Percy Bysshe Shelley demonstrates a remarkable deftness in drawing out the dark side of human nature in "The Cenci".
Heather J. Glazier Dr. Anne McWhir English 440.01 8 Apr. 05 Beatrice Cenci-Lost Innocence? Percy Bysshe Shelley demonstrates a remarkable deftness in drawing out the dark side of human nature in "The Cenci". His play, based on an actual Italian manuscript, details the story of Beatrice Cenci, a victim of rape and incest. Her father, Count Cenci dominates his family and any who oppose him with tyrannical power and hate. Beatrice fights against his oppression and as the only one strong enough to stand against his outrages becomes his primary target. He determines to break her will and spirit through sadistic rape in the hope of polluting her soul, thus breaking her opposition of him. Beatrice resolves to escape what she considers to be a pollution of body and mind and initiates a plot to murder him. Tragically Beatrice Cenci loses her innocence and faith, not as a result of the rape but through parricide and although her action may be completely justified she becomes corrupt and polluted by her part in his murder just as her father was. There is no doubt that Beatrice is a victim of a sadistic and vicious crime, which creates a sense of horror, but in the end murder is simply not acceptable whatever the circumstances are that lead to such a crime. Count Cenci is the embodiment of the worst form of an evil and corrupt tyrant imaginable. He displays sadistic pleasure
Discuss Shakespeare’s Presentation of Men in Much Ado About Nothing
Discuss Shakespeare's Presentation of Men in Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare presents the men in many different ways and as the play unveils itself his portrayal of them changes. At the time of writing the play, men were considered to be the jokers, soldiers and respected people of the era and we see these characteristics portrayed in characters such as, Claudio, Benedick and Leonato. There was a definite hierarchy where the men were ranked and their mistresses or wives were ranked by the ranking of their father or husband. The men had the power to do everything and it all rested on their ranking in society which rested on their wealth. Shakespeare portrays the men as loyal to their friends but only to their own close friendship groups rather than to their lesser friends. We see a change in the characters as the play unfolds which shows us another side of their character. This different perspective of the characters takes time to come through due to the complexity of the men. Benedick is very versatile as we find out later on in the play, due to the way that by the end of the play Shakespeare has portrayed his character inside out. At first although we are given to understand that, "He hath done good service" in the wars, but shortly after his arrival we see his comical side emerge, "You always end with a jade's trick." Beatrice and Benedick jest with each other and
Much AdoAbout Nothing Essay - 'A Sparkling Comedy'
Much Ado About Nothing Essay 'A Sparkling Comedy' Much Ado About Nothing is clearly a classic comedy; lots of wit, puns, a group of stupid characters (Dogberry and the Watch) and although there are complications during the middle Acts, everything turns out right in the end. The first scene contains a lot of witty jokes and uses puns to show that right from the start of the play it is a comedy. Messenger: 'And a good soldier too, lady.' Beatrice: 'And a good soldier to a lady.' Beatrice and Benedick appear to have a 'teasing relationship'. They are both very witty characters and are often making jokes of each other. Beatrice: 'I pray you, is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars, or no?' The word montant is a fencing term and she implies that Benedick lives for fencing and not real fighting in a battle. She is mocking Benedick and confusing the messenger, as of course, there isn't really anyone called Signor Mountanto. Beatrice: 'But how many hath he killed? For I promised to eat all of his killing.' Again she is mocking Benedick as she is confident that Benedick will not have killed anyone and therefore she will not have to eat anyone. When Benedick enters, the mocking continues and it amuses others that watch. Benedick: 'Well you are a rare parrot-teacher.' Beatrice: 'A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours.' Benedick is teasing Beatrice by
How does Shakespeare Present Beatrice and Benedick's relationship as the 'reality' of love and Claudio and Hero's as merely the 'appearance' of it?
How does Shakespeare Present Beatrice and Benedick's relationship as the 'reality' of love and Claudio and Hero's as merely the 'appearance' of it? The idea of love at first sight was popular in Shakespeare’s day. Romeo and Juliet, for instance, fall in love at first sight. Moreover, Claudio’s methods of courting Hero through other people would have been an accepted tactic among Elizabethan nobility. Shakespeare's drama mocks love and human courtliness between two couples who take very different paths to reach the same goal by making the connection between inward and outward beauty. It shows different ways of how people are attracted to one another, and how their realization and definitions of "love" relate to their idea of inward and outward beauty. Shakespeare uses contrasts in between the two relationships of one which is full of praises and love at first sight. This is a sentimental conventional type which the other a pro longed war of words, but still the unspoken feeling of love. This seems as if Shakespeare is giving his opinion on the issue of true love versus sudden romance, and he is weighing in favour of true love. In the playwright, Beatrice and Benedick have vowed that they will never marry, they change their minds quickly and both decide that marriage is better than being single. However, Claudio and Hero do not enjoy the strong and equal relationship
How is the character of Hero presented in 'Much Adoabout Nothing'?
Monday, 02 February 2002 Jad Salfiti AS English Literature: Shakespeare coursework/ Much Ado about Nothing How is the character of Hero presented in 'Much Ado about Nothing'? Hero is the beautiful, young and vastly dutiful daughter of Leonato, and cousin of Beatrice. She and Claudio fall in love simultaneously, but when Don John slanders her and Claudio takes rash revenge by ruthlessly shaming her at their wedding, she suffers terribly. Hero feigns her death and watches as Messina mourns. When her name is cleared she forgives and marries Claudio. Many critics, write off Hero as 'two dimensional' and 'unworldly'. Initially Hero might strike the audience as the conventional heroine; fair, passive, mild and meek, and the likelihood is she will not contradict first impressions until later scenes. In this essay I will be looking at how Hero's character is presented in 'Much Ado about Nothing'. The name Hero would be familiar to the Shakespearean audience. Christopher Marlowe used the name for the heroine of the romantic epic poem 'Hero and Leander'. Hero is synonymous with the romantic heroine, therefore. Hero to an extent is the conventional romantic heroine: pretty, fair, lovely, kind, graceful, charming, gentle, modest, well-behaved, docile and most essentially passive. The audience is denied complexity resulting in a drive to discover what lies beneath the repressed
Consider the effectiveness of Act I, scene I as the opening scene of 'Much Ado About Nothing'.
Consider the effectiveness of Act I, scene I as the opening scene of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. An audience have expectations that the opening scene offers them the chance of escapism and to enter the play's illusion of plots, setting, characters and themes. To do this effectively in 'Much Ado About Nothing' Shakespeare has compelled audiences with emotional engagement enhanced with a hint of quirky humour to soften the more tragic aspects of the play. Shakespeare had the ability to verbalise the main issues he wished to convey to the audience and then firmly root them in the foundation of the plots with imaginative stagecraft. Much Ado About Nothing is centered around three main plots and throughout the exposition of the opneing scene effectively prepares the audience to understand the later complexities to come. In 'Kenneth Branagh's' 'Much Ado About Nothing' I believe that the opening credits serve as an exhilirating interpretation of one line in the play, 'Don Pedro arrives' ( from war ). This is an exciting visual play that thrives on the audience interacting with the excitement and passion of the characters. The story is primarily about love, however its opening scene is ironically based on the aftermath of war, the underlying continuation of 'battlement' is obvious from the language such as 'encounter' which Don Pedro refers to which is used as an effective
How effectively does Shakespeare present the relationship between men and women in 'Much AdoAbout Nothing'? Why do you think that this presentation appeals to a 21st century Audience?
