There are several characters in A Midsummer's
Night Dream that undergo ironic changes. For example, Lysander is ironically
transformed into loving Helena instead of Hermia. Likewise, Demetrius is ironically
transformed into loving Helena, whom he shunned at the beginning of the play. However,
Bottom is the most ironic character, not just because of the ironic change he undergoes,
but because of who he is as a character.
One of the ways in which he
is an ironic character is that he is very conceited about his abilities as a performer.
He envisions himself being able to give a grand performance as Pyramus, as we see in his
lines, "If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move storms"
(I.ii.22-23). However, the reality is that, just like the other mechanicals, he is
actually too uneducated and too unskilled to be able to give a convincing and winning
performance. We see an example of his lack of education and skills when, in their
rehearsal, we see him come up with ridiculous solutions for their stage set problems,
such as having an actor play the part of the wall, and also when we see him botch up his
lines, such as referring to Thisbe's breath as smelling like an "odious" flower
(III.i.75).
It is due to his conceit and ridiculousness that inspires
Puck to transform Bottom into the proverbial "ass," which brings us to the second way in
which Bottom is the most ironic character. Bottom actually says his most humble an
intelligent lines after having been transformed into a donkey. Bottom delivers his most
intelligent lines after Titania proclaims she loves him. His response actually captures
one of the play's most central themes, showing us just how irrational love is, when he
says:
readability="10">Methinks, mistress, you should have little
reason for that. And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together
now-a-days.
(III.i.134-136)Bottom also
delivers his most humble line in response to Titania. When Titania declares that he is
as wise as he is beautiful, Bottom denies it, saying, "Not so, neither," while
previously he would have proclaimed his own merits (140).The fact
that Bottom is conceited about his own skills when in reality he has none, and the fact
that he speaks his most humble and intelligent lines as a donkey, shows us that Bottom
is indeed the most ironic character in the play.
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