BOTTOM. Let me play the lion too. I will roar that I will do any man's heart good to hear me. I will roar that I will make the Duke say “Let him roar again; let him roar again!”
QUINCE. An you should do it too terribly you would fright the Duchess and the ladies that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all.
It was amusing also that Quince worries that Bottom will be too convincing as a lion that he will scare their audience so much they will be terrified. Here we see that the workmen cannot separate fiction from reality and nor they realize that the Duke and his guests will be under stand it as an only a pretend lion in a play.
Francis Flute (the bellows mender) who is to play the part of Thisby (a female role) tries getting out of the female role by saying he has a beard coming:
FLUTE. “Nay, faith, let not me play a woman—I have a beard coming.
But this doesn’t work this excuse tries to suggest his “manliness” but has the opposite effect and he is humiliated. The others take delight in this reaction and there is laughter at his expense is. He has to play Thisby because his voice had not changed, as he is still a young boy. In Shakespeare’s time it was normal for young boys to play female roles as it was considered inappropriate for woman to act on stage. The potential for more laughter is sensed, as flute will no doubt over act his part in his attempts to be convincing by putting on a high pitch voice.
Flute isn’t the only character to be laughed at…
Another silly remark is where a slowness of snug appears when Quince gives out the part and its Snugs turn to his role in the play:
QUINCE. You, Pyramus' father; myself, Thisbe's father; Snug, the joiner, you the lion's part; and I hope here is a play fitted.
SNUG. Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me; for I am slow of study.
QUINCE. You may do it extempore; for it is nothing but roaring.
This tells the audience and quince that snug doesn’t realize that he will not have any lines to say. Again we are made aware just how amateur these men are and that their attempts to perform a classical “ Greek tale is beyond them.
The type of humor used frequently in Shakespeare plays and enjoyed by his audience example some of the workmen names declare their physical appearance:
Snug the joiner the name is related to his trade work in Shakespeare time up to date people would not realize that that snug meant affixing to parts together is called a joiner.
Robin starveling this character could be name because of his physical appearances as starveling could have meant he was really slim and missed some dinner’s starveling.
The other thing what made Shakespeare play humorous was the jokes these were called “puns”.
BOTTOM. “I will discharge it in either your straw-color beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your French-crown-color beard, your perfect yellow”.
QUINCE. “some of your French crowns have no hair at all; and then you will play bare-faced”! Quince makes the jokes familiar to the Elizabethans about the boldness caused by syphilis wish English called “the French disease.”
Bottom asks Quince what beard to play pyramus. Should he wear a “French crown color” Quince makes the “pun” that the French have no hair at all. “This is a references to that the French apparently didn’t know the meaning of safe sex for they were famous in England for there transmitted disease known as “pox”. Shakespeare never tries in a variety of plays.
