More handpicked essays just for you.
The tragic theme of love in William Shakespeare
Love in Shakespeare
The tragic theme of love in William Shakespeare
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Trickery and deceit are central themes in Much Ado. Explain how deception is used in this story. How does this lead to love and romance?
There is many different ways we fall in love. Some is through old friendships, work relationships and even the internet. Although in Shakespeare's, Much Ado About Nothing, trickery and deceit is the central theme of love. Shakespeare starts the story with a love at first sight scene with Hero, which is Leonato’s daughter who is the Governor of Messina and Claudio who is a young lord from Florence. He then follows that scene with a “roast battle” starring Beatrice, Leonato's niece and Benedick whom is a lord. Both are affected by lies and both lead to lifelong love.
Don John, the Prince’s half brother, and
…show more content…
his followers are the masterminds behind the biggest lie of all in the story. Claudio and Hero were his victims. It seemed as if he was absurdly jealous of what they had from the start. In act II scene II, Borachio tells Don John, “I think I told your lordship a year since, how much I am in favor of margaret...I can at any unreasonable instant of the night, appoint her to look out at her lady’s chamber window”(2.2.14-18). When Borachio tells him that, he is plotting the way to destroy Claudio and Hero’s soon to be marriage. He is going to use Margaret to act as Hero and woo her at the window for Claudio to see. In act III scene II, Don John tells Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is unfaithful and he escorts them two to show that a man is at her chamber window a night before Claudio and Hero’s wedding. Claudio then states, “If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her”(3.3.116-118). As you can see Claudio is petrified and upset by what he has seen, he is even second guessing rather or not he shall marry her. He does as said and embarrses her in front of all Messina as they are about to wed. Claudio exclaims “...She’s but the sign and semblance of her honor. Behold how like a maid she blushes her”(4.1.34-35). He is referring to what he suppose he saw and how she is acting as if she never committed such a crime. Hero reacts to this embarrassment by fainting and freaking out all of Messina. After Hero fakes her death, she is then proven innocent. Once Claudio receives the news he is then devastated and will do anything to gain forgiveness. He realizes how much he is in love with her and needs her. After she is resurrected, Claudio and Hero marry and are brought together as one. The second scheme that was pulled was on Beatrice and Benedick.
In act II scene III Benedick is duped by Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato as he eavesdrops on their conversation of how Beatrice is so madly in love with him, which was an absolute lie. Benedick falls for the trick. After he hears what they say he has his own moment to himself to make sense of what he just heard. Benedick exclaims, “They say I will bear myself proudly if I perceive the love come from her. They say, too, that she will rather die than give any sign of affection. I did never think to marry”(2.3.229-231). Benedick is saying that he is so unaware by the obsession she has for him although it did make sense now that he thinks about it hard enough. He thinks she is a cold blooded lady, that was why he never thought to marry her. Beatrice is tricked the same way. Although, it is by Ursula and Hero. After Beatrice falls in their web of lies in act III scene I, she goes on the same rant. Beatrice passionately says, “...Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand. If thou dost love, my kindness shall incite thee”(3.2.119-120). Beatrice is exclaiming that if he has tamed her bitterness and unpleasantness then maybe she should show him some sort of happiness and be a bit more sweeter to him.
They both fell for the scheme. Although, in act IV scene I Beatrice wanted Benedick to prove his fair love and challenge Count Claudio after embarassed her cousin Hero. Benedick was hesitant of such crime but after Beatrice poured her heart out to him he felt he had no other choice but to do the duty for her. She was amazingly aroused by the braveness he had and it made her have a stronger feeling of love for him. Although, he did not have to do as told because they all learned Hero was falsely
accused. By the web of lies they were all trapped under, it brought them closer. Claudio and Hero who had absolute love at first sight were put to the test and had so much hatred towards each other and then resulted in marriage and love. Beatrice and Benedick abhorred each other and couldn’t be in the same room without having confrontation. They were lied to on both ends but it brought out the love they both secretly had for one another. Deception was the key in Shakespeare's story.
