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

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Much Ado About Nothing - The similarities and differences of the techniques used by the various characters in 'act 2 scene 3' and 'act 3 scene 1' to persuade Beatrice and Benedick to express their love for one another.

Vincia Phillip AS English Language and Literature Much Ado About Nothing The similarities and differences of the techniques used by the various characters in 'act 2 scene3' and 'act 3 scene 1' to persuade Beatrice and Benedick to express their love for one another. In the play 'Much Ado about Nothing', Shakespeare uses various techniques in his writing to convey the art of persuasion of two characters; Beatrice and Benedick. Beatrice and Benedick can be defined as two very outspoken characters. They are both bold and are very argumentative. They are scornful of each other and are frequently caught up in intense arguments about marriage and relationships. Both characters swear never to be wedded to each other or anyone of the opposite sex. They appear to be totally against marriage and are capable of taking care of themselves. In contrast they are however deeply in love with each other. Being proud characters neither are eager to let the other know of this love. With the help of a few of their friends they are informed of each others fantasies and love and persuaded to express their love for each other. Benedick was the first to be informed of Beatrice's love for him and was also persuaded to approach her. In 'act 2 scene 3' Benedick's friends, Claudio and Don Pedro and Beatrice's uncle Leonato, planed a plot to persuade him. This scene was based in an arbour. All the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare Shakespeare's Presentation of the Contrasting Relationships between Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero

Compare Shakespeare's Presentation of the Contrasting Relationships between Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero In 'Much Ado About Nothing' Shakespeare presents two contrasting relationships. Claudio and Hero's relationship is a conventional, idealistic courtship of the time. Principally Hero and Claudio are apt to declaim in verse throughout the play as their relationship is based on this expected decorum of courting. Their relationship is impetuous and emotionally painful as they lack a true understanding of each other. The deception featured within the play tries the strength of the relationship and only the endeavours of the other characters and discovery of the truth that allows their relationship to continue. Benedick and Beatrice understand each other on an intellectual level and use their skills with words to banter and create friction between them. The two characters take longer to acknowledge their feelings for each other and their friends provide catalyst to awaken these feelings. Benedick and Beatrice usually communicate in prose to reflect the unpretentious relationship. Different personalities of characters result in their contrasting relationships. Beatrice and Benedick are independent and they both exemplify a negative attitude to love and marriage. Claudio and Hero however, are naïve which explains how their love for each other is more

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Much Ado About Nothing - Characterization of Hero

Characterization of Hero in Much Ado About Nothing "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of Shakespeare's most loved plays. This comedy about love, villainy, friendship, parent-child relationships, society and customs presents a rich ambiguous blend of life's relationships, folly and catastrophe. It is a play with two parallel plots given equal coverage and equal focus, one involving Hero and Claudio (the conventional, culturally acceptable lovers), the other involving Beatrice and Benedick (the outspoken, unconventional lovers). These two couples fall in love with each other during the play and decide to marry at the end. Then there is Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, who assists in matching-up both couples. He comes to visit Leonato, the governor of Messina (Hero's father and Beatrice's uncle), after a battle against his bastard brother Don John who tries to take revenge by breaking up Hero and Claudio. Hero has a very dramatic role in this play. Although she seldom speaks, Hero is the source of much commotion, because Don John, the bastard, tries to frame her and her fiancé Claudio. He hatches a plot to convince Claudio, that Hero is unchaste. Because of that, the innocent Hero is accused at her wedding day, in front of the altar, of sleeping around. She gets so nervous and faints. Hero is declared dead and can only awake when her innocence is proven Everything turns out

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  • Level: GCSE
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How Important to 'Much Ado About Nothing' is Act 3 Scene 4?

How Important to "Much Ado About Nothing" is Act 3 Scene 4? Act three scene four is a highly important part of the overall play however it was not included in the film version of the Shakespearian production. The scene gives great opportunity for character development and female insight. Alternatively the scene may also lead to confusion of the viewers as many of the aspects included, like language, would not relate to a modern audience. Through this scene, the main themes of the play are brought to the surface. This is a major reason as to how relevant the scene actually is because the themes are presented and explored here. One of the themes discussed is fashion and its importance to society. With reference to the stereotypical views of women being only obsessed with what they wear, 'I like the new tire within excellently, if the hair were a thought browner; and your gown's a most rare fashion i'faith'. It also shows how shallow women in general are as the women in the scene represent most of the classes: Ursula, lower class, Margaret, lower-middle class, Beatrice, upper-middle class, Hero, upper class. The quote displays exactly how shallow they are as it is the morning of the wedding and all Hero is talking about is hair and makeup. To add to this stereotypical view of women, the scene is set in a dressing room. Fashion in general used to determine the social status of

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The Tricking Of Benedick - What makes act 2 scene 3 dramatically effective?

