...MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Title As a title, Much Ado About Nothing fits neatly with those of Shakespeare’s other plays written around the same time: the titles seem whimsical and even flippant. Twelfth Night was alternatively titled What You Will, and As You Like It seems a much less informative title than, say, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Still, the capricious titles are actually as reflective of their content as any history or tragedy title. The plot of Much Ado About Nothing centers on a lot of hubbub over little misunderstandings; there’s a whole lot of fuss about stuff that ultimately isn’t that important. For the bigger issues in the play, though, we turn to the fact that, in Shakespeare’s day, "nothing" was often pronounced the same way as "noting." The play is built around the process of "noting," which has myriad meanings. It can mean "to take notice of" something, to eavesdrop, to observe, or to write something down – but these notings aren’t necessarily accurate. A person can misunderstand a meaning, or mishear, or misreport something, in the process of noting too. The foibles that result from noting (and misnoting) are central to keeping the play spinning. If that wasn’t interesting enough for you, you might want to note that "nothing" was also an Elizabethan slang term for the vagina. "Much Ado About Vagina" makes sense as a title, right? After all, the highs and lows of the play revolve around men and their relationships with, suspicion of, and...
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...How far does the humour in Much Ado About Nothing derive from Shakespeare’s presentation of gender? Much ado about nothing is one of the most famous comedies written by Shakespeare. It is written in the modern style, and is mainly in prose form. It was written for the audience in the Elizabethan era of England, which was the age when females were considered significantly inferior to their male counterparts. Shakespeare has used this concept of gender for creating humour in his play. The characters Benedict and Beatrice are involved in a complex relationship which contrasts between love and hate. Both Beatrice and Benedict are strong willed, intelligent characters, who fear that falling in love will lead to a loss of freedom and eventually heartbreak. Various theories have been proposed which govern humour and comedy. The superiority theory proposed by Plato describes the darker side of comedy that Is often laughed at over unfortunate situations and social standings. Infirmity in others as compared to our own is often laughed at. These same principles has been applied to the story of the play, and the inferiority of females has been used as the basis for creating humour. [quick quote & example to back this up?] The characters Shakespeare's “Much Ado about Nothing” contribute to build the humorous essence of play through their roles. Several characters of the play presented comical language and gestures such as Benedick and Beatrice’s unromantic backbiting...
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...Gender Collisions in Much Ado about Nothing Some of Shakespeare’s plays are related to the love between male and female, such as, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Much Ado about Nothing and etc. Shakespeare’s focuses in these plays varied from different periods in his life. I’m going to analyze the gender collisions in the following couples in Much Ado about Nothing: Hero and her father Signor Leonato, Hero and Claudio, Benedick and Beatrice. I. Hero and her father Signor Leonato Hero and Leonato’s relationship is the typical father-daughter relationship in the feudal patriarchy. Signor Leonato, the father, is an arbitrary male chauvinist, loves his daughter superficially but never truly care about Hero. Hero, like most women in that time, follows everything what her father says. Obedience is rooted in her life. Marriage and obedience are the only two things she could use to please her father. As a “useless” girl in feudal society, Hero accepts her fate. All these factors result in the chaos in wedding. When Claudio doubted Hero’S chastity and dishonored Hero, Leonato’S first response is feeling humiliated for himself, worrying about his reputation and wanting to kill his daughter to save his fame. Hero just cried and even cried to faint. The only thing she could do is sitting, crying and saying “no”. She never thought stand up, and tell her father Claudio bravely “No! You are wrong! I am innocent!” The arbitrary and arrogant father and the coward daughter are still exist...
