The Violence of Language in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

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“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. Set in the sixteenth century, Much Ado About Nothing is revolved around the thought of love and marriage. Primarily, this is prevalent in the two main characters, Beatrice and Benedick. They have once been courted which suggests more maturity than the majority of couples in Shakespeare’s various plays. In the duration of the play, the violent language between Benedick and Beatrice is most evident through their ridicule. Both characters always speak critically regardless of whether they are talking to each other or out loud about one another. This is highlighted when Beatrice exclaims, “What should I do with him—dress him in my apparel / and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a / beard is more than / a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a/ man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a/ man, I am not for him... ... middle of paper ... ...e allows violent language to drive the characters. Yet at the same time, the violent language ends up proving to be not as harsh and actually leads these sets of characters to courtship. Works Cited "Much Ado About Nothing: Entire Play." Much Ado About Nothing: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. . "Patternmaking." Patternmaking. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. . "Violent Language That Kills The Human Spirit By Mary Hamer." Violent Language That Kills The Human Spirit By Mary Hamer. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. . "Words Can Really Hurt (much Ado about Nothing)." StudyMode. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. .

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