Nick Bottom
Cultural depictions
Cultural depictions
-------------------

Bottom has been the subject of several paintings. German composer [Felix Mendelssohn](/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohn "Felix Mendelssohn") musically referenced Bottom in his [overture](/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream_%28Mendelssohn%29 "A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn)") inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream, with the [strings](/wiki/String_section "String section") mimicking an ass's bray on two occasions in the piece. Later German composer [Hans Werner Henze](/wiki/Hans_Werner_Henze "Hans Werner Henze") has used Bottom twice as an inspiration: in the second sonata which comprises his *[Royal Winter Music](/wiki/Royal_Winter_Music "Royal Winter Music")* and in his [Eighth Symphony](/wiki/Symphony_No._8_%28Henze%29 "Symphony No. 8 (Henze)").

Nick Bottom is also the main character of the Tony\-winning 2015 musical *[Something Rotten!](/wiki/Something_Rotten%21 "Something Rotten!")*, in which he competes as a playwright against William Shakespeare, his name being a reference to the character in Shakespeare's play.


How did Felix Mendelssohn reference Bottom in his music?