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111:, 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.
188:, 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.
184:, 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
191:
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
135:. 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
103:
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
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333:
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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
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67:. 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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79:, 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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91:, the tailor, who gathers with his colleagues to prepare their production. Robin at first is told to play the part of Thisbe's mother, but
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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
139:. It may also be a nod to the fact that tailors of the time were usually poor and skinny. In the 1935
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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
123:" is a word for a thin or poor person lacking food. "Robin" may have connections to two of
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actor: "For never anything can be amiss / when simpleness and duty tender it ..."
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Styan, J. Shakespeare's
Stagecraft. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967.
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157:"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)
315:
207:
Barber, Lester E. "Review: Great Lakes
Shakespeare Festival."
220:
Prosser, Eleanor. "Shakespeare at
Ashland and San Diego."
161:; this thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog."
61:
who plays the part of
Moonshine in their performance of
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Schelling, Felix E. "The Common Folk of Shakespeare."
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174:Shakespeare constantly reflects on the problem of
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143:film, he was played by the chubby, jovial
289:Justman, Stewart. "Political Fictions."
1101:Characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream
200:
1106:Literary characters introduced in 1596
27:Character in A Midsummer Night's Dream
7:
934:Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream
87:, a love story. Robin is one of the
166:—Robin Starveling as Moonshine in
133:Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
25:
927:The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania
246:Humanities Press (January 1973)
129:Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
224:(October 1963) 14.4 pp. 445–54.
1:
1096:Male Shakespearean characters
998:"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
293:(Mar 1978) 39.7 pp. 834–40.
1127:
991:Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
886:The Sandman: Dream Country
211:(Jul 1980) 31.2 pp. 232–5.
959:A Midsummer Night's Dream
796:A Midsummer Night's Dream
726:A Midsummer Night's Dream
592:A Midsummer Night's Dream
348:A Midsummer Night's Dream
168:A Midsummer Night's Dream
77:A Midsummer Night's Dream
50:A Midsummer Night's Dream
691:A Midsummer Night's Gene
624:A Midsummer Night's Rave
99:suggests looking in the
1009:A Midsummer's Nightmare
740:Three Shakespeare Songs
699:A Midsummer's Nightmare
608:Dream of a Summer Night
1111:Fictional Greek people
306:1916 55.6 pgs. 471–480
222:Shakespeare Quarterly.
163:
37:
823:The Triumph of Beauty
209:Shakespeare Quarterly
35:
804:The Enchanted Island
729:(1842, Mendelssohn)
920:Hermia and Lysander
675:A Midsummer Tempest
640:Were the World Mine
343:William Shakespeare
53:(1596), one of the
45:William Shakespeare
1086:Fictional artisans
1045:Dead Poets Society
1037:Pyramus and Thisbe
941:Titania and Bottom
780:Pyramus and Thisbe
242:Taylor, Marion A.
105:Pyramus and Thisbe
85:Pyramus and Thisbe
64:Pyramus and Thisbe
43:is a character in
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683:Lords and Ladies
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1061:Wicker Park
986:Fascination
616:Get Over It
577:Adaptations
483:Productions
470:Philostrate
419:Nick Bottom
411:Mechanicals
263:V.i.2096–99
145:Otis Harlan
97:Nick Bottom
83:to perform
1080:Categories
978:Television
867:The Lovers
667:Literature
526:Television
356:Characters
196:References
186:synecdoche
176:synecdoche
121:Starveling
18:Starveling
988:" (1994,
967:The Dream
648:10ml Love
600:Wood Love
439:Tom Snout
401:Demetrius
374:Hippolyta
127:suitors,
109:Hippolyta
843:The Park
753:Il Sogno
392:Lysander
151:Analysis
1024:Related
1000:(1994,
903:Titania
893:Auberon
826:(1646,
383:Titania
370:Theseus
181:Henry V
115:Context
101:almanac
1064:(2004)
1056:(1996)
1048:(1989)
1040:(8 CE)
1012:(2017)
970:(1964)
962:(1962)
951:Ballet
898:Faerie
889:(1991)
878:Comics
828:masque
807:(2011)
791:(1949)
783:(1745)
775:(1692)
756:(2004)
742:(1951)
710:(2011)
702:(1997)
694:(1997)
686:(1992)
678:(1974)
659:(2015)
651:(2012)
643:(2008)
635:(2005)
627:(2002)
619:(2001)
611:(1983)
603:(1925)
453:Others
397:Helena
388:Hermia
379:Oberon
363:Lovers
276:
250:
131:, and
59:Athens
815:Stage
764:Opera
718:Music
557:Stage
465:Egeus
788:Puck
584:Film
564:1970
548:2016
543:1992
538:1981
533:1969
517:2017
512:1999
507:1968
502:1959
497:1935
490:Film
460:Puck
444:Snug
399:and
390:and
381:and
372:and
274:ISBN
248:ISBN
912:Art
345:'s
75:In
57:of
47:'s
1082::
147:.
1004:)
994:)
984:"
830:)
335:e
328:t
321:v
119:"
20:)
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