Henry IV: Thieves and Fairies Shakespeare's Puck, the mischievous house elf Robin Goodfellow, resembles a more benevolent sketch of Sir John Falstaff and the rest heterogeneous thieves in Henry IV, part one. Both Robin and the thieves tend to go at night, use disguises and magic, and act like jesters for their respective royals. Falstaff declares: "...we who take bags go towards the moon and the seven stars, and not towards Phoebus...". [I.ii.13-15] and adds: "We are Diana's rangers, lords of the shadow, servants of the moon... under whose face we steal." [I.ii. 25-30] The action of A Midsummer Night's Dream also takes place in the moonlight; in fact, Robin worries aloud to Oberon that he may not be quick enough to undo the love spell's damage by dawn, when his powers will presumably have diminished. Robin often travels invisible or in disguise, as when he imitates the voices of Lysander and Demetrius in turn, or eavesdrops on the crude mechanisms without being spied on. Poins, for his part, produces visors for everyone on the evening of the planned robbery. Gadshill says he has "the fern seed receipt, we walk invisible." [II.i.89] And just as Robin and Oberon put stars in their lover's eyes with an enchanted pansy, Falstaff declares that Poins must have given him "medicines to make [Falstaff] love him." [II.ii.18] Falstaff clearly occupies a privileged position as a kind of court jester, his constant jabs at Hal and the crown itself accepted without punishment - save Hal's verbal parries against Falstaff's sloppiness. Robin explains to a passing fairy that his aim is to "prank Oberon and make him smile". [II.i.45] Poins and Robin (and his master Oberon) take great pleasure in tormenting foolish humans through cunning deceptions, not out of malice but out of simple playfulness. Even Prince Hal, admiring Poins' clever plan to deceive Falstaff, comments cheerfully: "Now, if you and I could rob the thieves and go merrily to London, it would be an argument for a week, a laugh for a month, and a joke forever." [II.ii.93ff] Poins promises that the results will make them "as cheerful as crickets, my boy." [II.iv.90] He and Hal also torment Francis, apparently unaware of the distress their baits cause the poor taper. The fairy that Robin meets in the forest makes Puck's purpose clear: he is a "shrewd and dishonest spirit" whose goal is to "deceive the night wanderers, laughing at their evil." [II.i.33ff] And he deceives them. On a whim, he gives the stupid Bottom a donkey's head, telling the news of Titania's humiliating infatuation to Oberon in cheerful terms. Although Robin feigns ignorance in confusing Demetrius and Lysander, he thoroughly enjoys the spectacle of the errant, competitive lovers: "Those things I like best / This is absurd." [III.ii.120-21] He is not ashamed of being the cause of so much agony. Oberon suspects that he deliberately planned it: "This is your negligence: yet you err, / Or willfully commit your knaves." Puck pleads his innocence but adds, "And so far I'm glad it's gone this way / Since I consider this jingle of theirs a sport." [III.ii.45ff] Falstaff's manipulation is of a different, more sinister nature. He lies openly, sends beggars into the army as cannon fodder, and desecrates Hotspur's corpse, not for fun, but out of greed and cowardice. Sir John lives through flattery and cheating, denying honor because it gets in the way of his enjoyment. Although many of his flaws seem not just flaws but grave sins, critics inevitably forgive him in everything, and we find something to appreciate in him, just like mischievous behavior..