What comic devices does Shakespeare use in the opening scene of Much Ado About Nothing to create humour and a light hearted atmosphere?

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James Meredith

‘What comic devices does Shakespeare use in the opening scene of Much Ado About Nothing to create humour and a light hearted atmosphere?’

Throughout Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare uses many comic devices to bring about humour and a light hearted atmosphere, such as misunderstanding, bawdiness and wit.

Act 1, Scene 1 opens with a messenger telling Leonato of Don Pedro’s return from conflict and his approach to the town of Messina where Leonato takes residence with his household and which is also surrounded by country, which in turn is an aspect of comedy which seems to take a more profound comedic effect later in the play. The use of status and power is a comedic effect as it causes the audience to laugh at the lower class as they believe they themselves are above the servants and the messengers in terms of status.  

Wit and wordplay are aspects of comedy, which Shakespeare tends to use successively throughout the play and we see evidence of this early in Scene 1 of the first Act when Beatrice remarks, “…is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars, or no?” with reference to Signor Benedick of Padua. Mountanto is a fencing term for an upward thrust, and so Beatrice mocks Benedick by calling him ‘Mr fancy fighter’. This use of names is a comic feature, which is used by Shakespeare to describe the behaviour and aspects of a certain character or to mock him/her. Shakespeare also uses mistaken identity. The messenger doesn’t know anyone called Mountanto because it’s a derogatory nickname for Benedick.

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Benedick in turn mocks Beatrice through name in the same scene by referring to her as “Lady Disdain” meaning ‘Lady scorn’. He mocks her further in the same line by exclaiming, “…are you yet living?” This mocking battle continues for several lines but in the end Benedick ends with a “Jade’s trick” and slyly excuses himself from the engagement. The audience finds the use of names funny because it makes the audience feel superior to the characters because they are laughing at the misfortune of others when the characters name is being mocked. The use of misunderstanding and mistaken ...

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