MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING COURSEWORK

An exploration of how the play Much Ado About Nothing falls within the genre of comedy.

Much Ado About Nothing is a play that Shakespeare wrote as a comedy for the Elizabethan audience. In this essay I am going to analyse and study the characters that provide comedy and the different aspects of comedy in the play. I will look at the language that makes the audience laugh and how it shapes one of the main themes, comedy. I am going to try to investigate what Shakespeare does and what methods and characters he uses to produce a comical feel to the play. The two sets of characters that offer comedy are Dogberry and Beatrice and Benedick. But what I am going to try and find out is what they do and how they do it, and how that makes the audience laugh.

The most obvious source of comedy in the play is Dogberry and the Watch. These characters are quite ridiculous and give the audience plenty of laughs. When they are first introduced to the audience they are presented to give some comic relief after the unveiling of Don John’s evil plan. This reoccurs throughout the play, as every time something tragic happens, Dogberry and the watch are in the next scene to provide some light hearted humour. The main comedy provider is Dogberry, who is the leader of the watch. He uses big words to look more superior but instead makes himself look foolish because he gets his words mixed up, “have indeed comprehended two aspitious persons.” Dogberry used this when talking to Leonato about the capture of Borachio and Conrade, but he actually meant apprehend instead of “comprehend” and suspicious instead of “aspitious”. Dogberry just wants to be seen in the same social status as Leonato and Don Pedro, and this therefore creates comedy, as the audience sees his attempts to do look intellectual. He also confuses what other people say for example when Leonato calls him “tedious” he thinks he is being complimented. Again this will raise laughs from the audience. This is called a Malapropism, which is the usage of incorrect vocabulary for the effect of comedy.

Another example of Dogberry providing comedy in the play, is when they are in the courtroom for the cross examination of Borachio and Conrade. When they are sentenced, Conrade calls Dogberry an ass “Away you are an ass, you are an ass.” Dogberry becomes very upset by this, which is amusing because he is indeed an ass “Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years? Oh that he were here to write me down an ass.” Even in his outburst of anger, he still gets “suspect” mixed up with respect. Throughout the play he constantly reminds the audience that he is an ass, “I am an ass” Act 5, Sc 1. This provides a lot of comedy to the audience, as he uses dramatic irony.

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However the watch also provide some laughs, when they hear the unveiling of Borachio’s plan, Watchman 1, thinks there is a third member of gang, called Deformed, “I know that Deformed, a has been a vile thief.” Deformed is mentioned throughout the play to bring laughs to the audience, as it shows the stupidity of the watch. Borachio was actually talking about Elizabethan fashions. This is a running joke throughout the play which is bought up again in Act 5 Scene 1, when Borachio confesses “the watch heard them talk of one Deformed, they say he wears a key in his ear, and a lock hanging by it and borrows money in Gods name.” This will again bring some laughs to the audience, as there is no third member to the gang called Deformed. However there is the interpretation that the third member could be Don John who is deformed both socially and spiritually because of his evil ideas and plans.

Both the watch and Dogberry’s main function in the play is to discover the evil plot made against Hero, yet they do it in such a incompetent way that it turns into comedy. If they were not included in the play, then the plot would never be discovered and it would not be a typical Elizabethan comic romantic with a happy ending.

There is another pair of characters in the play that provide comedy with their wit and never ending arguments. They are Beatrice and Benedick, who are two extremely similar characters (that continuously argue.) The audience is exposed to this in the very first scene, when Beatrice states “I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedick.” This progresses into remarks like “scratching could not make it worse, and ‘twere such a face as yours were”, “a bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours” and “I would my horse had the speed of your tongue.” All this clever banter creates an element of comedy, and would raise laughs in the audience because the language is very clever, and would be presented in the play as very quick and witty.

Both Beatrice and Benedick are big characters in the play with similar and dominating personalities. Beatrice is witty and clever and claims to not need a man to complete her, which is opposite of the normal Elizabethan woman. She makes most people laugh in the play, because of her wit and clever comments. Her uncle Leonato is often found laughing at what she says and most of the people around her. This is seen at the beginning of the play when all characters are introduced “You must not, sir, mistake my niece: there is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her.” Benedick is usually sought after by Claudio and Don Pedro, for a quick laugh. He provides a much lighter atmosphere. The Beatrice and Benedick relationship is much lighter hearted and humorous than the Claudio and Hero relationship and provides the audience with some comedy as they get to see the way they are tricked into loving each other. Hero, Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio make a plan to get the pair together “I will do any modest office to help my cousin to a good husband.” This is said by Hero, as she is asked to help in them.

