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100:, who is very vocal in her opinion that his attempt to be moonshine is a ridiculous failure, although very humorous. He is also the only mechanical to be cut off in his monologue as opposed to being mocked afterwards, causing him to fluster and summarise his lines rather than giving them. This summary is usually played angrily or irritably, but has also been performed as the climax of Starveling's potential stage fright. Starveling is the member of the group that seems to be afraid of just about anything. Starveling is the most ambiguous in taking sides in the power struggle between Bottom and Quince. While Snout affirms whatever Quince says and Flute always looks to Bottom for the final word on something (Snug is too slow to be bothered), Starveling seems to try to agree completely with both, as impossible as it is to do so.
177:, of trying to represent something greater than yourself. Robin's standing there, attempting to be moonshine, does not make him so, even if he is holding a lantern to represent at least a part of the Moon. Similarly, Shakespeare seems to be arguing that no representation of anything in a play can really be completely real or truthful, no matter how hard its players may try. Rather than begging forgiveness of the viewer, he is exaggerating the problem for their entertainment.
173:, Shakespeare has the Prologue beg forgiveness of the audience for attempting to portray an entire army with a few men, and for portraying so great a man as the King with a feeble actor. Shakespeare explores these same problems through Robin Starveling. The Mechanicals' decision to use Robin as moonlight in place of actual moonlight delves into the problem of
180:
The deriding reactions of the members of the upper class watching Robin and his colleagues' performance would have been familiar to even the more professional actors in
Shakespeare's day. Some scholars have seen in Theseus' words about the performance a note of sympathy and pleading the cause of the
124:. Elizabeth's pet name for both of these men was "Robin", leading scholars to believe that Robin Starveling may be a satiric creation of Shakespeare's in their honour (or dishonour). Another suitor, Duke François ("Francis") Hercule Alençon, may have similar connections with
92:
for a time when the Moon might shine on their performance, the players apparently decide that they will just have Robin act as
Moonshine. Robin's role as Moonshine in The Mechanical's performance of
96:
before
Theseus' court is often highlighted by scholars as among the funnier parts of the play. Although the court makes fun of all the players, Starveling is mocked the most by
56:. His part is often considered one of the more humorous in the play, as he uses a lantern in a failed attempt to portray Moonshine and is wittily derided by his audience.
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68:, Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. Peter Quince decides to entertain her and hires a group of actors nicknamed the
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points out that a love story needs moonlight shining on the lovers to have any real effect on the audience. After
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Robin
Starveling as Moonshine (second from right), with thorn-bush and dog, in a 1907 student production
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Bottom Thou Art
Translated: Political Allegory in a Midsummer Night's Dream and Related Literature.
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in his plays, a rhetorical term meaning "the part representing the whole". For example, in
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Styan, J. Shakespeare's
Stagecraft. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967.
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146:"All that I have to say, is, to tell you that the lanthorn is the moon; I, the
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Oxford
English Dictionary Online. Oxford University Press (1989)
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Barber, Lester E. "Review: Great Lakes
Shakespeare Festival."
453:
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Prosser, Eleanor. "Shakespeare at
Ashland and San Diego."
150:; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog."
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who plays the part of
Moonshine in their performance of
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Schelling, Felix E. "The Common Folk of Shakespeare."
293:Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society.
163:Shakespeare constantly reflects on the problem of
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132:film, he was played by the chubby, jovial
278:Justman, Stewart. "Political Fictions."
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1090:Characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream
1095:Literary characters introduced in 1596
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16:Character in A Midsummer Night's Dream
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923:Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream
76:, a love story. Robin is one of the
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155:—Robin Starveling as Moonshine in
122:Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
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916:The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania
235:Humanities Press (January 1973)
118:Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
213:(October 1963) 14.4 pp. 445–54.
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1085:Male Shakespearean characters
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987:"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
282:(Mar 1978) 39.7 pp. 834–40.
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980:Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
875:The Sandman: Dream Country
200:(Jul 1980) 31.2 pp. 232–5.
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680:A Midsummer Night's Gene
613:A Midsummer Night's Rave
88:suggests looking in the
998:A Midsummer's Nightmare
729:Three Shakespeare Songs
688:A Midsummer's Nightmare
597:Dream of a Summer Night
1100:Fictional Greek people
295:1916 55.6 pgs. 471–480
211:Shakespeare Quarterly.
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812:The Triumph of Beauty
198:Shakespeare Quarterly
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793:The Enchanted Island
718:(1842, Mendelssohn)
909:Hermia and Lysander
664:A Midsummer Tempest
629:Were the World Mine
332:William Shakespeare
42:(1596), one of the
34:William Shakespeare
1075:Fictional artisans
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930:Titania and Bottom
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32:is a character in
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1050:Wicker Park
975:Fascination
605:Get Over It
566:Adaptations
472:Productions
459:Philostrate
408:Nick Bottom
400:Mechanicals
252:V.i.2096–99
134:Otis Harlan
86:Nick Bottom
72:to perform
1069:Categories
967:Television
856:The Lovers
656:Literature
515:Television
345:Characters
185:References
175:synecdoche
165:synecdoche
110:Starveling
977:" (1994,
956:The Dream
637:10ml Love
589:Wood Love
428:Tom Snout
390:Demetrius
363:Hippolyta
116:suitors,
98:Hippolyta
832:The Park
742:Il Sogno
381:Lysander
140:Analysis
1013:Related
989:(1994,
892:Titania
882:Auberon
815:(1646,
372:Titania
359:Theseus
170:Henry V
104:Context
90:almanac
1053:(2004)
1045:(1996)
1037:(1989)
1029:(8 CE)
1001:(2017)
959:(1964)
951:(1962)
940:Ballet
887:Faerie
878:(1991)
867:Comics
817:masque
796:(2011)
780:(1949)
772:(1745)
764:(1692)
745:(2004)
731:(1951)
699:(2011)
691:(1997)
683:(1997)
675:(1992)
667:(1974)
648:(2015)
640:(2012)
632:(2008)
624:(2005)
616:(2002)
608:(2001)
600:(1983)
592:(1925)
442:Others
386:Helena
377:Hermia
368:Oberon
352:Lovers
265:
239:
120:, and
48:Athens
804:Stage
753:Opera
707:Music
546:Stage
454:Egeus
777:Puck
573:Film
553:1970
537:2016
532:1992
527:1981
522:1969
506:2017
501:1999
496:1968
491:1959
486:1935
479:Film
449:Puck
433:Snug
388:and
379:and
370:and
361:and
263:ISBN
237:ISBN
901:Art
334:'s
64:In
46:of
36:'s
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819:)
324:e
317:t
310:v
108:"
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