...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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...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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...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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...Much Ado About Nothing Love Story Shakespeare My first impression of Much Ado About Nothing is that it would be a love story. Although it is categorised as a Shakespearean comedy, I found the many "funny" parts of the play were foggy and required you to read the scene over a few times before you understood them. But then again, I had to read the whole scene over again a few times to understand anything. All of the characters in Much Ado About Nothing seemed to develop a personality of their own from the very first scene. It also helped that I saw the movie version of Much Ado About Nothing before we read the play so I could almost get a picture in my head as to what each character looked like. As the character's had their own personality, so did the two love relationships in the play. Benedick and Beatrice seemed to hate each other so much from the very start of the play that as the play carried on it almost seemed like the two went full circle in their relationship. But their relationship might not have changed for the better without help from Claudio, Don Pedro, Leonato, Ursula or Hero. In Claudio's and Hero's relationship seemed to be much more conventional in the way they came together. Claudio first saw Hero and instantly fell in love with her, while Hero stood by and took orders from her father, Leonato. Only when Don John devised his deception to break Claudio and Hero apart that I felt the relationship was in trouble, but even...
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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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...Much Ado About Nothing Love Story Shakespeare My first impression of Much Ado About Nothing is that it would be a love story. Although it is categorised as a Shakespearean comedy, I found the many "funny" parts of the play were foggy and required you to read the scene over a few times before you understood them. But then again, I had to read the whole scene over again a few times to understand anything. All of the characters in Much Ado About Nothing seemed to develop a personality of their own from the very first scene. It also helped that I saw the movie version of Much Ado About Nothing before we read the play so I could almost get a picture in my head as to what each character looked like. As the character's had their own personality, so did the two love relationships in the play. Benedick and Beatrice seemed to hate each other so much from the very start of the play that as the play carried on it almost seemed like the two went full circle in their relationship. But their relationship might not have changed for the better without help from Claudio, Don Pedro, Leonato, Ursula or Hero. In Claudio's and Hero's relationship seemed to be much more conventional in the way they came together. Claudio first saw Hero and instantly fell in love with her, while Hero stood by and took orders from her father, Leonato. Only when Don John devised his deception to break Claudio and Hero apart that I felt the relationship was in trouble, but even...
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...Deception can drastically change a person in both good ways and bad, but ‘foil’ characters always stay the same, unless… love is involved. Throughout Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare uses ‘foil’ characters to highlight exemplary and corrupt qualities within them. Claudio and Benedick are perfect examples of this, they both question love at different moments in the play, but ultimately find it. The main conflicts that arise are caused by Don John, he creates misunderstandings, villainy, and deception. Deception is the key part of the play that feeds both love and hate, mostly affecting Claudio and Benedick. At the beginning of the play, Claudio is enamoured and Benedick is the complete opposite. For example, “In mine eye she is the sweetest...
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...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 to one another...
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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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...his comedies, 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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...“Much Ado About Nothing” is a comical play centered around scandals, love, and witty jokes. The antagonist of the play, Don John, schemes to make other characters suffer because of his on mishaps of being a bastard. As for the other characters, they play matchmaker to create happy relationships.Although “Much Ado About Nothing is depicted as a comical play, aspects of star-crossed lovers and deception reveal relevance to the moral of the story. In “Much Ado About Nothing,” deception, with the inherently evil connotation, reveals to have both negative and positive outcomes. Don Pedro disguises as Claudio in Act I and confesses his love to Hero at the mask ball because he feels that the two would make a perfect couple. Don John decides to...
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...Have you ever dreamed of reading a thrilling book about awesome characters and a devious plan involving death? Then “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare is the perfect book for you. In the enthralling play, there contain multiple couples. One is based solely on looks, one denies their love for each other, and one simply got together for the sake of a devious scheme. It also involves a plot that a kind character look scandalous, when really, they’re not. It’s a great story about love, evil, and forgiveness. In the play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, Beatrice and Hero are foils of each other because of their interactions with others, how others feel about them, and their personality traits. Beatrice and Hero are major character foils in the play “Much Ado About Nothing” because of their...
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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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...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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...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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