Comic elements in the first act of much ado about nothing
by
samlewis1996 (student)
Sam Lewis
Comic elements in the first act of “much ado about nothing”
In the era in which “much ado about nothing” was set the wealth and power of someone was far more credible than their personality and this is portrayed in the first few lines of the play when Leonato asks “how many gentleman have you lost in this action” and the messenger replies “but few of any sort, and none of name” he segregates the wealthy from the poor as though they are two different beings and doesn’t tell us how many lower class people died as if it is irrelevant.
Vanity and hypocrisy are prominent themes that occur throughout the play, in the times of “much ado about nothing” the people were so focused on how they looked towards other people that their extravagant clothes, over the top mannerisms and the contrast in language in comparison to modern day were all somewhat outrageous and in turn humorous. Don John, the typical villain, only says one thing in act 1 scene 1 “I thank you, I am not of many words, But I thank you” this is quite a disappointing first line, the audience expects him to stamp his authority on the play but instead he stays relatively quiet, it Is an anti-climax with no climax accept the anticipation of how he will be portrayed in the play.