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...The Shakespearean comedy, Much Ado about Nothing encompasses themes such as the importance of honour, the ideal of social grace, nevertheless uses a plot which primarily revolves around the theme of deception re occurring in various forms. On one hand deception is used throughout Much Ado About Nothing in a malicious manner, however on the on the hand it can be portrayed in a benevolent and beneficial manner such as the fooling of Beatrice and Benedick and deceiving them into proclaiming their love for each other. The use of both forms of deception often makes it difficult to distinguish between the two, such as when Claudio announces his desire to woo Hero, however Don Pedro takes it upon himself to woo her for Claudio. However Shakespeare’s use of deception is neither completely a means of malice nor a mean of showing traits of kindness between characters, the use of deception aids the development of the plot and creates a path for other elements necessary in the play such as its comical elements. The plot of Much Ado About Nothing centrals around misunderstanding, as during the Elizabethan era “Nothing” was pronounced “Noting”, meaning to observe, to take notice of or to write something down – take note of something, as the reader learns the play revolves around observation and surveying, however often these ‘notings’ are not continuously accurate, they are often misinterpreted or misunderstood and also misreported. The title highlights the idea of how lack of careful noting...
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...Scoot DL 31/03/ 2015 Much Ado about Nothing Report Last Friday I went to my college to watch the living theater "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING".Much Ado About Nothing is a comedic play by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599, as Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his career. The play was included in the First Folio, published in 1623. Much Ado About Nothing is generally considered one of Shakespeare's best comedies, because it combines elements of robust hilarity with more serious meditations on honor, shame, and court politics. Like As You Like It and Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, though interspersed with darker concerns, is a joyful comedy that ends with multiple marriages and no deaths. This story happened in a beautiful village. As the play begins, Leonato prepares to welcome some friends home from a war. The friends include Don Pedro, a prince who is a close friend of Leonato, and two fellow soldiers: Claudio, a well-respected young nobleman, and Benedick, a clever man who constantly makes witty jokes, often at the expense of his friends. Don John, Don Pedro's illegitimate brother, is part of the crowd as well. Don John is sullen and bitter, and makes trouble for the others. When the soldiers arrive at Leonato's home, Claudio quickly falls in love with Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice resume the war of witty insults that they have carried on with each other in the past. Claudio and Hero pledge their love...
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...greater the love, the greater the chaos. It’s a given and that’s the secret.” This saying can be tied with the relationship of Beatrice and Benedick. Most movies or plays can attempt to portray a sweet relationship between two people, but in the matter of sensibility there happens to be more bitterness. There can be ups; however, there will also be many more downs, such as many arguments that will have to be fought out. Alongside the duration and timing of a relationship and the willingness to do anything for each other. In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Benedick have the most realistic relationship compared to Hero and Claudio....
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...Shakespeare In this essay I will explore Shakespeare’s two plays Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing. These plays are presented in the 16th Century. Romeo and Juliet is about 2 lovers who meet but they are from rival families. At the end of the play they both kill each other, it ends in a tragedy. Much Ado about Nothing is about lovers who meet but Claudio thinks that Hero cheated him but at the end of the play it ends and all the couple marries and live happily ever after, this play is a comedy. At the start of the play Lord Capulet seems loving towards his daughter by saying “My child is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Let there be 2 more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride”. This suggests that that Capulet wants her daughter to wait 2 more summers and wait for her to grow up and be a bride. The word “stranger” implies that her daughter is innocent and she doesn’t know the world yet. In a similar way at the start of Much Ado about Nothing, Leonato shows that he loves his daughter Hero by saying “But will acquaint my daughter withal, that she may be the better prepared for an answer if peradventure this be true”. This makes me think that Leonato is a soft person and he will let his daughter have a choice to marry or not. The word “acquaint” suggests that Leonato is soft and not forceful towards his daughter. In Act 3 scene 1 the relationship between Lord Capulet and Juliet worsens by saying...
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...histories, and tragedies. For example, his most famous tragedies would be Romeo and Juliet. In this case the story is a romantic comedy called, Much Ado About Nothing. This story consists of two love stories, one between Hero and claudio, and another between Beatrice and Benedick. The plot thickens when the Don John, Brother of Don Pedro, attempts to intervene. Trickery and deceit are central themes and somehow leads to love and romance. Trickery is a large theme in this story. Trickery meaning the practice of deception. Trickery can come in multiple types of form. Whether the intent is in a good or bad manner. In this case Don Pedro and Claudio come up with a plan. The plan was to trick Benedick into falling for Beatrice and vice versa for Beatrice. This act is suppose to be difficult, because Benedick is the type of guy who doesn't believe in marriage and is a bachelor. Coincidentally Beatrice has a similar mind set on marriage. Don Pedro and Claudio were able to achieve this by using leonarto as bait. For example, Then Benedick says, “ I should think this a gull but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it. Knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence” (2.3.126-128). This quote means if the...
