‘His words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange
dishes’
(Act Π scene ІІІ, lines 20-21)
Here I believe that although the young attentive characters in the play seem casual in their expose of wit, they are endlessly struggling to maintain their social positions. Fashion can also be argued in terms of hierarchy as characters with a more important status wear a different standard of clothing. For example, from reading the book we don’t get the idea of what type of clothes the characters would wear, however in the Kenneth Brannagh film addition we get the sense of what type of clothes are wore by such characters. Brannagh also shows us a divide in classes through the choice of clothes.
Shakespeare’s use of language in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ gives us an in incite into characters, class and feelings. However in terms of Beatrice and Benedick, the language they use frequently changes. Both Benedick and Beatrice argue with delightful wit, in which Shakespeare develops their relationship from friction to sincere love and affection with an affluent sense humour and compassion. For example;
‘A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours’
(Act І scene І, line 129)
In my opinion I believe that since Beatrice and Benefice have history together behind them that then adds weight to their relationship, even though they are typical lovers in Shakespeare’s comedies, their unhealthy competitiveness reveals them to be childish amateurs when it comes to love. Benedick’s character is seen as anti-marriage and love, in which he sees himself as a bachelor for which no woman could ever make him love stick, whereas Beatrice’s character is similar in terms of being dominant. Shakespeare does this to add strength to her character, as it’s unconventional for a woman in the 17th century not to want marriage. The language expressed by the both of them in terms of love is similar, for example at the beginning of the play, Leonato relates to other characters that there is a ‘merry war’ between them,
‘They never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit between them’
(Act І scene І, lines 57-58)
Shakespeare does this to show that Beatrice’s character never likes to be out beaten, in which she always has to win the battle of tongues between herself and Benedick. She addresses his martial imagery when she describes beating Benedick with their wars of wit. For example;
‘Four of his five wits went halting off’
(Act І scene І, line 60)
However Beatrice’s sharp tongue is not only used towards Benedick as she also comments on Claudio as him being ‘Civil as an orange’ (Act ІІ scene І, line 276), a bitter fruit as he remains silent even though he’s upset at Don Pedro for his scheme to woo Hero for himself. Here she describes Claudio as jealous and as a coward as he cannot gather the courage to confront them, however Beatrice is no better as she cannot in words express her love for Benedick, which it takes the likes of deception for them to express themselves. The type and tone of language used between Benedick and Beatrice whilst expressing themselves towards each other compared to them communicating is quite different. Shakespeare does to show that Beatrice and Benedick do have feelings for each but they hide their affections due to their pride and reputation.
The use of blank verse is more frequent especially in Act ІV scene І (the wedding scene) as Shakespeare does this to change the mood. Beatrice associates love with war, Shakespeare shows this when she tells Benedick that if his love is in fact true to her he will challenge (kill) Claudio for publicly denouncing Hero. I believe that Shakespeare has built tough exterior shells for Beatrice and Benedick in which is shown when we are first introduced to the two characters, however Shakespeare lets us know that underneath they tough exterior they are weak and vulnerable human beings.
Shakespeare in terms of displaying Benedick and Beatrice as the symbol of tamed savage animals represents the social timing that must occur for both souls to be ready to endure themselves to love and marriage. For example; Beatrice’s pledge to endure to Benedick’s love by;
‘Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand, if thou dost love,
my kindness shall incite thee to bind our loves up in a holy hand’
(Act ІІІ scene І, lines 112-114)
This suggests that Benedick is to become her master. Shakespeare places a key focus in terms of language in lines 112-114, as it shows that Beatrice’s character has been silent. He does this to show that even though Beatrice believes that she would always get the better over her. Also in the opening act, Claudio and Don Pedro tease Benedick about his animosity towards marriage and also comparing him to a wild animal. Don Pedro comments:
‘In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke’
(Act І scene І, lines 241-2)
This explains that in time even the savage Benedick will surrender to the taming of love and marriage. Shakespeare does to show us that benedick’s character will back down due to his affections and that now he’s not fooling anybody by showing a tough side against love. However Benedick mocks this that he would never submit to the will of a woman, but at the very end of the play Benedick and Beatrice agree to marry, in which Claudio has a jab at Benedick, suggesting that Benedick is hesitant to marry Beatrice because he remembers the reference to tamed bulls for example;
‘Tush, fear not man, we’ll tip they horns with gold, and
all Europa shall rejoice at thee as once Europa did at lusty
Jove when he would play the noble beast in love’
(Act V scene ІV, lines 44-46)
Shakespeare’s use of language changes Benedick from a labouring farm animal, a bull straining under a yoke to a wild God, empowered by his beastlike form to take sexual possession of his lady. Shakespeare uses classical mythology to describe the tension between Beatrice and Benedick, as the bull of marriage is the yoked and the bull that Claudio mentions is taken from Zeus, as Zeus took the form of a bull and carry off the mortal woman Europa. This second bull is supposed to represent the other side of the coin the bull of beastlike sexuality. As there are no stage directions we have to rely on the use of imagery i.e.: fashion, sickness, disease, noting, fishing and hunting, which relates to stories from Elizabethan times.
‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is a play in which language is a key focus, therefore Shakespeare’s use of language is important in terms of how it’s represented. He uses alliteration for example; in Act І scene І where Beatrice says ‘But how many hath he killed?’ for expressing and showing significance to what he’s trying to get across. Shakespeare uses rhyming verse to express a romantic way of speaking, this comes across in Act ІІ scene ІІІ, lines 61-74 when Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato are doing the tricky scene. I believe Shakespeare uses romantic language only for Beatrice and Benedick to empathise and grab the reader’s attention on their relationship, as it’s the most significant in the play. By Shakespeare putting a song in Act ІІ scene ІІІ is used to persuade Benedick to make a move towards Beatrice in terms of marriage. However couplets and a sonnet is used when Beatrice discover Benedick’s feeling for her, whereas he uses soliloquy language for Benedick to overcome what he has heard. Shakespeare’s use of question marks frequently appears in Act І scene ІІІ as Don John and Borachio confirm their plot. In scene ІІІ, the use of language is the key important scene in terms of language as Shakespeare uses metaphors to describe corruption and the use of food, disease, medicine and paradox to describe his scheme. Even though Shakespeare employs language with reference to food, disease and medicine he’s using them in the opposite way. For example;
‘This may prove food to my displeasure, that young start
up hath all the glory of my overthrow. If I can cross him
anyway, I bless myself everyway. You are both sure and
will assist me?’
(Act І scene ІІІ, lines 61-65)
This is also an example of ‘noting’ as Don Pedro is using deception and by Claudio noting this also ruins their engagement. Shakespeare does this to add twist to the play before a happy ending, showing us that things that are going good can turn sour quick.
Another important scene for language is the wedding scene (Act ІV scene І) as the language that both Claudio and Leonato use to shame Hero is extremely strong. To Claudio she is seen as a “rotten orange” (line 31) and to Leonato she is seen as a rotting carcons that cannot be preserved,
‘The wide sea hath drops too few to wash her clean again
and salt too little which may season give to her foul-tainted flesh!’
(Act ІV scene І, line 140-143)
Shakespeare does this to empathise the importance of Claudio’s noting as it’s written in blank verse. Very rarely does Shakespeare use blank verse in a scene in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, which shows and highlights importance.
They use of comedy that Shakespeare shows is seen throughout so that the play doesn’t get uninteresting. For example from the book we get the idea of wit being used as a type of comedy, whereas in the Kenneth Brannagh film additional we get the use of slapstick comedy in the tricky scene, which is seen by Benedick. Whilst watching this play in Elizabethan times comedy had to be regular and sharp as the audience would very easily lose interest.
In my opinion ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ was undoubtly insightful, however the fact that ridicules me is the lack of power and culture of women. I find it hard to understand the immediate denunciation and dismissal of Hero when Claudio relieves her unfulfilment to chastity and calls her “approved wanton” but when they find out that Hero was the victim of deception and Margaret was the one who slept with Borachio she goes unpunished. It is stress that a women should keep their virginity until they are married, however Margaret has not done such a thing. The lack of female power and authority goes unwrong which Shakespeare points this out in Beatrice’s character in which she comments;
‘O God that I were a man’. I would eat his heart in the market-place’
(Act ІV scene І, lines 305-306)
However other critics that have read ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ have given it their own opinion, for example:
‘Beatrice as the first woman in our literature, perhaps in
the literature of Europa, who not only has a brain but
delights in the constant employment of it’
(John Dover Wilson, 1962)
This also supports my point as women in general are seen to have no authority in power and are sexual oppressed. I believe Shakespeare does this to show us what kind of society we live in as women are seen as the lower class of all.
In my opinion the language is the key focus as language centres all the characters in the play, for example the extent of blank verse being used for all the characters even those with a lower socially class. I believe that the language used amongst the characters gives us an insight into their feelings and their personalities and how Shakespeare expresses them shows us what kind of person they are. In my opinion I believe that the way the characters talk to one another shows how Shakespeare wants to break down that social barrier between social classes. This is done effectively as we see in Act V scene І; all people of different social class speak on the same level of language.
In conclusion I have discussed language as a key focus in this play in terms of characters and Shakespeare expressing it. I prefer ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ as it leaves a moral message to play; it also gives us the idea of what a fun and perfect beginning can turn into a near tragic ending. Even though the play has a near tragic ending, it still gives an explanation of what noting, in terms of spying can lead to and not to always believe what you hear or see.
Bibliography
- Critic – John Dover Wilson 1962 – www. shakespearedc.org/muchadocritic
- Much Ado About Nothing film by Kenneth Brannagh
- Much Ado About Nothing by Arden Shakespeare, edited by A.R Humphreys