Honour exhibited in Much Ado About Nothing
Alexander Li ENG 2D8 738 Words Martin Honour exhibited in Much Ado About Nothing Honour plays an imperative role in society, as it clearly distinguishes the diverse classes of individuals. Throughout the play, Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, honour is a pressing issue that presents itself to each character, defining them as people and deciding their fate. When each character is faced with a situation that threatens to destroy their cherished honour, they will go to any lengths in order to circumvent this. When Hero's honour, based on her esteemed chastity, is lost due to Claudio's allegations, she is mortified. In the sixteenth century, a woman's honour relied profoundly upon her chaste behavior and virginity. "The families in the Elizabethan era keep their daughters virgins until they are married." (Gay, 158). If a woman living in this time period lost their virginity before they were matrimonial, their families were publicly disgraced. Claudio and his brothers are deceived themselves into thinking Hero is engaging in sexual activity with another man later on the night before her marriage to her betrothed Claudio. They "see her chamber window entered, even the night before her wedding day" (Shakespeare 88-89), in accordance to the information brought forth by Don John. Claudio believes that marrying Hero, who has been accused of being unfaithful,
HONOUR IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
HONOUR IS SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” When we look closely at the romance of Beatrice and Benedick, we see the problems that a rational lover has in putting aside his concept of honour in order to love a woman and Shakespeare cleverly contrasts this relationship with our idealistic lover Claudio, who is incapable of rejecting the restrictions that honour places on a man. In a parallel construction we see through the relationship that the boorish Claudio has with the docile Hero that for love to flourish it must reject chivalric notions of honour. The social hierarchy of Messina, is a very class conscious one and being witty is almost a full time occupation for many of its inhabitants. Playing practical jokes and tricks upon each other is a subtle way of maintaining the strict codes of conduct and among the most successful and benevolent of the deceptions practised are the parallel practical jokes played on Beatrice and Benedick in order to trick each of them into admitting their love for one another. In their first encounter, we see Beatrice and Benedick using their superior intellects to ridicule each other. Benedick warns her to ‘keep her ladyship’ and she lashes back with insults around his physicality suggesting that he is so ugly that ‘scratching his face could not make it worse’. Benedick uses his wit to shield himself from her barbs, hiding
HONOUR AND PATRIARACHY IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
HONOUR IN SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” The idea that your honour can be determined by someone else and that you can be owned by someone else with no power or control over yourself because you cannot defend nor fight for this concept is an Elizabethan constraint and today the notion of honour compared with the Elizabethan times has changed dramatically. But has this change in attitude benefited our society as a whole or can it be argued that honour is one of the most important components in our social and political conventions. In ““Much Ado About Nothing””, 16th Century Messina is a deeply convention bound society, a world which is busy, light heated, witty, optimistic, cheerful and in many ways attractive. However the strictness of its code of behaviour is a serious reality bubbling beneath Messina’s frivolous exterior and the characters in Messina find it much easier to believe in words about people, rather than in people themselves. Hero, as the daughter of Leonato the prestigious governor of Messina, is publicly judged on how obedient she is to her father’s wishes and we soon realise that her father and society will only honour her if her own personal honour is protected by her chastity. Hero must be a maiden until her wedding night to comply with the conventions of society, and to fulfil the role of the male ideal of the ‘perfect’
MALE HONOUR IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
HONOUR IN SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” Shakespeare’s 16th century portrayal of Messina in southern Italy is a place where social conventions rule and order is kept through the strong bond of honour that exists among men. Honour is the only measure of the man and serves as a way for others to determine and evaluate that person’s character. Thus a person ‘becomes’ their honour. While women’s honour revolves around the womanly virtues of chastity and fidelity, men, being more complex beings, naturally have a more intricate and structured honour paradigm. The Knights of the Middle Ages epitomised honour systems with their strict adherence to the chivalric code. Knights were elite warriors, holding immense military and political power, and honour was a central component in the concept of conduct known as chivalry, which influenced models of behaviour for nobles during the Renaissance and was admired and exalted as a sign of nobility and social standing. Because this period of time marked an age of instability and constant conflict, honour for men was inevitably tied up in the act of war. In this environment, where one’s life lay in the competency of his fellow man, one who proved to be proficient and capable at war was naturally held in high esteem and regarded as honourable. War was an ever present reality and provided both an ideal and valuable test
The theme of honour in Shakespeare(TM)s Much Ado about Nothing
The theme of honour in Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing" In Shakespearean times, honour was a very crucial aspect of everyday life, especially among families of high status. In his "Much Ado about Nothing", Shakespeare shows us just how circumstantial honour was taken to be, by a proud and prestigious family. In Act 4 Scene 1 and act 5 scene 4, from the very beginning we can find examples of this: "Let my counsel sway you in this case" (Friar) This shows that the people of that era considered that Friar to be a wise and holy man. Everyone, in this great dilemma, listened to his advice, as he was much respected. This also shows that religion was a very serious aspect of Shakespearean life. "And if sort not well, you may conceal her" (Friar) The extreme measures taken to regain a family's honour can be seen here. The friar is suggesting to hide Hero, if all turns out to be not so well. For just supposedly committing a sin, this seems to be a very harsh punishment to receive. However, this was just how social matters were dealt with at that time. "What shall become of this? What will this do?" (Leonato) Leonato speaks this phrase almost in a hurried fashion, to show his desperation. The two questions, one followed by the other, show that he is helpless and vulnerable. This is all caused by Claudio's shaming of Leonato's daughter (Hero) and by doing so, destroying
