William Shakespeare's Presentation of the Two Pairs of Lovers in Much Ado About Nothing
'Much Ado About Nothing' would have been pronounced 'Much Ado About
Noting' in Shakespeare's time. Noting would infer seeing how things
appear on the surface as opposed to how things really are. This
provides an immediate clue as to how the play and the presentation of
the story of the two pairs of lovers would be received by an audience
of the time, living as they did in a patriarchal society which was
based on social conventions and appearances. It can also be taken as
an initial comment by Shakespeare about that society and its values
and moral codes. Modern audiences, however, live in a more sexually
egalitarian society. Although appearances are still important, values
are more dependent on self-analysis and self-knowledge.
It is significant that the story of Hero and Claudio, the first of the
pairs of lovers, is one that Elizabethan audiences would have probably
been familiar with. Ariosto and also Spenser in the 'Faerie Queene'
had presented this love story as a tale of chivalry and high morality.
Therefore the audiences of the time would be familiar with the
conventional characters of Claudio and Hero.
Hero displays all the qualities the Elizabethan audience would have
admired in a woman. She knows her place in society. Her father is
there to be obeyed, and she herself recognises how she should be
punished were the charges against her proved to be true,
' O my father
Prove you that any man with me conversed
��
Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death.'
There is an absence of dialogue b...
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... upon flouting conventions as discussed.
In 'Much Ado About Nothing', one may argue that Shakespeare decided to
have two sets of lovers to provide the audience with contrasting
perspectives on similar situations. One may also argue that the two
contrast between what was expected at the time against the
unconventional. In both cases Shakespeare's presentation of the
relationships between these two pairs of lovers implies criticism of
his shallow society and its conventions. Perhaps he set the story in
Italyas he may not have wished to upset his benefactors at home.
Modern audiences may only perhaps gain an appreciation of this element
in 'Much Ado About Nothing' as a study of Elizabethan society.
Their empathy and interest may therefore be based to a greater degree
in the characterisation of Benedick and Beatrice.
Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare, is a comical story of misunderstandings and funny feuds, but also contains heartfelt love stories, one in which contains an horrible miscalculation that leads to heartbreak and "death." That story is one of Hero, the governors daughter, who falls in love with Count Claudio, a lord from Florence. Claudio undoubtably feels the same and they quickly become engaged to be married the next week. All is well until the evil Don John devises a plan to ruin their upcoming marriage and pulls a stunt to trick Claudio into believing that Hero has been disloyal. At their wedding ceremony the following day, Claudio publicly shames Hero by revealing that she has lost her honor to another man, turning everyone against her. Hero, of course, is innocent, but only a few believe this. This scenario is, of course, horrible to witness as a reader and viewer who knows the truth, and drags on for far too long. Hero's situation is one where no matter how much she protests and demands that she has been wrongfully accused, she is not listened to. Once it has been suggested, by the simple power of words, not even physical proof that can be shown to anyone questioning it, that Hero has lost her virginity, all hope is lost for Hero. Her pleas won't be heard, no one will believe her word over a mans, and she has lost everything in one moment, a blink of eye and the weddings off and she is shamed by everyone she knows.
In the time of William Shakespeare where courtship and romance were often overshadowed by the need to marry for social betterment and to ensure inheritance, emerges a couple from Much Ado About Nothing, Hero and Claudio, who must not only grow as a couple, who faces deception and slander, but as individuals. Out of the couple, Claudio, a brave soldier respected by some of the highest ranked men during his time, Prince Don Pedro and the Governor of Messina, Leonato, has the most growing to do. Throughout the play, Claudio’s transformation from an immature, love-struck boy who believes gossip and allows himself to easily be manipulated is seen when he blossoms into a mature young man who admits to his mistakes and actually has the capacity to love the girl he has longed for.
In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’, there are many instances of trickery and deception, which seem to surround the whole of the play.