WHAT MAKES ACT 2 SCENE 3 (The Tricking Of Benedick) DRAMATICALLY EFFECTIVE? Act two scene three, is am important scene in the play because it is the point in the play where Benedick changes almost instantaneously, form a man who hates love, marriage and anything connected with to a man who is madly in love with Beatrice, all by over hearing a conversation. The humour of this scene is that we know it is a trick and that Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro intend to let Benedick over hear their conversation. Also because we can see Benedick's reactions to what is being said it adds to he comedy. Earlier scenes in Much Ado About Nothing portray Benedick as a bigheaded man, who is full of him self and has a hatred for love, commitment and marriage. He seems to hate Beatrice, and in one of his arguments with her, it gives the impression that he knows her from something that happened in the past, "you always end with a jade's trick; I know you of old." This quote suggests that Beatrice and Benedick had something in the past. Also he says many things that gives the audience the impression that he is full of him self, " I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted." This quote suggests that Benedick has no problem with being loved by other women, but when it comes to him loving other women he is not very impressed by the idea. Also he makes reference to not having any freedom when he is

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  • Level: GCSE
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Gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing".

Gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing" By: Liran Morav Gossip plays a major role in "Much Ado About Nothing". It is displayed in several ways including intentional gossip, malicious gossip, and innocent gossip. Most of the gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing" appears in the first half of the play. The second half, on the other hand, consists of the consequences of gossip. Of course, some consequences can be found in the first half of the play, however, Shakespeare made sure these didn't have a central role in the plot. It seems he wanted the play to be divided between gossip, and its effects. The results of gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing" include: a ruined marriage, a family crisis, damaged friendships, a damaged reputation, minor misinterpretation of people's feelings, and the forming of love. All of which were, and still are, central themes, which probably attracted Elizabethan audiences to plays such as "Much Ado About Nothing". These consequences will be dealt with in this essay. Despite the many consequences of gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing", it seems there's only one 'good' consequence. It's the forming of love between Beatrice and Benedick. At first, it seems that achieving love between the two is what Don Pedro calls "one of Hercules' labours" (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 275). Beatrice and Benedick appear to hate each other all throughout the first half of the play.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Much Ado About Nothing - Prefered passion in merry messina!

"Much Ado About Nothing" brought laughter and trauma from the stage to mingle with the audience. The light comedy pieces the plot together perfectly with an ultimate climax that was directed brilliantly by George Doran, who really has outdone himself this time. Doran is one of the more traditional directors in the Royal Shakespeare Company. The outcome of this is always a good play but at times can be a little bland and uninventive. Fortunately Doran saves this with his humerous interpretations, which fill the audience with a great deal of laughs. However there seems to be a price of this humour when the darkness of the play is lost as Beatrice fails to impress as she ineffectively commands Benedick to "Kill Claudio!" Fortunately Doran has excelled himself with his brilliantly directed dramatically gripping wedding scene where Claudio brutally denounces Hero. This is therefore held in your mind and saves negative doubts about scenes later on in the play. As this is a comedy Doran has managed to lighten the shadowy drama of the play but still managed to allow a definite contrast between comedy and tragedy, which gives a more light-hearted feel to the play. Designer Stephen Brimson Lewis has made a delightful Sicilian piazza. The play is set in the mid 1930's and they have created the perfect costumes to compliment the play and set. They dressed the "baddies" as

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and contrast Act 2 Scene 3 and Act 3 Scene 1 of 'Much AdoAbout Nothing'.

Compare and contrast Act 2 Scene 3 and Act 3 Scene 1 of 'Much Ado About Nothing' In Act 2 Scene 3 and Act 3 Scene 1 Beatrice and Benedick are both separately being tricked into falling in love with each other by their friends. To compare the two scenes we must first consider the symmetry between them; the initial thing we notice as an audience is that all of the characters in Act 2 Scene 3 are male, and that all of the characters in Act 3 Scene 1 are female; this gives the effect of the two sexes battling. Both scenes are riddled with deceit and trickery, and the lengths too are also similar. As we know both parties have the same purpose and after reading the play we know that there is a similar outcome from both groups. The two scenes are theatrically similar, and they both offer phenomenal opportunities for a creative director. In Act 2 Scene 1 Don Pedro is discussing marriage with Beatrice; we already have learnt at this point that both Benedick and Beatrice are contemptuous of love, although it is obvious from the moment Beatrice walks on stage that secretly she does want a husband. It becomes known that Beatrice's forte is covering her inner feelings. Beatrice turns down Don Pedro's mockable marriage proposal, and so he promises to find her a husband "Lady Beatrice, I will get you one", Hero also wants to help and although Beatrice protests the game begins. The two

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Discuss the themes of 'noting' and 'deception' in Much Ado About Nothing"

Much Ado About Nothing "Discuss the themes of 'noting' and 'deception' in Much Ado About Nothing" The play 'Much Ado About Nothing' was written by Williams Shakespeare in the late 1600's and over four centuries later it is still a significantly popular play and has widespread appeal. The play explores many themes including love, treachery, friendship, society and traditions. These five themes mentioned are still very much relevant in a lot of people's lives today. You'll find that a lot of television programmes, movies, magazines and novels are structured around at least one or more of these themes, if not all at the same time. The title 'Much Ado About Nothing' gives you the impression that the play involves characters making a huge deal about nothing significant and worrying over irrelevancies. The structure of 'Much Ado About Nothing' is composed of three hoaxes, four withheld secrets, and three metamorphoses so reality that might actually be true. The reason being the play simply but cunningly tails the relationships of four main characters within the play, Beatrice, Benedick, Claudio and Hero. Although the structure of the play is based on the deception of Claudio in order to bring his love for fair Hero to an end, the highlight of the play is provided by the deception of Beatrice and Benedick with the objective of making them recognize or acknowledge their true

  • Word count: 1637
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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