‘Most comedies can be criticised for a lack of seriousness’. To what extent do you believe this to be the case in the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’?
‘Much Ado About Nothing’ contains comedy throughout but it could be argued that seriousness is present in equal measure. They are portrayed simultaneously by Shakespeare in his play: where one scene is comedic to one part of the audience, seriousness could be interpreted by others. The writer uses comedy not only to entertain but to portray and challenge concepts of gender, class and other norms dominant in Shakespearean times but also remain evident in contemporary society. He also uses a leading male and female character to construct this gender challenge, with a woman who will not marry until ‘God make men of some other metal than earth’ and a man she refers to as ‘no less than a stuffed man’. The forwardness with these lines are delivered in contrast with the passive expectations an Elizabethan audience would expect from the leading female, however comedy remains as the moment is unexpected. Furthermore, class and status issues can be identified in the play, an obvious example being the Prince’s brother a ‘bastard’, marginalised from society because of who he is, and a ‘watchman’ who is described as an ‘ass’.
Through their comedic interchange of insults, two of Shakespeare’s main characters demonstrate the negative impact of gender issues in Elizabethan times. Benedick and Beatrice are constantly sparring with each other, starting from Act 1, Scene 1. It could be said that Shakespeare started his play with this couple to create an ambient and light mood for the opening. However this can be expanded to explore the idea of Shakespeare presenting these two characters as comedic from the outset but simultaneously presenting them in contrasting ways to demonstrate the gender differences. This is evident with Beatrice, as her status is in direct contradiction to her manner and etiquette. Her high status is known immediately by the audience when Leonato refers to her as his ‘niece’. She is shown to be very outspoken, not only for her status but her gender, as women were perceived to and expected to be passive. By being unreserved with her words to Benedick ‘Nobody marks you’, an Elizabethan audience would have been shocked to see her behaviour because it is not in line with their norms. Nevertheless, this particular portrayal of an explicit woman in comparison to Benedick could have been done to purposefully expose the imbalance of power in their relationship. In comparison with Benedick, Beatrice should look inferior because of his deliberate representation. It could be said that Shakespeare portrayed Benedick as a war hero. The statement ‘He hath done good service …in these wars’, almost provokes the audience to favour him over Beatrice. However it could be suggested that Beatrice has been presented to always have the upper hand over Benedick, either by having the last say or by turning a devastating situation into her own hands. This is especially seen in Act 4, Scene 1 when she expresses her desire for Benedick to ‘kill Claudio’. Shakespeare cleverly builds dramatic contrast between the love scene moments before and Beatrice’s plea of retribution to make her words more sinister. By doing this, Shakespeare is demonstrating the power that Beatrice has as a woman and the hold she has over Benedick. In this scene, woman are not seen to be inferior to males, but show a dominant side to them that could be used against men, by seducing them.
Through the presentation of this comedic couple, it can be suggested that the seriousness of gender conflicts are shown because they haven’t been presented to be equal to one another. Even though Benedick is expected to be dominant, Beatrice proves that she can have her own way. In this moment, Shakespeare’s comedy does not lack seriousness.
To further my point, Shakespeare shows the negative impacts of gender through analysis of Benedick and Beatrice’s sparring comments. Black comedy is shown when Beatrice makes the point of ‘how many hath he killed? For indeed I promise to eat all of his killings’. This is a prime example of her forwardness but also her witty side. Her words create imagery of death but her tone could be interpreted as playful creating ambiguity. On one hand, she could just be competing with Benedick and trying to discredit his status as a soldier or she could be commenting on the futility of war since Benedick has just come back from a battle and she feels the need to be brash about the subject using black comedy.
Occasionally however, comedy does reduce the impact of a serious message. There is further mention of war in this scene, ‘merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her’. A contemporary audience would acknowledge the dark implication of war whereas a Shakespearean audience would not because of how common war was. The deliverance of the issue through a comedic character such as Beatrice slightly diminishes the harsh connotation of the word to a Shakespearean audience as they are less likely to take it seriously. In effect, the play to a modern audience would appreciate Shakespeare’s intent to incorporate the seriousness because of the change in interpretation. Even though topic of war is surrounded by comedy, it doesn’t mean that the seriousness hasn’t been delivered. However it can be argued that a modern audience would understand it more to a higher degree. In this moment, comedy masks seriousness, as a crucial ideal could be missed.