Firstly it is up to Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro to convince an eavesdropping Benedick, that Beatrice loves him “Come hither Leonato, what was it you told me of today, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signor Benedick?” They know Benedick is listening, yet Benedick does not know they are making it up. This sort of friendly humour makes the audience feel empowered and they will laugh at the fact that Benedick is being so easily deceived. Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio praise Beatrice and give her all the qualities Benedick wants in a woman “sweet lady” “she is virtuous” and “she is exceedingly wise.” This again would make the audience laugh, because earlier in the play, Benedick listed these qualities. Another thing that may make the audience laugh is the fact that Claudio comments on how easily Benedick is being deceived “Bait the hook well, this fish will bite” and “stalk on, stalk on, the fowl sits.” This is also a hunting metaphor which shows the opposing language between men and women (women talk more poetically.) This is seen in Act 3 Scene 1 when they say “If it proves so, then loving goes by haps, some Cupid kills with arrows, others kill with traps.” This is a rhyming couplet, which may reflect how Hero is feeling at the time. When she said them words she had fallen in love with Claudio, and is therefore going to be in a happy state of mind. The audience may laugh at the giddiness of young love however it would depend on how it was set out on stage. The layout on the page is set in stanzas and is more shaped when the women speak. Shakespeare does this to present the women as softer and lady like which reflects the time the play was set in.

This is vice versa with Hero and Ursula tricking Beatrice. The audience will again laugh at the fact that someone as clever as Beatrice is being so easily fooled.

Their relationship progresses throughout the play in a comical way, as they try to deny their love for one another. They claim to have illnesses to deny their love and take the focus away from it. Beatrice says “By my troth I am exceeding ill.” The audience would find it comical as she is trying to hide her love for Benedick. In this scene everyone is preparing for the wedding, and we see Hero’s gentlewoman, Margaret, come out of her shell. She takes the opportunity of Beatrice being ill, to make some playful fun of her, “Get you some of this distilled Carduus Benedictus, and lay it to your heart, it is the only for a qualm.” This would make the audience laugh as Beatrice would not usually be made a fool of and the fact that Margaret is speaking the truth would raise a few laughs. However this raises the topic of Margaret being a hypocrite, because of her secret relationship with Borachio. However the type of comedy Margaret uses is vulgar and rude but may make the audience laugh, as this is unexpected of a gentlewoman. There is an example of this when Margaret is helping Benedick woo Beatrice, and they get into a playful conversation. When Margaret says “ Give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own” this could be interpreted with a sexual meaning, which would make the audience laugh because they would not expect this of a gentlewoman. It is an element of surprise to the audience. Another part that may make the audience laugh in this scene is when Benedick attempts to write a song to Beatrice “The god of love that sits above and knows me”. This would be comical to the audience because Benedick will be appearing quite pitiful and pathetic and at the time this would have been seen as a poor attempt for a poem. There is a similar situation with Benedick as he claims he has “the toothache.” He also changes his style, by shaving his beard, wearing perfumes and changing his style. This again is a comical device in his attempts to woo Beatrice.

These two groups of characters provide most of the comedy. Dogberry and the watch provide silly comedy and humour and are more like the clowns of the play. They provide some light heartedness after the more disastrous scenes have happened. They also are vital to the capture of Borachio, Conrade and Don John, although they do it in such a ridiculous way that the audience cannot help but laugh at them. Beatrice and Benedict’s relationship is happier than that of Claudio and Hero and while their relationship is destroyed, Beatrice and Benedick’s are built up through the play. Their arguments and hatred of each other is turned into love in the most comical way it could be. Shakespeare uses these characters to provide a lighter atmosphere and the play itself is a comedy. This is used to relieve the audience after a stressed period in the play. These characters provide one of the main themes to the play. The genre and one of the main themes to the play, is comedy, but this would not be possible without happiness which leads to problems (Claudio and Hero’s love and break up.) This leads ultimately to a happy ending, finishing in marriage. When there is happiness there is friendly banter and also the arguments between Beatrice and Benedick which generate a happy feeling, with the audience. When this is turned into problems, Dogberry and The Watch are introduced to sort out these problems in the most comic way they can. When there is a typical happy ending, it creates a positive atmosphere with the audience and also has the opportunity for more light and friendly comedy with all the characters. Throughout all of these key components, the genre of comedy is joined into the play, with the help of Beatrice and Benedick and Dogberry and the Watch.

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