A Midsummer Night's Dream is exceptional in that it features more than one story unfolding at once . Although the quartet of lovers and the fairy world are often the focus of the play, the crude mechanics and their attempts to produce their own play take place in a world quite separate from the main plot. In other words, although the gross mechanics are in the same story as the other characters, the gross mechanics (with the exception of Bottom) are not directly exposed to the other "main" characters until the very end. Among the gross mechanics, the character of Nick Bottom – through his overconfidence, comic ineptitude and lack of self-awareness – is the most pronounced. Additionally, Bottom, unlike the other gross mechanics, is the only human in the story to have direct contact with both the world of Athens (reality) and the world of fairies (dream). The strange juxtaposition of these two factors, Bottom's ridicule and his essential role in bringing to fruition the theme of dream versus reality, leads the reader to the question of purpose. Why would Shakespeare make such an imbecile character the focal point of one of the story's major themes? The key to the meaning of Bottom's role lies in the fact that he, although considered by everyone to be a fool, is able to actively experience both worlds presented by Shakespeare: dream and reality. As a result, Shakespeare – through the character of Bottom – alludes to the idea that it is the people often considered the "idiots" of society who are truly capable of feeling the magic of the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay From the moment Bottom is introduced into the play, it is clear that he is a comical fool. When Peter Quince, the "director" of the play, assigns the roles, Bottom shows his overconfidence by trying to volunteer for almost every role in the play. Bottom reveals himself to be a character who cannot limit himself to his own role, or even his own job. He moves from his desire to direct the show to that of writing and designing it. He is torn between which side to act on, all equally irresistible. To make matters even worse and more humorous, the role that Bottom really wants to play – Hercules – isn't even in the play at all. “My chief humor is that of a tyrant,” he confesses to his crude mechanic colleagues, “I could rarely play Ercles (Hercules), or a part to tear a cat apart, to make it all burst” (1.2.28 -30). However, to further emphasize Bottom's madness, Shakespeare makes it clear that Bottom, although confident in his abilities, is also incompetent. For example, when choosing roles for their play, Bottom states that if he played the role of Thisbe, he would deliver his lines with a "monstrous little voice (1.2.50)", an obviously contradictory statement. would also play the role of the lion so as not to frighten the ladies in the audience, Bottom says ironically: "But I will make my voice worse so that I will roar at you as sweetly as any sucking dove (1.2.78-80) , » Another seemingly contradictory statement. This stupid choice of words by Bottom only adds to his incompetent portrayal in the play. Most pronounced about Bottom's character, however, is his lack of self-awareness. This can be seen in what readers find. its comedic value by making fun of him rather than with him. This attitude is perhaps clearest in Act 3 of the play where Snout exclaims: “O Bottom, you are changed! ? " when the headof Bottom is transformed into the head of a donkey. However, rather than realizing that his head has been transformed into the head of a donkey, Bottom simply responds by saying, “I see their trickery: it is to make me an ass; me, if they could. But I will not move", unaware that his head is transformed as a result, the term ass in relation to Bottom is given.triple meaning: the relationship with the character's name being "Bottom", his head now being that of a real donkey face, and the fact that his intellect is on par with that of a donkey. Additionally, Bottom's name alone shows the idea that Bottom is not only at the "bottom" of the social ladder, but also at the bottom of the "skill ladder" in the play. Bottom, however, plays a much more integral role. role in the play than simply adding a comic factor: it unifies dream and reality. Bottom achieves this by being the only human character who interacts with both the world of dreams (the fairies) and reality (Athens). Although the fairies also act between the human and fairy worlds, such as when Puck and Oberon interfere with the quartet's love affair, the fairies are ultimately separated from the human world. This is seen in the fact that when the lovers wake up, they believe that what they experienced in the woods was a dream. For example, when Demetrius wakes up, he exclaims: "The events of last night seem small and difficult to see clearly, like distant mountains that look like clouds in the distance (4.1.194-195)", a testimony of distant nature. of the relationship of fairies with the human world. On the other hand, Bottom is the only character who has direct interactions with the fairy world. This is seen in him becoming Titania's beloved in Act 3 where Titania wakes up with Bottom and says, "Please sing again, sweet human." I like listening to your voice and I like looking at your body. I know it's the first time I've seen you, but you're so wonderful that I can't help but swear to you that I love you (3.1.139-143). Additionally, Bottom interacts with other fairies by being served by Titania's other fairies, Mustardseed and Peaslebossom. Through Bottom's direct interactions with the fairies, he brings the human world and the fairy world together. Although Bottom does have direct contact with humans and fairies, this is not the only way Bottom can put these two words together. The other way that Bottom brings the two worlds together is in the nature of his role in society. It is clear that Bottom and the crude mechanics are literally at the "bottom" of the social ladder involved. For example, Puck, who refers to them as "rude mechanics" and "patches" or idiots, also notes that 'they "work for bread on the Athenian stalls" (3.2.9-10), a clearly condescending view of crude mechanics. In other words, crude mechanics, as the word "rude" indicates, are portrayed as a group of incompetent craftsmen who are inferior in almost every aspect (both social status and skill) to all the other actors in the play. However, the word “mechanics” emphasizes the fact that it is these same men – working in the background and doing the manual labor of the piece – who allow the magic of a piece to come to life. Thus, we see another juxtaposition in the very title of “gross mechanics.” This is yet another example of Shakespeare using Bottom, as a crude device, to place side by side a man considered a fool and a man who represents the most important theme of the entire play. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essayFor most.