the actors
The actors in a Midsummer Night's Dream, or the "troupe", are the group of people who performed the "play within the play", Pyramus and Thisbe. Peter Quince is the the leader of the play who assigns the people to the characters, and everyone has their own role. The actors often bicker while rehearsing, and act dramatically, especially Nick Bottom. Their performance for Theseus and Hippolyta and the other couples is overall lackluster and unconvincing. the Athenians ridicule them during their performance. The actors offer to give the couples an epilogue, but they refuse.
nick Bottom
Nick Bottom is a weaver, and a member of the acting troupe chosen to perform for Theseus and Hippolyta on their wedding day. He plays the part of Pyramus. Bottom is obnoxious, arrogant, and egotistical. When Peter Quince is assigning roles to the actors, Bottom thinks that he would be the best at playing all of them. Robin Goodfellow, more commonly known as Puck, turns Bottom's head into that of a donkey's during one of the rehearsals. Soon after, Titania is given a potion and falls in love with him. Reading this portion of the play, it is clear that Bottom does not return these feelings, but he takes full advantage of Titania's kindness by using her attendants to fulfill outlandish requests. After all is said and done, Bottom is returned to his normal state, and is left with the impression that everything he experienced was a vision or a dream. Not only this, but he thinks that this dream makes him above other men. He says:
"The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream: it shall be called Bottom’s Dream, because it hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the duke: peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at her death"
Overall, Bottom's character is defined by his irritating and unchanging feeling of self-righteousness and self-importance which is shown consistently throughout the play.
peter quince
Peter Quince is a carpenter and the leader/ organizer of the actors. He assigns all of the roles, and works out the details of the play, although Bottom can often be seen giving input. He seems to be respected and well-liked among his friends. Other than this, there is not much that distinguishes Peter Quince from the other actors. He is obviously dedicated to the play and a natural leader for his group. However, very little is revealed about his character throughout A Midsummer Night's Dream. The role he takes on in Pyramus and Thisbe is Thisbe's father.
others
Aside from Bottom and Peter Quince, other actors include Francis Flute the bellows-mender, Robin Starveling the tailor, Snug the joiner, and Tom Snout the tinker. Flute is assigned the role of Thisby, Snug plays the lion, Starveling plays Thisby's mother and the moonlight, and Snout plays the wall. They do not seem to have individual personalities described within the play. Rather, they are simply identified by their occupations and roles in the play. The main quality that can be observed about them is their dedication to their performance, and the hard work they put into it.