Nick Bottom is a character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream who provides comic relief throughout the play. A weaver by trade, he is famously known for getting his head transformed into that of a donkey by the elusive Puck. Bottom and Puck are the only two characters who converse with and progress the three central stories in the whole play. Puck is first introduced in the fairies’ story and creates the drama of the lovers’ story by messing up who loves whom, and places the donkey head on Bottom’s in his story. Similarly, Bottom is performing in a play in his story intending it to be presented in the lovers’ story, as well as interacting with Titania in the fairies’ story.
First Appearance One of the First Quartos (1600), Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies – Published according to the True Originall Copies, i.e. First Folio (1623)
First Publisher Thomas Fisher
Appearance List A midsummer nights dreame… (1600) by William Shakespeare — First Quarto printed by Richard Braddock for Thomas Fisher; A midsummer nights dreame… (1619; falsely dated 1600) by William Shakespeare — Second Quarto printed by William Jaggard; Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (1623) by William Shakespeare — First Folio; The Fairy-Queen: an opera (1692) by Henry Purcell — major musical adaptation; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, overture, Op. 21 (1826) by Felix Mendelssohn — influential concert overture; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, incidental music, Op. 61 (1842–1843) by Felix Mendelssohn — full theatrical incidental music; A Midsummer Night’s Dream: and Other Stories by E. Nesbit (1890) (A midsummer night’s dream.–Hamlet, prince of Denmark.–Twelfth night.–King Lear) [Internet Archive]; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1909) directed by Charles Kent & J. Stuart Blackton — early film adaptation (Vitagraph); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) directed by Max Reinhardt & William Dieterle — film adaptation; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968) directed by Peter Hall — Royal Shakespeare Company screen adaptation…
Description Nick Bottom is a character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream who provides comic relief throughout the play. A weaver by trade, he is famously known for getting his head transformed into that of a donkey by the elusive Puck. Bottom and Puck are the only two characters who converse with and progress the three central stories in the whole play. Puck is first introduced in the fairies’ story and creates the drama of the lovers’ story by messing up who loves whom, and places the donkey head on Bottom’s in his story. Similarly, Bottom is performing in a play in his story intending it to be presented in the lovers’ story, as well as interacting with Titania in the fairies’ story.
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