What is striking about Much Ado About Nothing is that it is written largely in prose.
What is striking about Much Ado About Nothing is that it is written largely in prose. This contrasts with the blank verse that fills many of Shakespeare's other plays although it seems more familiar to modern audiences used to plain prose. Unlike the bland modern speech that we are so used to, Shakespeare's prose is rich, full of colorful imagery, and plays with words. He even allows Benedick to make fun of the prose used by Claudio, commenting that Claudio used to speak plainly whereas he now uses orthography. Benedick as a character derives his mannerisms from a manual by Baldassare Castiglione titled The Book of the Courtier. Published in English translation in 1561, the book describes a conversation between several intellectual men and women through which they discuss that qualities that a perfect courtier would possess. They create a courtier who can make both love and war, assist the Prince, dance elegantly, and fully grasp diplomatic situations. Their courtiers also should be able to sing, engage in philosophical musings and tell humorous stories. Benedick is the archetype of this ideal figure, a man called upon to perform all of these roles in this play. It is important to realize that "nothing" was pronounced "noting" in Shakespeare's time. This is in fact a play obsesses with noting, or the lack of it. As a result, there is a special effort made by the characters
What do we learn about the Society of Messina in the play Much Ado About Nothing?
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE COURSEWORK: "Much Ado About Nothing" What do we learn about the Society of Messina in the play Much Ado About Nothing? The elaborate society of Messina is an apposite setting for the plot of Much Ado About Nothing being based upon premeditated deceptions, full of social grace ideals, packed with entertainment and churned with aristocracy and hypocrisy. It is darkened with counterfeiting and tricks that manipulate the thoughts and feelings of characters which exist in its setting. The sinister element of concealing reality by ornamented outward outlooks plays a major part in this civilization. In my personal opinion, it is a flamboyant world where ceremony dominates and, likewise, one's affluence, power and social class hold great value upon one's position in the society - they are very important social indicators. To start with, Messina is full of courtiers of social elegance which constantly aim to serve the individuals who are higher up in the ladder of societal standing. The typical conventions of courtiers as described in Baldassare's Casitglione's sixteenth century manual "The Courtier" were to use highly manufactured lingo, yet, crafting the show of effortlessness in their self-lifting and judicious performances. The characters' exaggeratingly polite manner of speaking and gracious demeanour represents the principle that Renaissance courtiers
Discuss how Shakespeare creates the character of Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing
GCSE English and English Literature- Shakespeare Discuss how Shakespeare creates the character of Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first published in 1600 and first performed in the winter of 1598-99. It is set in the picturesque and scenic town of Messina in Italy. Leonato, the governor of Messiana, lives with three relatives. Hero, his shy and "short" daughter, Beatrice his witty niece, who is an orphan and lastly his elderly brother Antonio. The play follows the lives of the two couples, Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero. In the first scene, Claudio declares his love for Hero to his best friend Benedick, whom after his argument with Beatrice expresses his extreme dislikeness for the very idea and love in general. Don Pedro (the prince of Aragon) along with the other characters, decide to spend their week in Messina to get their close friends Benedick and Beatrice to stop arguing and declare there love for each other, as they are clearly made for each other. Benedick, who is alone in the orchard at the time, considers the changes he can see in Claudio's character now he's in love with Hero. Meanwhile, Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio set the trap, which will completely reform Benedick's character. They pretend to talk amongst themselves, knowing
Compare and contrast the characters of Benedick and Claudio in
Compare and contrast the characters of Benedick and Claudio in "Much Ado About Nothing". The play, "Much Ado About Nothing" was written by William Shakespeare about two couples being married, first of which are Claudio and Hero, and the second are Benedick and Beatrice. A summarization of the play begins with Claudio and Benedick return home from a war. Claudio asks to marry Hero, but is asked to wait a week upon doing so. In this week, Benedick gets deceived that Beatrice actually loves her, while the same trick is placed upon Beatrice, but in reversal. Don John then decides to make Hero appear to entertain men and stop the marriage between Hero and Claudio. He frames Hero with the help of Borachio, making Claudio believe that Hero is the one entertaining the man. Claudio is then ruthless in the wedding ceremony, bringing to light what he has found out. Hero then pretends to die of shame due to the public humiliation. Benedick now shows some maturity in calming Beatrice down and assessing the situation. The guard then capture Don John's henchmen and they tell them everything that's happened, and that Don John was behind it all. The guard then tells Don Pedro of this and Claudio then grieves over Hero, who he believes to be dead. Claudio then agrees to Leonato's punishment of marrying Hero's cousin, which turns out to be Hero herself. They then marry and Beatrice and
From your reading of "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Much Ado About Nothing" what do you learn from the status and expectations of women in the sixteenth century?