Much Ado About Nothing Question: How effectively does Shakespeare present the relationship between men and women in 'Much Ado About Nothing'? Why do you think that this presentation appeals to a 21st century Audience? Shakespeare presents his female characters with grace and innocence. Hero plays the role of an Elizabethan woman who is quiet, obedient, sacrificial, and a girl who lacks the ability to speak her mind before her father. Hero represents the submissive woman "Daughter remember what I told you. If the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer". Hero has been brought up by her father in a way that she obeys his every demand. She does not speak her mind. In contrast to this Is Beatrice, Hero's cousin, who is shown as an independent woman, with a mind of her own. The play deals with a number of contrasting characters both female and male, and an example of this is reflected in Shakespeare's illustration of Beatrice and Hero. Beatrice is and orphan, therefore she lacks any parental authority, making her a lot more independent in action and spirit. Beatrice represents the educated lady who can defend herself and who will do whatever pleases her, and when the prince asks her if she would have him she answers... "No, my lord, unless I might have another for working days your grace is too costly to wear everyday". When Beatrice refuses his offer as he
Compare the presentation of the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice with the presentation of the relationship between Claudio and Hero.
English / English literature G.C.S.E Coursework assignment. Shakespeare play; Much Ado About Nothing Compare the presentation of the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice with the presentation of the relationship between Claudio and Hero. Shakespeare's much ado about nothing is about two couples and the difference between their relationships, the problems they face in order to be together and the tricks played on them to help and hinder their relationship development. Shakespeare is telling us that in his time, people married because of tradition and not true love. His advice is not relevant today as people do not tend to stick to the traditional way of acting when it comes to love and marriage. In the play we learn that the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is strong; they are always bickering but this shows that know each other well and can exchange witty comments without truly insulting each other. There is a merry war between them. Beatrice says to Benedick: "A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours" This means that she is implying that he is not very clever. "A good soldier to a lady, but what is he to a lord?" she calls him a lady's man, he chases women but he is no use as a soldier. "He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat" - he is disloyal, unfaithful, he changes his friends constantly. She calls him "no less than a stuffed
Importance and Dramatic Presentation of Beatrice and Benedick.
In Shakespearean works, audiences had become accustomed to plays in which their attention would be fixated entirely on the intricately constructed plots and sub-plots unraveling before them, as well as the carefully created personalities of each character whose position within the plot was inextricably linked with the eventual success of the play on the whole. These characters had to be people whom the audience felt some sort of empathy toward and had to be in positions which could be related to by the audience. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is no different in this respect and two characters stand out head and shoulders above the rest in terms of importance. This is the fiery couple, Benedick and Beatrice whose relationship is filled with uncertainty throughout, over whether or not they will marry, however the air of inevitably is never removed. From other Shakespearean comedies, some conventions had come to be expected. One of these was the use of comedy characters. In plays such as Twelfth Night, we see Malvolio's naivety in being tricked into believing that completing a list of ridiculous acts would prove his devotion towards his sweetheart and thus, persuade her to love him as well as the comedy of Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch. Similarly, in Midsummer's Night Dream, 'the Mechanicals' provide humour in not being able to see their obvious hopelessness when
Discuss the presentation of the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado about Nothing'
Discuss the presentation of the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado about Nothing' referring to the whole play. Beatrice is the niece of Leonato, a wealthy governor of Messina. She is feisty, cynical, sharp and witty. Benedick has recently returned from fighting in the wars. He is also witty, and like Beatrice is always making jokes and puns. They both continue a 'merry war' against each other, in which Beatrice often wins the battles. 'They never met but there's a skirmish of wit between them', as Leonato says. They both appear content never to marry and swear never to fall in love. Beatrice then describes their last fight, when 'four of his five wits went halting off', and she continues teasingly to mock Benedick. The similarities in Beatrice's and Benedick's personalities and opinions are sure to bring them together from the beginning. They both rebel against the social 'rules' followed by most of the other characters when it comes to their opinions about love and marriage. Ironically, the effort they put into fighting creates the opportunity for them to become closer. One theme in the play is the taming of wild animals, which is the imagery that appears throughout the play. In the scene where Claudio and Don Pedro tease Benedick about his hatred of marriage, he is compared to a wild animal. Don Pedro states, 'in time the savage bull
