Much Ado About Nothing Act 1 Analysis

For our scene performance, Aeran, Erin, and I chose to do the second half of Scene 1 in Act 1 of Much Ado About Nothing. This scene was between Claudio, (Aeran) Benedick, (Erin) and the Prince (me). Our scene began with Claudio asking Benedick if he noticed Hero, the King’s daughter, and what he thought of her. Benedick replied that he did not notice her much, and that while she isn’t ugly, she also isn’t that special to look at either. This conversation sets up the rest of the scene, while also giving the audience a glimpse of the Claudio and Benedick’s characters. As the scene progresses, the audience can see the dynamics between Claudio’s affliction for love and Benedick’s vehement opposition, while the Prince mocks him and plots to aide Claudio in winning over Hero. Aeran’s portrayal of Claudio begins with his timid questions about her to Benedick, searching for his approval of her and for him to confirm Claudio’s feelings. He asks Benedick what he noticed of her, and when he doesn’t get the answer he is looking for, he continues to insist that she is a beautiful young women with whom he is entranced. Aeran’s voice remains …show more content…
The Prince even mentions how ironic it will be if Benedick ever does fall in love, which Benedick again states will never happen, but if it does, it will be his end. When the Prince says he shall see Benedick pale with love, Erin jumps to her defense, claiming “With anger, with sickness, or with hunger, my lord, but not with love:”, again adding to the irony that Benedick does end up falling in love with Beatrice. Erin’s portrayal of Benedick adds to this irony, and makes the prank that is pulled on him make much more sense. In an attempt to knock Benedick down a peg and make him go back on his word, Benedick is tricked into falling in love with