Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare, women were judged by the many different things that they did or didn’t do. One of the biggest things that came into play when determining the purity of a girl were her sexual relationships and if she was a promiscuous woman or not. In Much Ado about Nothing and Pride and Prejudice, we see that the promiscuity of male characters is treated differently and is seen as socially acceptable. Society has set and shaped standards causing women to have their own type of cultural rules to…

In William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, he shows that acknowledging love can be difficult when people are afraid of the consequences. Those who have denied love in the past, and are known for speaking against it, may have trouble accepting that their opinions have changed. In order to confess and acknowledge her love to Benedick, Beatrice must first overcome her vulnerability and realize that her love for him is not a weakness. She has a history with Benedict which causes her to be…

People should, depending on situation and their motivation, get involved in relationships, whether for better or worse. Benedick constantly quarrelled with Beatrice, swearing that “until all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace” (Shakespeare, 2.3.29). But when Benedick overheard Don Pedro and Leonato discussing Beatrice’s love for him, he began to soften up to Beatrice. Likewise, Beatrice fell in love with Benedick when she eavesdropped on a conversation explaining…

Mucho Ado About Nothing presents two dynamic relationships; one between Hero and Claudio and one between Beatrice and Benedick. It is important to note that these couples are from a time where chastity, obedience, and submission are among some of the most prized virtues in women. If a woman did not have those virtues, she would not be sought after by men, and in some cases would be scorned and ridiculed (as seen with Kate in The Taming of the Shrew). Much Ado About Nothing highlights chastity,…

In William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing foil characters like Don John and Don Pedro suggest motivation for lying could either bring people together or create chaos in one’s family. In acts II-IV Don John and Don Pedro suggest that making people’s lives harder or helping them make it easier is what motivates people to lie. When Don Pedro helps Claudio acquire Hero, Don John approaches Claudio at the ball pretending that Claudio is Benedick. Don John whispers to Claudio “He is enamoured on…

The play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare has many themes a couple being trickery and deceit. In this play the characters Prince, Claudio, Don John, Leonato, and the Friar use trickery to change the minds of other characters. This eventually leads to love and romance when many of the characters use their skills in deceit to help their friends and family fall in love. The themes of trickery and deceit were encountered three main times in the play. First when Prince tricks Benedick…

In William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio leaves Hero at the alter, “killing” her, leaving her uncle Antonio to challenge Claudio to avenge her “death”. Shakespeare uses repetition and simile to reveal that men are violent and want to be in control. Shakespeare uses repetition to show that men will stereotype one another to leverage persona power. Antonio states “He shall kill two of us, and men indeed, But that’s no matter. Let him kill one first. Win me and…

I attended the opening night of Much Ado About Nothing on September 22nd in the Russell H. Miller Theatre. I saw posters for the play hanging in Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center, Cherry Hall, and outside the theatre. Upon entering, I was given a program with the exposition, characters, and actors’ names. As I walked to my seat, the lights were on, the set was onstage, and “folksy harp music” was playing, or as a classmate described it “Italian bistro music.” The set gave a “Greek” feel with cream…

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare is centered strongly around the ideas of love and marriage. The two main relationships in the play are those of Hero and Claudio and of Benedick and Beatrice. They both face several hardships throughout the story, before ultimately reconciling in joy at the conclusion. These trials help to show that no matter what, true love will sustain, and cannot be hidden or broken. Claudio and Hero’s relationship had a peculiar beginning. Claudio was too…

Much Ado About Nothing centers around the power of words, whether a character speaks them, or they are implied. Beatrice is an adequate representation of the effect that words and language can have on how others perceive a person. They also are a strong indication of who a person is on the inside. She overcomes and moves beyond the life that she is told to live based on the societal norms of her time by making herself respected and known through her wit and intelligence. By doing this, Beatrice…