To begin with, there is Hero and Claudio who are the ideal representation of a couple during Shakespeare’s time. Claudio was a young brave soldier who recently came from war. After his return to Messina, he almost immediately falls in love with Hero. He saw Hero as an object and we can appreciate that when he asked Benedick: “Can the world
scene 1 'If he send me no husband for which is a blessing…Lord I could
“Language is frequently used to stir up & manipulate emotions.” - Mary Hamer. The words that people say can appear brutal or detrimental. These violent words take up many forms such as lying, insulting, etc. Along with its’ comedic formula, William Shakespeare's, Much Ado About Nothing is enhanced with humorous mockery and intertwined dialogues. In the play, the soldiers have just returned from a successful war. Love is traveling through the village; however the “language of war” appears rooted in the language. Numerous times do the characters joke around in cruel dialects. The mockery, however, is not considered to be as harsh due to the presence of comedy within the play. William Shakespeare’s intricate use of language in his play, Much Ado About Nothing, allows immense aggressive language to thrive in the characters yet is able to use this to alleviate the violence.
How Two Shakespearean Couples Resolve Conflict in Their Relationships in A Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It
In this essay I am going to examine love and marriage and the way it
...rney from an insecure and paranoid boy to becoming a man worthy for woman such as Hero. He started the play as a vain young man mostly concerned about his appearance and his own selfish love and the perks that came with it. However, people learn from their mistakes and this is evidently true in Claudio’s case. The plays ends as all of Shakespeare’s comedies do, with Claudio and Hero dancing with the rest in the harmonious dance of life. In Much Ado About Nothing Claudio begins the play with a tendency to be very gullible and paranoid about everything, and he continues to show his immaturity by seeking revenge when he is upset; Claudio finally matures when he accepts that he was wrong and is willing to take the punishment that goes with his mistakes.
How Shakespeare Presents the Character of Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing and How Interpretations of His Character Can Vary
Shakespeare uses quite a lot of literary devices and techniques to present the characters of Hero and Beatrice in a way that lets the audience easily compare and contrast them. For example, in the characterisation of Hero and Beatrice, the dialogue used – what they say, how they say it, what other characters say about them and Hero’s silence are all very important in revealing their characters; in a similar way, their actions – what the characters do, and their inaction contrasts and creates significant difference between them, bringing each one’s personality. In addition, Shakespeare’s constant use of dramatic irony, exaggeration and contrasting plots, themes and structure all combine in his presentation of the two.
the dumps and he has only come to the ball to see Roséline. Juliet is
What is love? In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night love is nothing more than another disguise. It is an illusion that fools everyone. Orsino, Olivia, Sebastian, and Viola do any of them find love in the end? No, they find nothing more than a disguise, an illusion of love. By analyzing each of these characters, their thoughts and feelings of, and their experiences with love throughout this play, we can determine that in the end, none of them have found true, genuine love.
be in love. Mercutio treats love as a game; he thinks that if you are
Love however, is the source of much confusion and complication in another of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night. Men and women were seen as very different from each other at the time the play was written, they were therefore also treated in very different ways. Because of this Viola conceals her identity and adopts the role of a man, in order to better her safety whilst being alone on the island, and to get a job at Count Orsino’s court. In the play Shakespeare uses the gender confusion he has created from obscuring characters identities to explore the limits of female power and control within courtship, and their dominance within society. Violas frustration surrounding her inability to express her feelings to the Count because she is a woman is an example of the limiting rules of courtship which were upheld at the time. (Aside) ‘yet, a barful strife! Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife.’ Here she is already expressing her anxiety and emotion at being a woman, and having to keep her emotions hidden from those around her. She longs to be able to express her love as a man could, and in her disguise as Cesario she finds an opportunity to vent her feelings for the Count, but concealed as his words and towards Olivia. Viola is unaware of how her words may sound to Olivia because she is aware of their gender boundaries however Olivia isn’t and soon falls for Cesario. Because Olivia is a Lady and head of the household, and especially how she lacks a father figure, she has a lot more freedom in courtship. Duisinberre comments on this saying, ‘...Viola and Beatrice are women set free from their fathers, and their voice is that of the adult world.’ This is seen when Olivia immediately takes the dominant role in her and Cesarios relat...