From your reading of "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Much Ado About Nothing" what do you learn from the status and expectations of women in the sixteenth century? How far do the relationships, as explored by Shakespeare, seem to agree with perceptions gleaned from your wider research into his life and times? William Shakespeare was a fantastic playwright whose works still move us even today, centuries later. The universal themes expressed in his plays have lost no potency with the passage of years, and this remarkable mans legacy is as alive today in the minds of readers and audiences everywhere. The role of women has changed greatly throughout the centuries. Today in the twenty first century women are treated as equals to men, they have just as many rights and are given just as many opportunities. Today women are career striving and it is quite acceptable for the man to stay in the home and look after the children while the woman goes out to work each day. They are far readier to take on responsibilities of home and childcare and to enjoy an equal partnership with their wives. Women today enjoy equality in education, politics and the workplace. The ready availability of birth control means that women can choose to marry and have families but still maintain the right to career opportunities. Things were very different in Shakespeare's day. Wives were the property of their
Much Ado About Nothing - Elizabethan Women
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING ELIZABETHAN WOMEN Elizabethan views about women were very different from views today. Women were seen as one of a variety of stereotypes of women. Woman as a goddess- the courtly lover placed woman on a pedestal to be worshipped. In the play 'Much Ado About Nothing', Hero is treated as this kind of character until she is accused of sleeping with another man. Woman as an adulterer- virginity was a virtue and adultery an unforgivable sin (for fear of a bastard intruding on line of succession), an heiress who was proved unchaste was deprived of her inheritance. After Hero is accused of having pre-marital sex with another man, she is seen as this type of woman Woman as a shrew or scapegoat- blamed for the faults of the world. A woman who spoke up for herself was called a shrew and needed taming! This is the type of woman Beatrice represents in the play. Woman as a wife or a whore- to Elizabethan men, women had just two functions. Either prostitute and bought, or wife and owned To keep women "in check" the Elizabethans had a set of rules that women were expected to live by. These laws also dictated how women dressed. Hair was allowed to be worn loose before marriage, but after marriage had to be covered by a hood and veil. Queens were allowed to wear their hair long after marriage but only on state occasions when they wore a crown. Widows were required
How would a contemporary audience of Much Ado About Nothing know that it was a comic play?
How would a contemporary audience of Much Ado About Nothing know that it was a comic play? Elizabethan comedy was a big part of the culture. When Elizabeth came to the throne, she reinstated Protestantism as the country's religion. Many disliked these ideas, many wanted to be Catholic. But she did amazing things. She beat the Spanish Armada. People rejoiced and enjoyed being English, many children were born soon after and many people started to write and entertain this new generation. And soon in 1590, Shakespeare wrote his first play. He wrote Much Ado About Nothing about the same time the Globe Theatre was built, in 1599. He had written a few comedies before, all having similar features. Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night both end in two marriages, involve disguises, lower-class characters as comic relief and involve courtly love. Other than comedy Shakespeare wrote tragedies, probably more famous than his comedies. They were very different, for example Othello, (some say the tragic re-work of Much Ado About Nothing), involves many deaths, credible villains and hatred. Shakespeare very typically uses two young lovers, the courtly love relationship and another more odd couple. There are lower class individuals adding to the comedy. But Shakespeare didn't just write comedy for the laughs. Many characters symbolise certain things, for example Hero represents innocence.
