William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
The play 'Much Ado about Nothing' by William Shakespeare is full of
contrasts; two of the most prominent of these contrasts is how love
changes Beatrice in act 3 scene 1, and how love changes Benedick in
act 2 scene 3.
In this essay I will analyse and compare these changes and the
contrasts they bring about
Beatrice
Before act 3 scene 1 Beatrice often shows disdain at the idea of love
and almost goes so far as to rally against love as she says in act 2
scene 1 'If he send me no husband for which is a blessing…Lord I could
not endure a husband' here she and leonato have just been talking
about god sending her a husband and how glad she is that he hasn't,
she even refers to it as a 'blessing'; Furthermore she emphasises this
point by talking about how a she 'would rather lie in the woollen'
than have a husband with a beard on his face, but a man without a
beard is 'no more than a youth' so she may as well have no man, or as
she puts it 'he that is more than a youth, is not for me, and he that
is less than a man, I am not for him;'
On the other hand, at the end of act 3 scene 1(the scene in which she
is tricked to believe that Benedick loves her) she takes the complete
opposite approach to love, in that she will requite Benedick's love
for her and even talks about marrying him -'my kindness shall incite
thee to bind out loves in a holy band' this means she will, instead of
constantly ridiculing and mocking Benedick as she normally does (after
Benedick says he loves nobody she says 'a dear happiness to women')
she will instead be kind to him, and that this will inspire him to
propose to her(the holy band meaning a wedding ring).
'What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true?
Stand I condemned for pride and scorn so much?
The Lady’s value is dwindling. It could be her self-worth, it could be that she is just growing old;
She is to fall for him and belong to him, not the other way around. Additionally, the line is not written as a question or a suggestion, but as a command. The command further adds to the sense of subservience and the sexism. The sexism comes into play since she, as the woman, is supposed to listen to his command and move from her current life to live with him in his.
In Act 1, scene7 she really excel’s herself in how far she will go to manipulate Macbeth, to get her way. He not prepared for her rage when he announces his change of heart.
Shakespeare's comedies A Midsummers Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing have many parallels while Measure for Measure is a problem play with a completely different tone. Comparing and contrasting these three plays provides insights into the views of Shakespeare concerning comedy.
William Shakespeare said: “Women may fall when there's no strength in men” (Romeo and Juliet). Throughout history gender role have been a big, whether someone is a feminist or someone believes there is no equality between males and females; everyone has different opinions when it comes to the matter of gender roles. The same thing can be said about William Shakespeare who was a feminist (Shakespeare of Stratford). This ideology can be seen in his play Much Ado about Nothing. In this comedy Shakespeare focuses on two pairs of lovers named Claudio and Hero who are set to be married in a week but before their marriage day, they plan to conspire with Don Pedro, the prince of Aragon to trick their friends Beatrice and Benedick to admit their love for each other. Don John, the brother of Don Pedro, meanwhile plots to prevent marriage of Claudio and Hero by accusing Hero of being unfaithful. Don John initially succeeds in his plan as Hero is accused and ashamed at the marriage ceremony, but at the end Claudio and Hero are united and marry each other. Also, Beatrice and Benedick finally declare their love for each and dance at the end of the play. Shakespeare uses a lot of sources for this comedy and one of them is “Orlando Furioso” written in 1591, which gave Shakespeare the idea of Hero and Claudio’s marriage and Don John’s plot to prevent it. Another source Shakespeare used to write the play is the courtier written in 1588, which gave him the idea of the romance between Beatrice and Benedick. And also “La Prima de la Novelle” written in 1554 by Matteo Bandello gave Shakespeare the idea of putting the setting in Messina, Italy (Shakespeare in quarto). Because Shakespeare was a feminist, some of the women appear as supporting and central...
The scene opens in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, Italy. Lying about on the slopes of grass are the humble townsfolk basking in the sunshine as a soft voice introduces; “Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more.” This dreamlike setting is the opening scene of the major motion picture Much Ado About Nothing as envisioned by film director Kenneth Branagh. A far cry from its Shakespearean origins, Branagh’s Much Ado has a look and feel all of its own. This film seeks to capture its audience with visual majesty as the characters and setting are transformed to reveal Branagh’s joyful rendition of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. However, though Branagh’s vision is nothing short of cinematic genius, it neglects some of the deeper meaning that is illustrated within the original written play. Shakespeare’s subtle nuances and elaborate dialogue shape each character as the plot of the story unfolds. Branagh neglects the situational relevance of certain dialogue within scenes of the written play; relying more on visual effect rather than verbiage. Branagh’s use of editing creates a wistfully light-hearted adaptation of the play and hastens the pace of the drama. While Branagh succeeds in creating many parallels between his movie and Shakespeare's written play, his use of visual imagery, characterization, and setting deliver an interpretation that stands alone as one of joyful camaraderie and humor.
The next stanza transitions again to the idea of the group, with "someones" marrying "their everyones" (line 17), and the emotions of these lovers as a group appear to be insincere, as indicated by the idea that they "laughed their cryings" (line 18) in order to hide their emotions (Kidder 145). They were also insincere in their love for God, since they "said their nevers" (line 20) rather than their prayers before
does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet” was written by Shakespeare in 1595, and was the
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of too unfortunate lovers caught up in their family’s hatred which in the end leads to the tragic deaths of both lovers. Classical Greek tragedy influenced Renaissance writers greatly Shakespeare was no exception. According to the dictionary, fate is ‘the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines event.’ Which means that it is out of our hands.
Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing While Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing have the same author, they both have similarities and differences in themes. Some people live their life looking for love and never finding it, it is often said that you will find love when you least expect it. Both plays have common beliefs of love, marriage, however, death is viewed very differently. Love in Hamlet is often depressing, even though love is wanted by all. What is the point in loving somebody if they are going to die anyway?
...what she needs. She, an elder who should be respected, submits in a manner befitting of a female in that society. This further exemplifies the inherent control that men exert over women.
themes is Love. There can be many facets of love found in the play. It
Act 1 scene 5 we see her praying to evil spirits in her soliloquy for
“If half thy outward graces had been placed upon thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart! But fair the well, most foul, most fair. Farewell, the pure and impiety and impious purity. For the I’ll lock up all the gates of love and on my eyelids shall conjecture heading to turn ...