Examples Of Hyperbole In Much Ado About Nothing

Improved Essays
How love alters characters in Much ado about nothing.

In Much Ado about nothing, love is explored through the depiction of the different types of relationships. Shakespeare contrasts loyalty and brotherly love to romantic love and instant love, under the umbrella of the Messina community.

The biggest change in attitude as a result of love is Benedick and Beatrice’s change in relationship and ideas about marriage. The play uses comic techniques such as metaphor and hyperbole to exaggerate the There is additionally a change in characters attitude because of deceit, misunderstanding or overhearing of particular parts of a conversation and basing assumptions off that. The exploration of how other people’s perception of one effects their perception
…show more content…
The idea of ‘eating your own words’ is present here, as the comic element of dramatic irony and hyperbole are used to create tension and problems for Benedick later in the play. He’s slightly bitter in the sense that he does not wish Claudio to pursue Hero as he wishes Claudio to be a bachelor with him, so he will not be alone. He states; “Is 't come to this? In faith, hath not the world one man but he will wear his cap with suspicion? Shall I never see a bachelor of threescore again?” His joking nature is a large part of his character, though he is especially harsh when it comes to the topics of love and …show more content…
However, once he comes around to loving her, his brash humour lessens a bit, and he approaches the idea of lovesickness in a traditional way. He attempts to write poetry, turning to Margaret for help; “Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.” Though inevitably realises he is not a conventional lover and that the love between he and Beatrice is unique. The attitude change from his original scorn and disapproval towards the topic of love to his attempt to participate in it is inarguably the biggest transformation of attitude in the play, and this is contrasted so through his hyperbolic and exaggerated statements. His full turn around occurs when he falls truly in love with Beatrice, and he understands that his feelings and belief of love and what it was before were incorrect. He addresses his original statement of dying a bachelor by stating; “When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.” Which emphasises a full turn around from his original viewpoint. A prime example of his conversion is at Hero’s first wedding, when he chooses to remain with Beatrice rather than follow after Claudio, and later resigns from Don Pedro’s service. This is a particularly prominent transition as originally he thought it more

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Although this generates comedy through the slander and degrading of characters not the contrast in appearance and reality. However, film adaptations of the play can interpret the nature of Beatrice’s insults to Benedick and present that she is deceiving herself about her true feelings towards him. The audience can see this and is able to watch with anticipation and amusement as the revelation of the reality of true feelings between the two characters unfold. Her reference to Benedick and Cupid makes fun at Benedick’s fictional image of himself as ‘loved of all ladies’: she argues he is arrogant and that this is unlikely causing a contrast between his appearance and her reality thus creating a comedic effect on the audience.…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Don Pedro Foils

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    (1)William Shakespeare, considered to be the greatest writer in the English language, wrote around thirty seven poems throughout his lifetime.(2) “Much Ado About Nothing”, one of his many dramas, is about soldiers returning home from a war to Messina, Italy.(3) Throughout the play, characters fall in love, rumors are spread, and people are brought closer together. (4)In the play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, Don John and Don Pedro are foils of each other because of their interactions with others, personality traits, and how others view them. BP1- (1)We interact with people every day of our lives, just like Don John and Don Pedro. (2)Don Pedro, a prince and a soldier, is very friendly and loves to talk with the other characters.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He is saying he truly loves her and would do anything for her. The fact that Benedick would kill his own friend because Beatrice asked him too, shows us that this is in fact, true love. Benedick and Beatrice have known each other for a while. We know this because after Benedick and Beatrice have one of their ‘battles of wit’, Beatrice says “I know you of old”. It is clear to us, the audience, that Beatrice and Benedick have a hidden love for each other.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    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’.…

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Men often had unfair expectations for women such as when Benedick had listed the qualities for a woman of his standards. He describes this fantasy woman as “‘Rich … that's certain; wise, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel’”(II.iii.27-36). Benedick refused to consider a less-than-perfect women, until he met Beatrice who was independent, and despised the idea of a man ever loving her. Contrarily, Benedick had felt the same, and that is when he proposed what a “perfect” woman shall be. Later in the play, he begins to fall madly in love with someone who is opposite what he had pronounced right for him.…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This being that he believes that marriage would somehow tie him down and dent his sense of honour as a man if he were to subject to it. We get an idea of his attitude when he says “The savage bull may; but if ever the sensible Benedick bear it, pluck off the bull's horns and set them in my forehead … let them signify under my sign "Here you may see Benedick the married man.” In this quote he compares marriage to the taming of a wild animal, which shows that he was afraid to love someone incase it made him a weaker person (or a ‘tamed animal’). In the end his pride is one of the main factors that made him apprehensive to reveal his true feelings for Beatrice, incase others did not respect him for it. I felt that the theme of pride in this case was more of a character flaw and used in an effective way to show growth within Benedick’s character.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Hurt (A discussion on the similarities and differences in Shakespeare’s King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing) When renting movies nowadays, the movies are often organized according to their genres. There are thrillers, comedies, rom coms, action/adventure, horror, etc. The list goes on for ages. Before there were movies, there were plays. Shakespeare is the most famous playwright in history.…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (2.1.218). But, he later accepted Beatrice for who she was and agreed to Beatrice’s demand to “Kill Claudio” (4.1.282). The change done by Shakespeare was quite immense because he changed from a man who thought lowly of a woman who spoke of her mind, into a man…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The art of deception is something that all humans are familiar with. For many people, falling victim to this action will happen quite a few times throughout one's lifetime. The question can be how to react to such an instance when the reality of the situation comes to life. Especially once it is realized that while one can blame the action on another, the true deception took place within the mind of the victim. Humans tend to create scenarios and formulate lies about the situation or relationship at hand based on the actions and words of those around them.…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Many characters in this play lie and deny any truth that can cause them to get into any kind of trouble. This play can be described in many words, but using courage, weakness, and truth to…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Leonato displayed many times a Christian attitude during the Much Ado About Nothing play. He acted kindly towards other people although they might have not acted kindly towards him. Every so often, he did something not to embarrass someone, but to teach him or her the way to act. From the play, Hero showed everyone that she learned to convey kindness towards others. Many characters had trouble demonstrating love, but Leonato passed this test with flying colors.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Blaise Pascal once stated “Love has reasons which reason cannot understand”. Although, Romeo and Juliet is a classic tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the late 1500’s it tells the story about a young pair struggling to save their love. It also teaches the audience the different types of love and how too much of it can be dangerous. Therefore, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic techniques gives audience an insight into the different representations of love through the use of romantic, courtly, familial love, as well as lust, that is present in the play.…

    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Love is often represented in romance films and literature as an everlasting adoration that never falters nor fades. However, Shakespeare suggests the fickle nature of love in his comedy Twelfth Night as numerous characters fall in and out of love, and experience its euphoria and misery. For instance, the lovesick Duke Orsino experiences the elation of love, yet also the loneliness of rejection; Lady Olivia instantly goes from loving grief to pursuing Cesario; and Orsino renounces his love for Olivia in order to marry Viola. Thus, through Shakespeare’s portrayal of character’s attitudes and actions in Twelfth Night, it is undeniable that he is suggesting that love is a source of joy and pain, which results in fickle affections as an attempt…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics