Film Versus Theatre Presentations of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing is a witty play that is interpreted in many different ways for many different audiences. Branaugh's movie rendition, compared to the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company's play, have many separately emphasized points. If we look at elements such as use of space, costuming, and love relationships we find that Kenneth Branaugh emphasizes the separation of the military from the domestic which eventually heads down to the separation of men and women, while in the stage production, the director emphasizes the relationship and friendship between Claudio, Benedict, and Don Pedro. In Branaugh's movie version of Much Ado About Nothing there is much emphasis placed visually upon the military and the domestic atmosphere. From the beginning of Branaugh's interpretation the clear distinction between the two groups is visually portrayed. The movie begins with Emma Thompson, Beatrice, reading aloud to her friends and family in a relaxed laid back setting. The first domestic scenes lay out the tranquility of Leonato's home compared to the rough and public military scenes. The first military scene shows Don Pedro and his comrades riding up to Leonato's house. The scene is visually pleasing with the soldiers striding up to the house on horses with their arms raised in the air in slow motion. A strong sense of military valor is established through the soldier's actions, and the movie has already established a sense of military and domestic space, which the play did not capture. The Shenandoah Shakespeare Company's version of the play began very differently. There was no domestic or military atmosphere at all and the ... ... middle of paper ... ...oin the domestic group, but Don Pedro and Don John are not as faded out. Don Pedro is present in the end, however, he is not a main part of the action. All of the characters were present most of the time either sitting on stage or standing which made the two groups seem not as separate as in Branaugh's movie. Branaugh and the company director both made many choices, which influenced their performances. I enjoyed the movie more the play because it was not only full of funny lines and puns, but the actors and the setting were amazing. They movie seemed to flow more for me and I enjoyed being able to see the characters in a serene setting without having to visualize it all. Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing can be interpreted, acted, read, and visualized in different ways, but I thought that Kenneth Branaugh brought together an amazing cast and performance.
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Show MoreThe main plot of Much Ado About Nothing is that of the relationship between Claudio and Hero. Their story is a melodramatic saga concerning the realities of relationships based on love at first sight. Claudio has no sooner seen the pure face of Hero than he professes his undying love and seeks her hand. This gesture could be regarded as the quintessence of romantic love. However, Claudio's admiration for Hero comes across as a school-boyish crush, rather than deep felt love and respect. He seeks the opinion of his friends to reinforce his judgment on Hero, thereby showing that he is not convinced of his own feelings. Claudio sees Hero as a flawless angel, a naive, boyish assumption.
Love, hate, and marriage, are three characteristics of Much Ado About Nothing that reveal its main character 's traits. First, Beatrice and Benedict are undoubtedly the plays most comedic characters,
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...
Leonato plays an important role in Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. Leonato is at the center of events from beginning to end, being as he is one of the main characters Hero’s father, and Beatrice’s uncle. A great majority of the action in the play takes place at Leonato’s home. Leonato is a friendly but stern man. His daughter Hero is to soon be married, so as a father, he is helping set up the wedding. Leonato is a respected man by all in the story. Leonato has no problem getting along with his daughter’s future husband, Claudio, until the wedding. When Leonato’s daughter is accused of adultery at her wedding, it is clear that the honor of his family is very important to him. Leonato is ashamed and tells his own daughter that she
nature of engaging in spectatorship: it can easily go wrong. The nature of a character’s
Beatrice’s dialogue with Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing establishes her control over him, dissimilar to the discourse between Katherina and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. Beatrice’s first lines reveal much about her attraction to Benedick. “I pray you, is Signor Moun...
Much Ado About Nothing is a tale of two very different relationships. The relationship between Beatrice, the niece of the Governor of Messina and Benedick, a close friend of the Nobleman Don Pedro and that of a young soldier called Claudio and The Governor’s young and beautiful daughter Hero.
Firstly, the characters in both plays share many characteristics. There are people in power, the poor, the evil and the fools. Messina’s police force in Much Ado About Nothing is made up of unpaid citizens, with Dogberry and Verges as the officers. They are very foolish and it seems that they were written into the play just to be foolish and make the audience laugh. This is similar to Feste’s, the allowed fool, role in Twelfth Night. However, Feste also sings songs to the family and had thrown an unappreciated party. Sir Andrew Aguecheek can also be quite the fool, for instance he uses the word ‘methinks’ in line 82 of Act 1, Scene 3; "Methinks sometimes I have no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary man has."