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...After watching Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, I noticed lots of differences and similarities. Some similarities I noticed were that the main characters fall in love with each other and they are too scared to confess it to others. When Claudio and Hero meet, they fall in love with each other, then break apart, then fall in love again. Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing are both love stories written by William Shakespeare, but they are portrayed very differently. Romeo and Juliet are constantly struggling with their love and Beatrice and Benedict are tricked into falling in love. Shakespeare’s plays both involve characters falling in love at first sight, manipulation of love, and other extra details. But Romeo and...
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...Major Themes in 'Much Ado About Nothing' Shakespeare’s treatment of love in Much Ado About Nothing differs from his other romantic comedies. Sure, it shares the same stagy plot, which finishes with the lovers finally getting back together, but Shakespeare also mocks the conventions of courtly love which was popular at the time. Although Claudio and Hero’s courtly marriage is central to the plot, their relationship is the least interesting thing in the play. Instead, our attention is drawn to Benedick and Beatrice’s unromantic backbiting – it is this relationship that seems more believable and enduring. By contrasting these two different types of love, Shakespeare manages to poke fun at the conventions of courtly, romantic love. Claudio uses highly contrived language when speaking of love, which is undermined by Benedick and Beatrice’s banter: “Can the world buy such a Jewel?” says Claudio of Hero. “My dear Lady disdain! Are you yet living?” says Benedick of Beatrice. As an audience, we are supposed to share Benedick’s frustration with Claudio’s transparent, pompous rhetoric of love: “He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an honest man and a soldier … His words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes.” Deception As the title suggests, there is a lot of fuss over very little in the play – after all, if Claudio wasn’t so impetuous, Don John’s rather weak plan wouldn’t have worked at all! What makes the plot so intricate is the use of deception...
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... “Trickery or Deceit” Much Ado about Nothing, is one of Shakespeare’s, romantic comedies. I chose, Trickery or Deceit, as my title, because, sometimes in true life it’s difficult to determine the two. In this play deceit plays a major role. It first starts one week before the wedding. Hero and her friends decided that Beatrice and Benedick argue too much and did indeed share feelings for each other, And so they plotted a trick to make them fall in love, they included everyone in it, Don Pedro, Hero, Claudio pretended to say things about Beatrice loving Benedick so, that Benedict could hear. And then also pretended to speak alone in the garden, knowing of Beatrice’s presence they continued to say things of Benedick’s Love for Beatrice, which wooed the both of them and they both fell in love, but, had no idea they were being Deceived. But every ones happiness is to soon come to an end, as Don Jon plots to ruin their wedding.. He has Borachio pretend to court and make gestures at Hero, while Claudio and Don Pedro watched, when indeed it was Margaret whom he courted and had sex with. During my research of “Much Ado about Nothing”, I found that this is a perfect example of” Trickery or Deceit”, or both? My studies show that the author has an open mind and left the decision to be made by the audience. In the play Much Ado about Nothing, the word Nothing in the play’s title, pronounced in the Elizabeth English. Suggests...