Much Ado About Nothing
English Coursework Essay on 'Much Ado About Nothing'. 'The Jokes which society tells are a significant index of that society's concerns and anxieties'. (M. Mangan, A preface to Shakespeare's comedies, 1996) If this is the case what can we learn from 'Much Ado About Nothing' about the 'concerns and anxieties' of the society in which Shakespeare was living? 1Sir H Walpole once remarked that 'a comedy should make us think', Shakespeare exploits this function of comedy by utilizing jokes on the themes of cuckoldry, infidelity and honour to permit the audience to think about the 'concerns and anxieties' associated with these jokes within Shakespeare's society and what can be learnt from these jokes told. The figure of the Cuckold in 'Much Ado About Nothing', a husband of a woman who commits adultery, is a running joke throughout the play. In the play, the character Benedick, who carries a misogynistic view of women, is the main instigator of these jokes, he says that being a cuckold is what happens when you get married and you would have to 'hang' his 'bugle in an invisible baldrick' and he vows never to allow the plucking 'off' of 'the bull's horns and' setting 'them' on his 'forehead', meaning he does not want to get married. Even though Benedick may be slightly bestial, it is clear there is a fear of getting married in Benedick's opinions. As Michael Mangan2 comments in
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing Essay Question Juliet Dunsinberre argues that 'Shakespeare saw men and women as equals in a world which declared them unequal.' How far do you agree with this statement in relation to Much Ado About Nothing? In your answer, you should refer to the context in which Shakespeare wrote and consider how a modern audience might react. Introduction In Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare portrays a common society in which a common role model of male and female ways of behaviour exists, and contrasts it with a deviant role model. It is Beatrice and Benedick who "misbehave". Beatrice´s behaviour and Benedick´s reactions are odd because they constantly work against society´s decorum. Shakespeare portrayed the common and the deviant behaviour in a way which is reflected in the characters´ engaging in dialogue. Men and women engage in dialogue differently and this can be seen in the composition of the staged dialogues as well as in the stage directions, which indicate body language. In the following essay I will discuss and analyse how Shakespeare develops themes of equality/inequality between men and women in this play by discussing how these themes are developed in key scenes and through contrasting characters, and also by using textual evidence to justify my viewpoints, and showing how context affects interpretation. Patriarchy and Courtly Love are
Much ado about Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing: - Essay Much Ado About Nothing is a play that focuses on the relationships between men and women. It is a Shakespearean comedy therefore the themes revolving around the play include struggle, love, deceit, mishaps and lies. In this play there are usually couples who end up enduring all the struggles and trickery and normally end up getting married at the end. The lovers in this play are Beatrice, Benedick, Hero, and Claudio. Shakespearean comedies normally involve a fool or someone silly and in this play there is a fool, Dogberry, even though he is a fool he is the most truthful character but unfortunately does not have the words to explain himself. The male characters in this play are very conscious about their respect and honour and how other people see them, this helps the play reflect Elizabethan values. On one hand you have Hero who is the ideal Elizabethan women; obedient, modest and quiet but on the other hand there is Beatrice, the complete opposite of what you would look for in an Elizabethan women, she is a challenging and up roaring character and is very against the stereotypes towards women at that time. Claudio is Hero's fiancé; He is a well known and respected Count because of his performance during battle. "Doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion." This means that although Claudio is young and naïve his performance was of
Analysis of Shakespeare's presentation of honour and dishonour in 'Much Ado About Nothing'
Analysis of Shakespeare's presentation of honour and dishonour in 'Much Ado About Nothing' During the period in which Shakespeare wrote the play, honour was, in respect of an individual's social status, a very important part of society. Shakespeare presents honour and dishonour mainly through the roles of men and women and the way in which they interact in the social hierarchy. Men think that they rule over women, this was a very popular view of this time. It's easy to pin point where and how Shakespeare presents honour and dishonour as the techniques, characters and use of language emphasise it. For example, Claudio falls in love with Hero and wishes to marry her. He tells Don Pedro (who decides to woo Hero from Claudio.) When Claudio silently agrees to let the Prince take his place to woo Hero, it is quite possible that he does so, not because he is too shy to woo the woman himself but because he must cede to Don Pedro's authority in order to stay in the Prince's good favour to still be honoured. When Claudio believes that Don Pedro has deceived him and wooed Hero for himself, he cannot drop his polite civility, even though he is really full of despair. Claudio chooses to be honoured with the Prince over his love for Hero "I wish him joy of her" says Claudio. Hero honours Claudio, as he is a respected man because he is on the Prince's right side and is happy to be
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing- How Does Shakespeare Present Difficulties In Relationships In Much Ado About Nothing? 'Much Ado About Nothing' was written in 1600 by William Shakespeare. The play is set in Messina, Sicily however it shows typical English comedy characteristics for that time. I find this unusual because not many people travelled far from home. Relationships are shown in various ways throughout the play using themes such as love, romance and patriarchal society. The main relationships which are portrayed are between Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedick. Act two scene one is the masked ball. Conversations take place between a number of couples; this makes the scene seem lively and gives a sense of movement. The character Beatrice is attracted to Benedick. However Shakespeare confuses the audience by having Beatrice pass insults to Benedick, "masking" her real feelings. Beatrice says to Benedick "why he is the Prince's jester, a very dull fool; only his gift is in devising impossible slanders". Beatrice is teasing Benedick so that her real feelings towards him are concealed. Don John appears to deliberately try to cause problems in the relationship between Hero and Claudio by claiming "how canst thou cross this marriage?" Don John is showing his distaste for the marriage his brother arranged. This is because Don John is jealous of his brother's higher status