William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing is clearly a classic comedy; lots of wit, puns, a group of stupid characters (Dogberry and the Watch) and although there are complications during the middle Acts, everything turns out right in the end. The first scene contains a lot of witty jokes and uses puns to show that right from the start of the play it is a comedy. Messenger: 'And a good soldier too, lady. ' Beatrice: 'And a good soldier to a lady. ' Beatrice and Benedick appear to have a 'teasing relationship'.
William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a play involving by deception, disloyalty, trickery, eavesdropping, and hearsay. The play contains numerous examples of schemes that are used to manipulate the thoughts of other characters; it is the major theme that resonates throughout the play. Ironically, it is one of these themes that bring serenity to the chaos that encompasses most of the play.
William Shakespeare wrote the play the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in approximately 1598/ 1599. The title ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ means ‘Much fuss about nothing’. This is a metaphor for the events including Hero and Claudio. One of the main issues raised is that back then and even now the fact that there is not enough of an equality and that women do not have enough self assertiveness. The way that Beatrice is represented in this play contrasts with the way that the women in Shakespeare’s time behaved. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter, which helps the responder and the audience to understand his language – it gives emphasis on particular ideas. Whilst Much Ado About Nothing was written 400 years ago the relevance of Shakespeare’s issues of Love and Deception are still universal. The theme of love transcend on all things, Beatrice and Benedick relationship is an archetypal for unconditional and unwavering love. Deception is still a common occurrence in our modern world. Don John is the most deceptive character in the play as he deceives character after character though dramatic irony and the setting.
Much Ado About Nothing is a William Shakespeare play that was performed in 1612. It is a play about love and complications. The important love in this play includes Beatrice and Benedick, and Hero and Claudio. Hero and Claudio played the part of new puppy love and Beatrice and Benedick being the old dog love. This is about the two women of the love’s, Beatrice and Hero. Their acceptance of marriage. What made them so different and how would a modern feminist view their acceptances; which would be that a modern feminist would disagree with their ways of life interpreting love.
Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing is, on the surface, a typical romantic comedy with a love-plot that ends in reconciliation and marriage. This surface level conformity to the conventions of the genre, however, conceals a deeper difference that sets Much Ado apart. Unlike Shakespeare’s other romantic comedies, Much Ado about Nothing does not mask class divisions by incorporating them into an idealized community. Instead of concealing or obscuring the problem of social status, the play brings it up explicitly through a minor but important character, Margaret, Hero’s “waiting gentlewoman.” Shakespeare suggests that Margaret is an embodiment of the realistic nature of social class. Despite her ambition, she is unable to move up in hierarchy due to her identity as a maid. Her status, foiling Hero’s rich, protected upbringing, reveals that characters in the play, as well as global citizens, are ultimately oppressed by social relations and social norms despite any ambition to get out.
"Much Ado About Nothing" is a play intertwining two love stories. One story follows the romance of a young woman Hero (daughter of Leonato, governor of Messina) and a young officer Claudio. When Claudio returns from war, he realizes he's deeply in love with Hero. With the help of his commander, Don Pedro, Claudio proposes to her. The other is a less likely couple, Beatrice (Hero's cousin) and Bene*censored* (another officer). Both being witty, strong-willed and outspoken, the two seem to bare distaste for each other. However, when their friends arrange for them to overhear conversations revealing how much each is loved by the other, it doesn't take long before they declare their love for one another. Meanwhile, self...
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare focuses on the enormous gap between the power of men and where women stand. Women were expected to be obedient and dependent on men, innocent, and were also expected to be good wives. Shakespeare wanted women to see how the roles are changing for the better. In this play, there is difference between the traditional roles of women back then, and the ones that stand out from the rest. He depicts this through two characters. In the opening scene, where characters and their personalities, and roles are established; Hero has only one line, which is seven words. Even said that, these lines are just a comment on Beatrice. Hero is the daughter and the property of her father, Leonato. Her helplessness comes from her being overprotected by her father, and the need to obey him. Beatrice, by contrast, does not have a father, she lives on her witty personality and her intelligence. Beatrice has a dream to spend her life “where the bachelors sit, and there live we, as merry as the day is long” (2.1.40-46) When Leonato tells Hero, “Daughter, remember what I told you: if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer,” (2.1.60-63) she just stands there, silently obeying her father. Hero’s looks are her only advantage as a women, as they are what attracts Claudio. He falls in love with her at first sight in the first act, based only on her appearance.