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...comedy is all about pleasure and merrymaking. How do you react to this idea in your study of Much Ado About Nothing? Much Ado About Nothing is heavily influenced by the inclusion of C.L. Barber’s viewpoint on comedy, that pleasure and merrymaking should be a focal point in festive comedy. Shakespeare utilizes witty mockery, satirical conversations and the Saturnalian reversal of roles to emphasize festivity and merrymaking as a main theme in his comedy as this ensures the audience can make fun and laugh at the situations displayed. But, as the audience we cannot forget that Shakespeare used this idea of pleasurable entertainment to disguise the underlying Machevellian plots of Don John and Borachio to disrupt the fairy tale type of tenor the characters could have led. Therefore, further into Much Ado About Nothing, discussions about whether Shakespeares play conforms to C.L. Barber’s argument or to what extent is C.L. Barber’s perspective disputed are risen. Initially, from reading the script of Much Ado About Nothing, the reader can respond to C.L. Barber’s argument with firm disagreement as many other genres are used to heighten the effect of comedy in the play, although C.L. Barber’s argument was specifically aimed at comedies, whilst Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is classed as a dramatic comedy, where tragedy is also hung in the balance in the climactic parts of the play. The purpose of Shakespeare’s plays in general and especially Much Ado About Nothing, is to expose...
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...Christine Joy A. Tag at BSEDE-II Reflection Paper on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing Without any idea of what Much Ado About Nothing is all about, I just let myself absorb whatever thoughts and ideas I could get as the movie started to play. The movie which is originally a play written by Shakespeare is a comedy drama but not pure humor as what most audience would expect in a comedy. I really find the work a genius one, with how the story evolves. And unlike any love stories, its plot is a very unique one. The theme is obviously full of deceptions. This act of deceiving is not at all what I know as a bad act. As from the drama, deception could sometimes lead the characters to goodness like how Don Pedro and Claudio intentionally let Benedict eavesdrop to their conversation about Beatrice’s love for him. Hero and her company also did the same to Beatrice. It ended up that Beatrice and Benedict really loved each other after all their ‘wars’. On the other hand, deception could be a bad act. When Don John planned to ruin the wedding by making Claudio and Don Pedro believe that ‘Hero’ is an unfaithful maiden and not anymore a virgin, the plan went out as it is which made Hero be publicly humiliated by Claudio. This only showed that purity of woman is very precious and the only honor that she could have. But whether deception is bad or good, I would first prefer not to believe easily what I hear or see or what others will tell to me. I must not depend on the superficial...
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...Shakespeare lived through the time of change - England was a proud nation and full of power. This reflects through the male, dominating characters and the way women are submissive such as Hero and Claudio. Beatrice and Benedick, however, contrasts the typical relationship of that time as Beatrice doesn’t necessarily conform to the way a woman should behave, signifying a time of change. In both of these plays, we can see that men dominate and females are usually submissive to them. However, there are exceptions which are clearly shown through Beatrice in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ who has little regard for what is considered proper and is very outspoken and witty and rarely conforms to what is expected of her. This is also shown in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ through Blanche, who holds herself very high and thinks of herself above men. Both Blanche and Beatrice insult the men around them. It suggests that this is considered normal of both of these different times and as a result, men appear to hold higher power and importance over women, leaving them as conforming to what the men want. In Act 1, Scene 1 in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, Beatrice interrupts her Uncle, Leonato, and Messenger in the middle of their conversation which immediately juxtaposes her cousin, Hero. In this scene and throughout the play, Hero hardly contributes and is only seen talking when spoken to. This interruption reflects...
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...In William Shakespeare's ' Much Ado About Nothing' how do the relationships between the characters evoke comedy? The play 'Much Ado About nothing' by William Shakespeare is a classic example of a Shakespearian comedy. There is love and a marriage which are all widely used by Shakespeare in order to evoke different emotions and reactions from the readers. Amongst other potential genres this play has also on many occasions been seen as a problem play due to the minor issues and set-backs the characters have to endure. There are no tragedies in the play and the closest it comes is during the scene where Hero has to be though dead in order to prove her innocence against the allegations being made against her. The relationships all add to the dramatic comedy of the play as we can see that it is, in a way, a reflection on how people in relationships behave, even to this day. The complexity of falling in love is clearly visible as we see both the positive and negative aspects of relationships and so called true love. There is a complicated love between Beatrice and Benedick as they are so alike they become too much for each other to face, a constant reflection of themselves. The relationship between Hero and Beatrice shows us that it is a tight- knit community where everyone looks after one another. All of the relationships throughout the play are complicated, for instance the relationship between Leonato and Hero. We see that although Leonato loves his daughter dearly, at the mention...
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