How does Shakespeare challenge the conventional role of women within the patriarchal society of Much Ado About Nothing.
How does Shakespeare challenge the conventional role of women within the patriarchal society of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is set in a patriarchal society in the late 16th century. In a patriarchal society, men are the dominating sex and women are the oppressed ones. The title of the play also plays a part in showing how things are overly based on sexual relationships between men and women. The play takes place over a course of three days. As so much happens during these three days, the events take place rapidly and can create confusion and misunderstanding. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is a play of wit, deception and slander. It is full of darkness just as much as it is full of light. For Beatrice, a pre-occupation with death arises from her entrapment within a court whose practices she does not admire. She constantly tries to oppose the views of her society with which she doesn't agree. The treatment of gender issues in 'Much Ado About Nothing' would have been central to its impact on Elizabethan audiences. Women, stereotypically, were expected to be silent, gentle, passive and submissive. Independent women were regarded with suspicion and interest. In the first three scenes, the male characters continually criticise the females. Benedick voices the traditional patriarchal ideology through his constant criticism of women's actions and sexual
Discuss Shakespeare's treatment of courtship and marriage in "Much Ado About Nothing". In your essay you should refer to modern interpretations of the play and consider the context in which they were produced as well as the context of the original play.
Discuss Shakespeare's treatment of courtship and marriage in "Much Ado About Nothing". In your essay you should refer to modern interpretations of the play and consider the context in which they were produced as well as the context of the original play. In 'Much Ado About Nothing' there are two love interests on which the play is mainly focused. The courtship between the two couples Beatrice and Benedick and Hero and Claudio gives the audience a glance at two completely different forms of love. The relationship between the characters Claudio and Hero is one which is very traditional and a very safe way of communicating their feelings to one another. Shakespeare borrowed the story of Hero and Claudio from a man called Matteo Bandello, this shows that this may not be his own view of how love should be expressed. He did however invent the story of Benedick and Beatrice; this may mean that he believes that the way in which love is expressed should be much more spontaneous and heart-felt. The way that Beatrice and Benedick treat each other offers humour as this is one of Shakespeare's comedies whilst also providing a relationship which seems much more modern and extraordinary for the time. The courting between Beatrice and Benedick is slightly vicious as they seem never to compliment each other but instead comment on each others faults 'he is no less than a stuffed man' and the
What are the different forms of deception that occur in the play and what is their effect?
What are the different forms of deception that occur in the play and what is their effect? Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, is a play about misperceptions, love and the overall comedy of relationships. The main plot revolves around a young couple, Hero and Claudio, and the obstacles they must face in order to be together. The humour ensues when Benedick, a sworn bachelor, meets Beatrice, Hero's opinionated cousin, and from the very beginning they make their great resentment for one another extremely clear. Through the use of relationships in the play, Shakespeare shows the reader the many different forms of deception, and their positive and negative effects. One of the main examples of deception made evident in the play is deception of friends to promote love. This is shown when Don Pedro lets Hero and Claudio in on his plan to bring Beatrice and Benedick together: "I will teach you how to humour your cousin, that she shall fall in love with Benedick, and I, with your two helps, will so practice on Benedick." The effect is a positive one, as his plan works and the pair overcome their differences and end up falling in love. This is one of several examples of deception that is for positive, and helps the comic tone of the play evolve. Deception to cause harm is another form that is used in the play. This time Don John, the villain of the town, and Borachio, his
Much Ado About Nothing
M.Ibrahim Aftab Khan 1548 10.3 Q. Imagine that you a Beatrice at the end of Act 4 Scene 1. Write your thoughts and feelings about the men's treatment of Hero. Die Claudio Die!!! What men with such honour and pride would have the thought of embarrassing a woman on her wedding day which is supposed to be the most beautiful day of a woman's life? God curse these foolish men and let them die in the boiling liquid of hell. During the wedding, Claudio harshly announces that he isn't going to marry our dear sin-less Hero and fired up with insults which were like swords and daggers through Hero's innocent lovely heart calling her a common stale, a rotten orange and that her blush is that of guiltiness causing Hero to faint. There, behind him stood Don John and Don Pedro acknowledging every word that Count Shame-less said and assisted him further in insulting my poor innocent lamb Hero. There, they stood Don Pedro and Don John nodding to whatever filthy lies came out of Claudio's mouth. But this came to me like a shock that Don Pedro assisted him in doing so as I expected to be different from that Claudio. Being a Prince, especially the Prince of Aragon he needs to gain respect from wherever town or person he can get from but he has lost that from the people of Messina and especially me. He did not only stand there acknowledging every word Claudio said but also added more insults
The Title In Much Ado About Nothing
