the spell on Bottom and follows Oberon. In the morning, Theseus comes and demands a story from the lovers in the glade. They can’t really remember too much, but it is obvious they are in love. They take them away and go to prepare a marriage for the couples. Bottom wakes up to announce that there will be a ballad about his dream in the play.
In Scene 2, Quince is at home worrying about Bottom. He is missing. They are worried that the ass-headed creature has gotten Bottom and the fairies put a spell on him. They discuss Bottom, compliment him, and agree that the play cannot go on without him. News comes that there were marriages, and that they are eager to see a play. Bottom storms into the room, and says that he has a great story. He has no time to tell, only not to eat onions because for the play they need sweet breath.
Next, act 5 begins with Theseus in his palace. He does not believe the story that their love got mixed up. Hippolyta asks then why do they all tell the same story?? Theseus decides on a play that is not well respected by Egeus but he wants to see it anyway. Quince enters and the play begins. He has many strange pauses. The lion scene comes, and like they said they would, they explain that it is not really a lion. When it is over, they ask would you like to see the dance or the epilogue? Theseus picks the dance.
Epilogue-
Titania and Oberon come to sing a song to bless the lovers. Puck says that if the play offended anyone, it was just a dream, and if they are kind friends they will applaud!
-The End!!
Words-
1. Bottom- I find this very funny that he is referred to as Bottom and his face looks like a bottom; Tatiana is in love, but in this section the potion is undone.
2. Marriage- This is very important to the story because it is the main theme. It is a theme of most of Shakespeare’s plays. There is also a lot of irony used with this word in the play. The climax of the story deals with the news of them getting married.
3. Love- Shakespeare’s most used theme; uses it in this play to play with irony and make a very interesting plot.
4. Pyramus- character in the story, fun to say, sounds like Papyrus. This is the play that Theseus watched.
5. Night- the play ended at night, the story took place at night, and the main plot ended at night. The last part of the story, Puck said goodnight to everyone.
-Dan
May 24th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Great summary Dan! As ever, you are short, sweet, and to the point. I love your words as well!
This is the LAST POST!!!
-Jenni Kantor
May 24th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Dan, great summary. Your word choice is pretty simple and to the point.
-Brandon
May 24th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Jenni, your questions are really similar to each other.
For your first question and second questions., these words fit the ending of the play very well. In the end of the play, the characters all think that they had a dream. Puck says that if they thought the play was bad, they should just think that they woke up from a dream and that it never occured.
For your third and fourth questions, Shakespeare might have written this during a time when he was not stable in his career, so he added the humour at the end for amusement. These words finish the play very easily. Puck says good night, which you say when you are leaving.
For your last question, this type of poem is a series of couplets.
I know this is short, but your questions are pretty similar.
-Brandon
May 24th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Puck was the one who caused the dream. He was the one who put the potion on them. He should be the one who says the last lines, it was only a dream if you didn’t like it. I think this is why Shakespeare did this.
I think that this passage sums up the play and finishes it off. It is a good way to summarize and conclude the play. I think that it is fitting who says these last lines becuase as I said earlier in the posts, I feel that he is the most important character.
I sort of combined all of your questions into three answers. Sorry!
The last lines are couplets. I think this is neat becuase of the couples that ended in the play. It is a good way to finish it off.
I liked that you picked the last lines to finish our last blog. There is closure in our pain of typing. It is finally over! Everyone enjoy your summer!!!
-Dan Black
May 28th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Great Summary Dan, and the words were awesome!
Kianat
May 28th, 2009 at 6:41 am
1) Shakespeare has Puck say these lines to denounce the play and end it happily. There are no hurt feelings for anyone and what’s done is done so they come and gather in one place tonight and become friends.
2) By this Puck means that everyone was in a dream like stance and whatever happened, happened for the better.
3) This passage helps to complete the play by just ending it as a final passage, and it is like saying a farewell ending.
4) Shakespeare used this passage as the last words of the play to remind the readers the moral of the play, and it is also a symbol of humor and a way to Shakespeare telling the readers that characters will live happily ever after.
5) The poem is a bunch of couplets that are put together for the reader to enjoy the story and its happy ending. When the couplets are placed together like that they create a great poem that expresses the story’s end.
-Kianat, awesome blog Jen!
YAY, last blog!!!