Much Ado About Nothing

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 Danielle Hay                                       Much Ado About Nothing

I am going to describe the techniques used by Shakespeare in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. I am focusing on language, themes, characters, plots and sub plots as well as the play as a whole. I will also be focusing on how the modern day as well as the Elizabethan audience would respond to this play write.

Shakespeare is known as one of the worlds best play writers, he has written tragedies, histories, sonnets and comedies. Writing comedies was by far his best talent of all. He used many techniques in writing his comedies, which can be seen in many of his other plays. The basic structure of this play is that love creates conflict in society. In this play there are occasions of delight and distress as well as sarcasm and seriousness. The play is also about contrasts between people.

Shakespeare started Much Ado About Nothing in the middle of a conversation, which throws us right into the story, and we pick up what is going on as we read on.

Leonato: I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina.’

Messenger: ‘He is very near by this, he was not three leagues off when I left him.’

Leonato: ‘How many gentlemen have you lost in this action.’

Messenger; ‘Few of any sort, but non of name.’

 The play begins with the happy return of Don Pedro and his friends from war; they are to be entertained at Leonato’s house. As the play write goes on one of Don Pedro’s closest friends, Claudio, falls in love with Leonarto’s daughter, Hero, and they are to be wed. But first Don Pedro has to tell Hero how Claudio feels her about her.

Claudio: ‘O my Lord,

             When you went onward on this ended action,

              I looked upon her with a soldier’s eye,

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              That lik’d, but had a rougher task in hand,

              Than to love:

              But now I am rentern’d, and that war-thoughts,

              Have left their places vacten: in their rooms,

              Come thronging soft and delicate desires,

             All prompting me how fair young Hero is,

             Saying I lik’d her ere I went to wars.’

Don Pedro: ...

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