Puck's Views on "Love"
             In William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, we are introduced to the character called Robin Goodfellow or Puck who conveys a few of his views on human love. In A Midsummer Night's Dream there are three couples: Hermia and Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, Theseus and Hippolyta. Most of the action takes place in the city of Athens or the forest outside the city. In the forest there is a big confusion over who truly loves who, and most of this misunderstanding is caused by Puck. Puck thinks that true love is a one in a million occurrence and should not be punished for mistaking Lysander who is like all other men. He also seems to see himself above the foolishness that occurs when humans are in love. He also believes, though, that in the end love does tend to work out. He gives us a few good insights into human nature concerning the aspects of love.
             Puck, after being chided by Oberon for charming Lysander instead of Demetrius, says, "Then fate o'errules, that, one man holding troth A million fail, confounding oath on oath" (3.2.97-98). Oberon tells Puck that he poured the potion on the Athenian that is truly in love, Lysander, thereby causing his true love to be destroyed. Here Puck says that it was chance; fate that had caused the error. He poured the potion on Lysander, whose love was already true, and Puck is saying here that "one man holding troth (true love's vow)" is very rare because for his true love for Hermia, a million other men are not really in love but "confounding (breaking) oath on oath." So Puck is cynically saying here that true love is a one in a million occurrence; why be harsh on him for mistakenly making Lysander just like all other men, untrue to their "love"?
             Puck also comments on the couples bickering and fighting. After Lysander pursues Helena instead of Hermia, and Demetrius, who ha...