What was Puck and what was his role in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's D

Question:

What was Puck and what was his role in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" ?

I've always liked Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" but have never really understood what he was or what his role was.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Dear, sweet Puck. Oberon's (the Fairy King) jester, and the closest character the play has to a protagonist. He is set the tasks that start many events in motion...yet occasionally he also does things just for sport.
Puck is a Sprite, a Faun, a Fairy...but whereas most of the fairies are beautiful and ethereal, Puck is somewhat bizarre looking. Indeed, another fairy mentions that some call Puck a ??hobgoblin,?? a term whose connotations are decidedly less glamorous than those of ??fairy??