Quince the carpenter is the leader of the merry band of actors who are practicing their play for the royal wedding. These men are not professionals. They are working men, craftsmen from the local village. They are doing their best to produce something befitting Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding.
Quince tries to be businesslike. He calls the men together and gives them their parts. Bottom, the weaver, immediately causes trouble. He wants to play every part, and believes he is better than anyone else.
QUINCE
That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and
you may speak as small as you will.BOTTOM
An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too, I'll
speak in a monstrous little voice. 'Thisne,
Thisne;' 'Ah, Pyramus, lover dear! thy Thisby dear,
and lady dear!'QUINCE
No, no; you must play Pyramus: and, Flute, you Thisby. (Act 1, Scene 2)
It may be easy to see Quince as just one of the bumbling fools, in over his head. However, he is really quite ambitious. He wrote the play, silly as it is, that the men will be performing. He really does try to take things seriously. He wants the play to do well, and he does attempt to keep the others in line. This is more difficult with the pompous Bottom, who likes to take charge himself, and the other actors who tell him they can’t memorize many lines.
Quince does his best to patiently explain the play to Bottom and make sure that the others know their parts. He also gives Bottom some leeway to make some of his own acting choices, wanting to placate him into compliance. In this way, he is a good director. In giving Bottom what is probably the most important part, he recognizes that as goofy as Bottom is, he is probably the strongest actor there.
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