Midsummer Nights Dream - Snug Character Profile

Name: Snug the Joiner
Statues: Mechanical
Relations: friends with Bottom, Quince, Snout, Starveling and Flute
Play: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Part of the play: Act 1 Scene 2, Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1

From left to right: Snout, Flute, Snug (Girl in Yellow), Quince, Starveling and Bottom


Snug's Character:
Snug is to be apart of a play that will be presented for Duke Theseus as he is getting married to Hippolyta. They will show it on their wedding day. Quince is the leader and writer for their amateur company  and within their first scene we see Quince giving each of the actors their parts. Snug is left till last as is given the role of Lion. However Snug is a very timid and slightly dumb character so playing the lion seems like a confusing concept as snug isn't brave or loud like a lion and he is scared about playing the character due to the lines. Therefore he says:

"Have you the lion’s part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study."
Act 1 Scene 2 - Snug

This line basically shows Snug's character to be shy, dumb and nervous about performing the play to people. Quince then tells Snug...

"You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring."
Act 1 Scene 2 - Quince

It shows how quince as been kind to Snug as he says that you can basically improvise the character as it is nothing but roaring. It also show that Snug is probably well looked after by all the mechanicals as they are considerate enough to put him into the play and they consider how hard it is for Snug to learn his lines. Therefor I believe that Snug is probably more confident with the mechanicals compared to when he is performing the play within the play as he is not comfortable with the lords and ladies.

Our Version of Snug:
Originally the play within the play tell the story of the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe who have been separated by a wall of their families land. They therefor plan to meet at Ninnies tomb so that they can be together. However a lion intercepts Thisbe and it tears of a piece of Thisbe's clothing which is now covered in blood.  Pyramus then finds the clothes and believes that Thisbe had died so he takes his life. Later Thisbe then finds Pyramus dead and she also takes her own life. It is sort of a take on Romeo and Juliet. 

Due to the fact that we are performing to children age 3-6, we have had to change the play within the play's storyline as it originally contains to many inappropriate themes for this audience. Therefor the story now goes ...

Pyramus and Thisbe hear a strange cat like sound and they see a tail flick through a whole in the wall. They decided to climb over the wall to see what the sound is and they find a 'cat'. They therefore bring up the cat as their pet but one night the moon shines on the cat and it actually shows that it is a lion. the lion then says goodbye to Pyramus and Thisbe and runs of to be free.

This version of the play within the play is a lot more suitable for the young audience as it not only doesn't contain the inappropriate themes but it also uses slapstick humour when Pyramus and Thisbe try to climb the wall but instead they go through the walls legs.