Snug

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Snug is a minor character from William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. He is a joiner who is hired by Peter Quince to play the part of the lion in Pyramus and Thisbe. When he is first assigned the part, he is afraid it may take him a while to finally remember his lines for it (even though the lion's role was nothing but roaring originally). Bottom offers to play the part of the lion (as he offers to play all other parts), but he is rejected by Quince, who worries (as do the other characters) that his loud and ferocious roar in the play will frighten off the ladies of power in the audience. In the end the lion's part is revised to explain that he is in fact not a lion. Snug does this so that the ladies and children don’t get scared. If they get scared the actors might get hanged. This is a subtle reminder by Shakespeare that the mechanicals are not learned men, for they think that Snug's lion costume is fearsome & that they will be sentenced to death if the ladies are afraid.

Note: although the fear of roaring too loud was at first applied to Bottom, it seems to have settled into the players minds, as they warn the ladies even when it isn't Bottom who plays the part in the end.

[edit] See also