Shakespeare’s choice of the word ‘war’ could appear to insinuate a previous relationship between the couple. It could be interpreted as an extended metaphor of their relationship as their ‘skirmish of wit’ replicates a battle of words. This can be further confirmed when Beatrice hints that she once ‘lost’ the ‘heart of Benedick’. This could in turn also diminish the connotation of war because it is being portrayed in this sense to be comedic rather than serious. In terms of Benedick and Beatrice, seriousness can be found in their relationship even though it is presented through a comic guise, so a fine balance is maintained.
Even though Shakespeare uses very farcical and comic scenes in his play, seriousness can still be found elsewhere. Act 3, Scene 3 introduces us to Dogberry and his Watch who represent and demonstrate the class differences in that era. Dogberry’s illiteracy and stupidity is where the comedy is shown. He uses many malapropisms that show the audience his confidence in himself but in turns suggests his incapability in the Watch. He appears to be confident in his words ‘you are thought…to be the most senseless…for the constable of the Watch’ but they actually make no sense in the context used. By Shakespeare creating a character like this, he brings the audience the unrealistic reality of Dogberry and his Watch unravelling on John’s plan. This heightens the comedy even further when they achieve this. However, despite the comedy, some of Dogberry’s speech connotes some social issues. In Act 3, Scene 5 when Dogberry tries to explain to Leonato that he has ‘comprehended two aspitious persons’, Leonato dismisses him because he lacks the patience to decipher what he is actually saying. Shakespeare plays on the effects of dramatic irony, making the audience feel apprehended because they know who the ‘aspititous persons’ are.
In reverse, It is also possible to perceive a comedic perceptive from the serious scenes. Don John’s desire to disgrace his enemies in Act 2, Scene 2 drives the play with his plan to shame Hero. His plan proves to be more sinister to the audience due to the structure of the play. Shakespeare uses the method of antithesis to exaggerate the darkness in his plan. The sudden switch from a jolly scene (the masked ball) to the undressing of his plan makes the audience engage attentively to the play. Comedy is shown in Act 2, Scene 1 when Beatrice calls Benedick the ‘prince’s jester’ knowing that she is talking directly to him. However the next scene is more menacing because of the plan that will ‘undo Hero and kill Leonato’. The seriousness is embellished by the lack of it in the previous scene and through the contrast between the two tones created.
The comedy in Act 2, Scene 2 is shown through the confusion of his status and the amount of distress he is about to cause. A Shakespearean audience would question how someone of his status can cause so much trouble because he is damned in society as a bastard. This links to his reasoning to destroy everybody because he has been labelled and stigmatised throughout the play. From the outset the audience knows what he is because of Leonato’s comment of how the Prince and him have only just been ‘reconciled’. This could suggest that Shakespeare did this deliberately to show how rejection can lead to hatred. Shakespeare could have manipulated the prejudicial view that Elizabethan audiences had about bastards to create this deliberate presentation of Don John. This could be seen to create comedy and seriousness at the same time because it can be considered humorous for someone of Don John’s status to erupt a plan like this. Furthermore, it connotes a serious message as he is portrayed as the antagonist in the play but it could be argued that he’s a victim of society because of his status.
Comedy is running throughout the play and is even found in the most serious scenes. The play addresses the social problems that beset the era of that time such as gender and class which are shown through characters such as Beatrice and Don John. Shakespeare made it so where one scene can call someone a ‘parrot teacher’ and in another have someone say ‘I’d rather be a canker in a hedge, than a rose in his grace’. The construction of his characters suggests Shakespeare’s deliberate action of incorporating seriousness in his play for comedy to be interpreted shows the play cannot be criticised for lacking it.