Related Things can be Different Shakespeare wrote 34 whole plays, plus 154 sonnets, and one of his most well known is a romance named “Much Ado About Nothing”. “Much Ado About Nothing” is about a town called Messina having the pleasure of the royal army coming by on their way back from war. As they are there, however, love blossoms between two couples, Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick. Meanwhile, mischievous plans are created by the illegitimate Don John, who is a foil to his brother, Don Pedro.…
In modern society, humans have come to judge each other off of superficial characteristics. These superficial characteristics are often a result of facticity, or characteristics people are unable to change about themselves, or at least not easily, as they are born with these qualities. Some of the most common elements that are used to form an opinion about people and serve as a basis for how to interact with them are their gender and socioeconomic status. The idea of identity, such as being a middle class male, shaping the status of a person in society is not only prevalent in reality, but also in literature, films, and theatre. Shakespeare, in his play Much Ado About Nothing, highlights the way both gender identity and socioeconomic identity shape the way people act and the way others interact with them.…
My chosen theme is loyalty within the play, Much ado about nothing. There is a lack of loyalty between Beatrice and Benedick as we get hints that they used to be a couple in act 2 scene 1 line 245 ‘he lent it me awhile, and i gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one.’ However they we are certain they are no longer a couple because in act 1 scene 1 line 70 Beatrice stated ‘He will hang upon him like a disease.’ This quote that Beatrice used to describe Benedick is a simile. A simile is used to describe two things which are similar or alike in some way, this shows that Beatrice thinks of Benedick as a disease and that he is hard to get rid of.…
Our lives are constantly shaped and influenced by hopes we want to achieve but may never come to pass. Similarly, we fear things and attempt to avoid them, but they never happen. Choices in life we make every day are constantly being influenced by hopes, dreams, and fears that never become actual. In the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing, people let “nothing” influence their lives.…
In my essay, I am going to analyse how William Shakespeare developed conflicts to show emotion in Much Ado about Nothing. The conflict of Claudio embarrassing Hero and stopping the wedding in front of all the towns’ people, was created by Claudio viewing what he interpreted to be Hero and Barachio kissing and sharing an intimate moment in Hero’s chambers. However, as we (the audience) know, it wasn’t really Hero in the window, it was Hero’s cousin Margaret.…
Benedick maintains the belief that ‘he will live a bachelor’, although as the play proceeds, his feelings become clear and that he is ‘horribly in love’ with Beatrice. Beatrice and Benedick deceive each other again at the masquerade ball. While Beatrice pretends to not know that she is dancing with Benedick, she begins to insult him by calling him the “prince’s jester” and that “none but libertines delight in him”, all the while Benedick believes that he is deceiving Beatrice into thinking that he is someone else. There is another example of deceit at the masquerade ball involving Don John ‘the Bastard’.…
Confidantes have become some of the most important characters in literature. They hold meanings that the main protagonists are not able to get a hold of. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, “Othello,” the most exposed confidante, Emilia, is a maid and close friend to Desdemona, Othello’s wife. The knowledge that Emilia endures allows her to serve a greater purpose than what is explicitly shown. Ultimately, Shakespeare uses Emilia to spread information, reveal Iago’s legitimate character, and expose the main plot, emphasizing her importance and making her “the reader’s friend as much as the protagonist’s.”…
Much Ado About Nothing, written by William Shakespeare, takes place in Messina, Italy in the 16th century. The story ends with a romantic ending, but characters go through shame and honor throughout the story. In Much Ado About Nothing, two couples are put through some very difficult situations, showing us that they have their similarities, but they also have a lot of differences. Benedick and Beatrice are independent. Both want to live lives as single to avoid getting hurt or wounded by the other gender.…
Seeing someone rise from poverty to riches inspires others to do the same, and this is Okonkwo’s story. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka “was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow. If any money came his way, and it seldom did, he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine, called round his neighbors, and made merry” (page 4). Having such a poor role model for a father would usually lead a son to follow in their footsteps, but Okonkwo breaks this chain by becoming one of the most powerful members of his clan. Okonkwo is driven to show that he is not lazy like his father, and he “was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.…
Much Ado about Nothing, I believe one of the best comedies because of the combination of full-bodied humor and the dealings with more serious matters like honor, shame, and love. The comedy starts with the title utilizing a play on words, the comedic elements are strong with saucy interactions between characters and the ever so memorable “Dogberryism” to have a hearty belly laugh. However, it has its moments that become very real and very honest. It has the ability to make an audience or reader feel agitated because of a strong sense of anger, hatred and despair in the main characters. Furthermore, it is the thin line between comedy and tragedy that really attracts the attention of the audience and it gets them involved in the narrative as…
Shakespeare entitled his play Much Ado About Nothing because of how the play was based on misunderstandings that are not really important. The play was based on misconceptions because of how Benedict and Beatrice believe that they both loved each other. Because they both spied on their friends, they were tricked by them and they fell in love with each other in the end. This was not an important aspect of the play because it did not have a conflict or problem. Another wrong idea that happened in the play was when Claudio thought Hero was cheating on him so he publicly denounced her at their wedding.…
The author of this article presents to the reader an overview of Shakespearian theme utilized in the story Othello. He categorizes all the emotions revealed in the story into two main themes; love and pity. The writer further argues specific scenarios in the play where these themes can be distinguished. Likewise, he brings awareness to the symbols that 'prove ' the themes of love and pity. For example, the handkerchief and the wedding bedsheets, hold a much deeper meaning in this play then simply a piece of cloth.…
Shakespeare’s 17th century tragedy ‘Othello’ explores universally recognized themes dealing with the self and a social environment such as jealousy, manipulation and how they can accentuate human flaws. These issues are encountered by Iago in his soliloquy and great insight is given through many techniques and developed characteristics; giving insight on Shakespeare’s overall intentions. This soliloquy enhances and shapes the audiences understanding of the play through language techniques, dramatic irony and character insight. Much of Iago’s plots to perform a the plan, which leads Othello to his jealousy inspired demise, are shown in this soliloquy. Throughout ‘Othello’ the main backbone of the play is the concept of jealousy and human flaws which are explored in Iago’s soliloquy; not only…
One of the concepts Shakespeare explores in Much Ado About Nothing is that of the different natures of relationships. Throughout the play, Shakespeare sets up two distinct pairs of lovers, both exemplifying a different model of relationship. Shakespeare contrasts two ideals of relationships, one of which being a relationship of immediacy based on necessity and a need to fulfill social norms, and the other being a relationship that is based on genuine feelings of love that are cultivated slowly and thoughtfully over time. The conversation between Anthony, Leonato, Beatrice, and Hero in Act Two Scene One, regarding how Hero should respond to her impending proposal, contributes to this exploration of differing types of love by juxtaposing the nature of relationship that Anthony, Leonato, and Hero subscribe to with the differing ideal of relationship that Beatrice favors.…
One of the many reasons behind Shakespeare’s success was his awareness of the human condition and his ability to accurately portray it in his works. His capacity to depict the ever-changing relationships and dynamics between people is what made the plays so appealing to audiences then and now. In his play, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare demonstrates the power relations between men and women in the time period. The main storyline of the play gives the reader insight into how women had limits on what they could and could not do. During the exchange of words between Benedick and Beatrice in Act 4, Scene 1, it is apparent that men had more freedom to carry out plans than women did in this time.…