...that 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...
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...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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...Redeeming Comedy William Shakespeare is one of the first people we think of when theater comes to mind. He made a name for himself in the world by becoming a playwright and writing comedies as well as tragedies for people’s entertainment that are still used today. However, Shakespeare is not one of the names that immediately come to mind when we consider the world of theology and religion. Yet the basic themes of Christianity play a foundational role in many of the classic scenes found in Shakespeare’s most famous works. We can examine this through the Shakespearian element of redemption, a view of taking kindness on humanity that academics believe was his own. Shakespeare’s plays still have relevance today because of his redemptive view of the world and of human experiences, particularly in the comedies The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, and All’s Well That Ends Well. Much has been made of Shakespeare’s religious and theological grounding. The issues have been centered primarily on whether Shakespeare was Protestant or Catholic. Many prominent Roman Catholic scholars, including the Rev. David Beauregard, have gone to great lengths to assert that Shakespeare was in fact Roman Catholic. Beauregard says a now-lost eighteenth-century document suggested that Shakespeare’s father, John, was a devout Catholics and his mother, Mary, was a member of the staunchly Catholic Arden family of Park Hall. Beauregard points to very Catholic theological concepts found in Shakespeare’s...
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...Comic plays by William Shakespeare. Famous Comic Plays: As You Like It Comedy Of Errors Much Ado About Nothing Loves’ Labour’s Lost Merchant of Venice Two Gentle Men of Verona Taming of Shrew Tempest Twelfth Night Measure of Measure “Professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh”. Synonyms: light entertainment, comic theater, frace , situation comedy, satire, pantomime ,comic, opera “A movie, play, or broadcast program intended to make an audience laugh.” plural noun: comedies The Tragic and the Comic fade into each other by almost insensible gradations, and the greatest beauty of a poetical work often consists in the harmonious blending of these two elements. Not only in the same drama may both exist in perfect unison, but even in the same character. Great actors generally have a similar quality, and frequently it is hard to tell whether their impersonations be more humorous or more pathetic. Shakespeare seems to have taken a special delight in its employment. No principle of his procedure is better known or more fully appreciated. His tragedies never fail of having their comic interludes; his comedies have, in nearly every case, a serious thread, and sometimes a background with a tragic outlook. Life is not all gloom or all delight; the cloud will...
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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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...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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...Qiang Jia Theater 100 Professor: 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...
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...Compare and contrast the way in which Shakespeare presents the themes of love and rebellion in Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing. In Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing, Shakespeare presents the themes of love and rebellion by the way he presents the characters Juliet and Beatrice. He also does this by using different language and poetic devices such as rhyming couplets and animal imagery. In addition he links in the two plays to comedy and tragedy which helps the reader understand how love and rebellion effects one character more than the other. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses the role of stereotypical women in the Elizabethan Era and how it links into the plays theme of love and rebellion. For example, how Juliet and Beatrice deal with the arranged marriage laws. In both plays, Juliet and Beatrice show a similarity towards love as they are stubborn and independent when it comes to love and marriage. However they show these traits in different ways. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is fighting for love as her parents want her to marry Paris even though her heart only desires Romeo. Juliet shows more determination and desperation in declaring her love compared to Beatrice. This is due to her parents controlling her future and Romeo being their family’s enemy therefore they are against their marriage. I know this because of when Juliet speaks to her parents and says, “I will not marry yet! And when I do, I swear, it shall be Romeo”. This quote tells...
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...Romeo And Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing There are many similarities between Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Was this Intentional or Accidental? Even though Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, and Romeo and Juliet, is one of his saddest tragedies, the two plots share many common incidents. Did Shakespeare mean to have these coincidences or did they happen by accident? In both of his dramatic works, the Masque is a key element furthering the infatuation of the lovers. Also the balcony scenes in both plays are crucial because without them the plot could never have reached its denouement. It seems that God came into both of the plays in the spirit of the friars, because they had good plans to keep love together. In both plays, the masque functions as a dramatic device which initiates the love plot. It occurs in a social gathering, but not without the help of costumes. If it were not for costumes the result of love might have been drastically different. How was the masque used to get lovers together? In the case of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo hears about the masque and decides to go, thinking that he might be able to get away with this scheme. Upon entering he sees Juliet and right away, he knows it is love. If he had not worn the costume, the hosts might have ejected him from the party and he might not have met Juliet. Much Ado About Nothing has a similar but...
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...In the plays of William Shakespeare, whether a comedy or a tragedy, one character that is often seen is a villain. This villain may come in many forms, but one of the most popular forms is that of the bastard. The character of the bastard is always evil, but Shakespeare also gives us some clue as to why they have grown to be so evil. The character of Don John the bastard in Much Ado About Nothing, and the character of Edmund in King Lear have many of the same qualities. They are both bastards with legitimate brother, and their brothers are in line to inherit their father’s title as well as real assets. They are both scheming villains and their villainy leads them into trouble. They both say they are bastards and act evil because they are expected...
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...‘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...
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... “Romeo And Juliet” and “Much Ado About Nothing” There are many similarities between Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Was this Intentional or Accidental? Even though Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, and Romeo and Juliet, is one of his saddest tragedies, the two plots share many common incidents. Did Shakespeare mean to have these coincidences or did they happen by accident? In both of his dramatic works, the Masque is a key element furthering the infatuation of the lovers. Also the balcony scenes in both plays are crucial because without them the plot could never have reached its denouement. It seems that God came into both of the plays in the spirit of the friars, because they had good plans to keep love together. In both plays, the masque functions as a dramatic device which initiates the love plot. It occurs in a social gathering, but not without the help of costumes. If it were not for costumes the result of love might have been drastically different. How was the masque used to get lovers together? In the case of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo hears about the masque and decides to go, thinking that he might be able to get away with this scheme. Upon entering he sees Juliet and right away, he knows it is love. If he had not worn the costume, the hosts might have ejected him from the party and he might not have met Juliet. Much Ado About Nothing has a similar but also different...
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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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...Niccole Soriano Shakespeare Professor McParland October 28, 2015 Comparison of Much Ado about Nothing and Twelfth Night Shakespeare often employed a usage of posturing, or misleading, within his comedies that attribute to the confusion that serves as driving forces within the plays. I found this especially true in his play Twelfth Night, a plot dictated by multiple deceptions. After viewing the play Twelfth Night, I immediately considered the similarities found between that play and Much Ado about Nothing, which also contained numerous deceptions and guises. The presence of deception in both plays contribute to the conflicts caused by what appear to be, more so than actual physical disguise, and functions as a preeminent theme. In regards to...
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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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