The Shaping of Robin Goodfellow
...re Shakespeare called Puck. But Shakespeare’s Puck does not quite fit the mold of the fickle household elf. He associates closely with the fairies, even calls himself a fairy. Neither Robin Goodfellow nor “pucks” (considered separate creatures until Shakespeare’s Dream) were thought to be fairies. Though associated closely with the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (specifically Oberon, the fairy king), Puck is indeed another breed of creature all together; a creature carefully set apart by Shakespeare without removing or disassociating him with the fairy realm. He is not of an ancient historical documentation as are the fairy king and queen, but is as rustic and common as the players he so gleefully chases from Titania’s bower. He retains the beautiful verse spoken by the fairies, but even in it his childlike nature is captured within sing-song rhymes and rhythms and jovial references to nursery rhyme happy-endings: “Yet but three? Come one more; / Two of both kinds makes up four.” (3.2 437-8) “Jack shall have Jill; / Naught shall go ill; / The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.” (3.2 461-3). “Puck, or Robin Goodfellow as he is also called, stands out from the other fairies in the Dream by being in a more clearly rustic and domestic folk tradition, as he explains on his first entrance… He enjoys mere pranks, and the waste of merry hours.” (Thompson, 49) Shakespeare succeeded in consolidating many traditional images of Puck or Robin Goodfellow into one rather likeable character. Though not removing his underlying wickedness and disregard for human suffering, these attributes are down-played a considerable amount, allowing him to claim “fate o’errules” (3.2 93) his unintentional prank in the Dream, but not stopping him from watching “fate” unfold with obvious enjoyment. “…those things do best please me / That befall preposterously.” (3.2 121-2) Thompson calls Puck a “generic name in Old English for mischievous…spirits, [that] came to be used …as a specific name for a ‘shrewd and knavish sprite’ (2.1.33).” (73) Where once puck or pouk (sounding oddly like puck) was a name for the devil or a demon, Shakespeare can be credited with “mak[ing] him merry and impish, a practical joker acting more in fun than malice, and so perhaps established a popular image of Puck.” (Thompson, 73) Some even go so far as to connect Robin Goodfellow with another Robin prominent in English folklore, that is, Robin Hood. Though there is little magic in the Robin Hood tales, an abundance of obvious parallels can be drawn between the Robin’s Goodfellow and Hood, starting with their names. A “goodfellow” can mean either a companion in mischief and merriment, or, depending on who is using the word, a thief. So, Robin Hood’s merry band of thieves would call him their goodfellow, while the Sheriff would also call him a goodfellow, though not so fondly. They are both notorious for being masters of disguise and have a tendency to get into plenty of mischief, cause trouble for nice, law-abiding citizens, and have habits of toying with and misleading travelers just to appease their fiendish natures. (Wright). In more recent literature, and even more recently brought to the screen, J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbits are undeniably Puck-like, likewise is Dobby of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Of Tolkien’s hobbits in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pippin resembles Shakespeare’s popularized image of Robin Goodfellow more closely than any other. While in stature they are all impish and small, Pippin behaves most like Puck. He can never seem to stay out of trouble or avoid mischief, and he is by far the most adventurous of the hobbits (naturally, being a Took). And yet, he is very important to those he serves: both his friends and masters, and, ultimately, the author, often times becoming an important tool in plot development. Rowling’s Dobby more closely resembles the pucks or pukis who were kept by their masters. He is a “house elf” and does the domestic dirty work similar to the Old English folk imps and with a little encouragement does start becoming a little more rebellious, though he has little of Puck's natural taste for mischief. Though not resembling Puck physically, there is a Puck-like character in nearly every piece of literature or film one cares to examine. Plays like Guys and Dolls and Kiss Me Kate have a Puckish duo, something that has become a staple in most mob settings. One is usually brains and one brawn, but together they offer both comic relief and plot development, much like Puck. They serve their boss, doing his bidding, being his henchmen, as Robin Goodfellow does for Oberon. Similarly in movies there is often a small part doubling as an assistant to the principle as well as comic relief. In the movie “Murder at 1600” Dennis Miller plays Wesley Snipes’ partner, though he is rather more of a sidekick. He’s funny and has a small role, and often helps Snipes’ character with small tasks like compiling research, following people or causing distractions—not unlike the tasks performed by Puck for Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Television is not without its fair share of Puck-like characters. Joey...