“Puck: The Heart and Soul of A Midsummer Night's Dream” Within the genre of melodrama, l The atmosphere and emotions of a story are romantic and magical. Not only does it emotionally engage the audience, but it is also meant to be performed in a very exaggerated manner. William Shakespeare incorporates this melodramatic style into his works with a specific purpose in mind. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare uses the lively character of Puck to reinforce the complexity of love and the idea that magic sometimes causes more harm than good. While there is no definitive protagonist, Puck stands out as a character who guides the direction of the plot and gives movement to the actions that take place throughout the story. His character plays an extremely significant role in the play, as the plot and atmosphere of the play seems to revolve around all his mischievous endeavors. Also, ironically known as Robin Goodfellow, Puck is described as a “shrewd and dishonest sprite” (II.i.33). Her character serves to remind the audience that the world of magic and fairies is not always made up of good deeds and holy creatures. Furthermore, his character always gives a twist to the plot to comic effect, admitting that "Since this jingle of theirs I esteem it a sport" (III.ii.353). Puck sees his practical jokes as a game, not to be taken seriously. Without its lighthearted spirit, it would simply be a boring, happy ending, with no sign of conflict or humor. Shakespeare also emphasizes through Puck that humans cannot have control over love because it is too powerful and complicated. He does so by alluding to the mythical god of romance as he observes, "Cupid is a dishonest boy, so as to drive poor women mad" (III.ii.4...... middle of paper...... and states that through magic everything seems to be a dream. Furthermore, it attaches importance to the mysterious and unbridled realm of the magical and fantasy world. The whole story consists of conflicts, but in the end it becomes a happy ending for everyone. Puck dissolves the spell and every character falls in love with the right person. Works Cited DiYanni, Robert. "Elements of Drama: Character: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 1270 -272. Meyer, Michael. "A note on reading Shakespeare. " Bedford's Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2011. 1528.Shakespeare, William . Qtd. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama by Robert DiYanni 6th ed, 2007. 1392-453.