The Title In Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing exemplifies a kind of deliberately puzzling title that seems to have been popular in the late 1590s. Indeed, the play is about nothing; it merely follows the relationships of Claudio and Hero, and in the end, the play culminates in the two other main characters falling in love, which, because it was an event that was quite predictable, proves to be much ado about nothing. The pronunciation of the word "nothing" would, in the late 16th Century, have been "noting," and so the title also apparently suggests a pun on the word, "noting," and on the use of the word "note" as an expression of music. In II.2 (l.54), Balthasar is encouraged to sing, but declines, saying, "note this before my notes; there's not a note of mine that's worth the noting." However, Don Pedro retorts, "<sum>Note notes, forsooth, and nothing," playing on Balthasar's words, and also demanding that he pay attention to his music and nothing else. In addition, much of the play is dedicated to people "noting" (or observing) the actions of others (such as the trick played on Beatrice and Benedick by Leonato, Hero and Claudio); they often observe and overhear one another, and consequently make a great deal out of very little. At the beginning of the play, Claudio and Hero eventually come to admire one another, and Benedick and Beatrice play off each
An Exploration of the Theme of Love inMuch Ado About Nothing The Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing is considered to be a play about deception
Katy Fullilove An Exploration of the Theme of Love in Much Ado About Nothing The Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing is considered to be a play about deception. However, love in its various forms is intertwined with this and is one of the central themes. Throughout the course of this essay I will explore how Shakespeare has presented the different forms of love to his audience. Shakespeare took his inspiration for the main love theme of the play from many sources. The basic story is an ancient one; a lover from the couple is betrayed by an enemy into believing that his loved one is false. In Much Ado About Nothing, these two lovers are represented by Claudio and Hero, and the love which Shakespeare presents between them is meant to be romantic love or love at first sight; in my opinion, this is simply lust. There is no evidence in the play to suggest that Claudio's motivation for marriage is actually real love, the love of Hero's personality. He 'loves' her for what she is, not who she is; she fits Elizabethan society's ideal of the perfect woman. Claudio describes her as 'modest' (Act one, Scene one, line 147), meaning chaste, an essential quality of an unmarried woman in the Elizabethan era, and in lines 167-168 of Act one, Scene one says: '...she is the sweetest lady that ever / I looked on.' He makes no comment on her character, but this would have been seen as
Much Ado About Nothing - Which man would you prefer to marry? Benedick or Claudio? Consider the ways in which each is presented before coming to a decision.
Laura McPherson 11.4(7) Shakespeare Coursework - Much Ado About Nothing Which man would you prefer to marry? Benedick or Claudio? Consider the ways in which each is presented before coming to a decision. Benedick and Claudio are the main male characters in the play. They are very contrasting in their action, words and approaches to love, which is shown throughout the play. The first impressions we have of each are derived from their entrance and first words from Act1, Scene 1, when the soldiers have returned from war. Benedick shows he is a witty and somewhat cocky character from even his first line, in which he and Leanato are joking about the fact that Hero is Leanato's daughter. Leanato says 'Her mother hath many times told me so,' Benedick's reply being 'were you in any doubt, sir, that you asked her?' (1:1:79), showing his quick-witted and light-hearted nature. Claudio's first words however, speak of Hero, 'the daughter of signor Leanato' and he makes known to Benedick that he thinks she is a 'modest young lady' (1:2:119-121), meaning she is sweet and he likes her a lot. As the play continues we begin to establish more of the men's characters. The remainder of Act 1, Scene 1 shows Benedick's objections to love, for example his comment 'shall I never see a bachelor of three score again' (1:1:147) suggests that to him it seems all young men decide to get married
Much Ado is a play of wit, deception and slander. Although the play consists of many other themes, nature is probably
The contradictions of Human nature "Much Ado about nothing" is all about nature. The word nothing is derived from noting, the Elizabethan pronunciation. The central importance of noting, eavesdropping has been remarked. Much Ado is a play of wit, deception and slander. Although the play consists of many other themes, nature is probably the most significant topic. Shakespeare has explained nature exploring a variety of different techniques. Much Ado is a romantic comedy and also a probable sharp attack on superficial society. At the beginning of the play Benedick imposes the dullness of marriage, which is quite ironic as he inevitably becomes "Benedick the married man." Beatrice however occupies an obsession with death because of her entrapment within a court she cannot respect. She has no patience with all the military hyperbole and the dominion of men thus she has segregated herself from all the courtly ceremony and custom. The play is claustrophobic as spies are hidden in its many rooms. Scenes of togetherness in one room are followed by those of conspiracy in another, which emphasises human isolation and vulnerability. In other words actions mean consequences. Claudio's conventional lover's exaggeration to Hero indicates his estrangement from his natural desires. The denunciation scene takes place at the altar of a chapel, which exaggerates the huge power of
How does Shakespeare present the developing relationships of the lovers in the play?
How does Shakespeare present the developing relationships of the lovers in the play? Shakespeare wrote in a time of theatrical excellence, his love of language and sense of theatre aided him in the production of countless plays and poems. Much Ado About Nothing is a play of love and war, with a twist of comedy to lighten the tension ensuring the audience does not become overwhelmed with the emotions of the characters. According to the Elizabethans, a woman's aim was to be a good wife, as their ultimate goal was marriage and their status was to be 'seen and not heard'. Shakespeare's intention was to show two contrasting women, Beatrice and Hero, and to demonstrate how they deal with the pressure of a male dominated world. Because of her wit and determined outlook on life, Beatrice is accepted in the male community but is thought to be obdurate by most men. Whereas Hero, has a submissive attitude to life and this is exposed early on; Act 1 Scene 1 she does not speak throughout the entire scene until she is spoken to. Hero portrays the accepted standard of a woman of her time, which she is expected to do, as she is the daughter of the governor of Messina. During the play the men's dominating power draws to a climax, and the men unite and condemn Hero and despite her independent outlook, Beatrice cannot express her deepest feelings. Even Hero's father briefly rejects her because