What will an audience find to enjoy in 'Much Ado About Nothing'?
Rachel Beesley English Courssework Much Ado About Nothing What will an audience find to enjoy in 'Much Ado About Nothing'? Much Ado About Nothing is a short play by Shakespeare, which has comedy, romance, suspense and a lot of drama twisted into several hundred lines of verse. The ending is happy, however, and little has changed albeit two marriages. The play is important, not because of its subject matter, but because it shows us that life itself is similarly enjoyable and foolish - our lives are "much ado about nothing". The first thing an audience will find to enjoy in this light-hearted comedy is the excellent stagecraft, which includes setting, costumes and masks. Act II scene 1 from the 1993 production I saw, is an ideal example of the type of stagecraft an audience would get ample enjoyment out of. As Act II scene 1 opens, the principal female characters, accompanied by Leonato and his brother Antonio, enter a huge courtyard which is part of Governor Leonato's estate. The whole courtyard is strung with fairy lights, which, while illuminating the scene, also add a romantic touch. The beautiful Italian sunset and lively fiddle music, played mostly throughout the dialogue, capture the joyous atmosphere perfectly. In contrast to all the other females, Beatrice, Hero, Margaret and Ursula are clothed in white dresses. This clearly identifies them
Discuss the extent to which you feel that Shakespeare challenges Elizabethan stereotypes of women in Much Ado About Nothing.
Discuss the extent to which you feel that Shakespeare challenges Elizabethan stereotypes of women in Much Ado About Nothing. Much Ado About Nothing could be described as a romantic comedy with an underlying sinister tone. It focuses on women and men, and the differences between them; also on love and marriage. The Elizabethan stereotypes of women meant that they were separated into different groups; virgin, wife and mother, or whore. Shakespeare does not really put the women of his plays under these titles, but describes women who show many of these different qualities. This play was written in the 1600's, at this period of time women 'were expected to be more concerned with their families than with themselves, were fairly naïve and uneducated,' Courtini Crump Wright. Queen Elizabeth was on the throne at this time, which would draw you to conclusions that women must have had more rights. This was certainly not the case, despite a woman ruling it was still a patriarchal world. We are even now are made to believe by Historians that Elizabeth's power itself should not be exaggerated as she was in fact partly controlled by her advisers, all of which were male. Women were not allowed to work outside the home, especially if they were members of the upper-class, they couldn't be as well educated as men so were only given an education in things such as needlework and housewifery.
In the final scene of 'Much Ado About Nothing', Benedick says, "Man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion." Discuss this paying particular attention to the relationship between men and women in the play.
Shakespeare Essay - Much Ado About Nothing In the final scene of 'Much Ado About Nothing', Benedick says, "Man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion." Discuss this paying particular attention to the relationship between men and women in the play. Focus your essay upon Act 1 Scene 1, Act 2 Scene 3 and Act 4 Scene 1. However you may comment upon other scenes where appropriate. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is a play, which displays the conflict between men and women in Elizabethan times. The social attitudes of both sexes at that time are clearly portrayed throughout the play along with the two types of love relationships between men and women. 'Man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion' the phrase said by Benedick at the end of the play, appears to me to be a confused remark made by Benedick after studying the acts of men and women throughout the play. He doesn't seem to understand how stupid man and women can be when they are in love; and it is love, which makes people do uncharacteristic acts and seem very different amongst their peers. When looking at the quote, it would seem to me that the focal point would be the word "giddy", and by saying giddy, I think Benedick could mean: stupid, strange, off-balance, disorientated, irrational, unclear, inconsistent or confusing. The phrase begins with "man is such" and by saying "man" I would believe that he is referring
