A Midsummer Night’s Dream: SCENE I. The wood. TITANIA lying asleep.

BOTTOM
Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must
be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself
must speak through, saying thus, or to the same
defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish
You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would
entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life
for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it
were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a
man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name
his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.


Shakespeare wanted to use this passage in his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream to show the idiocy of Bottom and his fellow actors. Here, they are attempting to plan their performance of Pyramus and Thisbe. This story is supposed to be a very serious one; however, Bottom and his friends manage to unintentionally make a disgrace out of themselves and this play. Specifically, this dialogue deals with a lion in their play. Because the lion is supposed to roar ferociously, Bottom fears that the ladies will be scared of it. This is completely ridiculous and purposefully humorous because first of all, the group of them are such poor actors that they would lack the talent to instill the emotions they want to express in anyone, let alone fear. Two, the people in the audience know that they are attending a play; so, it is quite obvious that the lion onstage is not an actual lion, but just an actor. The solution Bottom thinks of is equally humorous. He wants Snug to directly tell the audience that he is not really a lion, but just a man in a costume.
Shakespeare effectively uses humor in this passage. Since this scene is prior to Bottom’s transformation into a donkey, Shakespeare utilizes this dialogue between Bottom and his friends to portray to the audience what is to come later on. After his change, the audience already knows the irony and humor behind Bottom’s transformation since he is a jackass in both the animal and human aspects.