Sunday, October 11, 2015

What does Bottom's reaction to Titania's protestations of love say about his character in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

He is a real piece of work, this guy.  First, his name is BOTTOM.  Puck changes his head into that of an ASS.  See where this is going?  Shakespeare had great fun with this one.

Bottom's behavior both in the rehearsal and with Titania suggest that he is a control freak with a very elevated opinion of himself.  He wants to play all the parts, he can be both hero and herione and can also play the part of the lion and the moon and the wall.  He wants all the attention.

With Titania, he enjoys the attention and being waited on hand and foot, but he dislikes it when she is kissing his long, hairy ears and stroking his face.  Perhaps he feels too manly for this, which is also a huge joke since he still does not realize the truth about his metamorphosis.

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