In the play, “Much Ado About Nothing”, love and romance play a major role throughout the play.It takes place in Messina. The play has a lot of characters that fall in love with each other. Besides romance and love there is a lot of jealousy in the play. Characters will have up and down moments throughout the book, but they will all get together at the end of the story. Many scenes in the play will be about characters making other characters fall in love by telling one another that one likes the other. The play is all about characters getting together and being happy.
The difference between Beatrice,Benedick,and the other two Claudio and Hero though is that, these two are very headstrong characters with a different outlook on love, but have very much love for one another. Benedick believes in just being a bachelor and spending the rest of his life messing with as many women as he pleases, well as for Beatrice she believes there is no man good enough and willing to show her the love she wants so she much rather be left alone. But the fact that they honestly want to believe what they say is what makes this get way more interesting. What they don’t know is that they are going to soon become curious trying to figure out what they truly feel for one
William Shakespeare is known for his use of dramatic irony and complicated story lines. In Much Ado About Nothing, he also adds in the element of disguise to what the characters know, or what they think they know. There are multiple characters trying to ensnare others in different facades, whether it be for better or for worse. The deception and illusion in the play can either assist the characters or completely shatter the situation, but in both cases, Shakespeare advises us to infer about what we hear or see before we jump to conclusions.
When Benedick hears that Claudio has fallen in love for Hero, he is enraged. He thought that Claudio would live a bachelor’s life like him. Benedick tells him that men who are in love are not masculine. Near the end of Act IV, Benedick’s complete change is evident when Benedick chooses love over friendship. Benedick challenges Claudio, previously his closest friend in the world, to duel to the death over Claudio’s accusation as to Hero’s unethical behavior. After Beatrice complains to him about Claudio’s mistake, Benedick gives in, “Enough, I am engaged. I will challenge him.” At this point, there is no doubt that Benedick has switched his allegiances entirely over to Beatrice. But then again, Benedick was relieved that Hero was proved guilty so he would not have to fight his close friend Claudio.
...ut Nothing is an extremely fast paced and witty play, Shakespeare very much has love as his central theme. There are two very different, yet equally compelling relationships that are explored in depth. They run through the play concurrently, allowing the reader to compare and contrast the different facets and complexities between the two. The playwright’s rich understanding of relationships, and particularly his understanding of the fact that love is not always as formulaic as many a writer would have us believe, makes for a fascinating read. In fact, by directly comparing a realistic couple, full of real world self doubt and a fear of rejection with a very stereotypical love-at-first-sight type of relationship, Shakespeare is possibly making the point that love and relationships have more depth than is often given credit.
Exploring Love in Much Ado About Nothing In Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare depicts different kinds of loving relationships - romantic love, family support and loyal friendship - and shows how various characters react to love and marriage. By exploring the effects of this powerful emotion Shakespeare highlights its universal relevance, a relevance that transcends time. The 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.
Beatrice and Benedick seem to have had some relationship before the beginning of the book that ended badly. This suggests that the initial situation between Beatrice and Benedick was one of mutual attraction, not of the overt hate they seem to flaunt at the beginning of the play. Scorn of this magnitude is rare among people who dislike each other from the start, and seems very unlikely in a broken up couple. In addition, both Beatrice and Benedick turned out to be very willing to abandon their smear campaigns as soon as they are convinced the other is aching for them. It is ridiculous that one would abandon one's own principals to bail out a hated enemy in trouble. This makes clear that their attitude toward each other is an act. If this is so, what is the purpose of the act...
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.
In this Shakespearean comedy ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ two similarly obstinate characters of Beatrice and Benedick are presented between the rather normal relationship of characters Hero and Claudio. Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Benedick’s obstinacy towards the rather obligatory act of marriage and also their particularly similar personalities that cause reason for their familiar act of squabbling; he does this whilst also presenting two characters that are completely interested in marriage and who are hardly intellectually capable of squabbling in a similar manner. As the play unfolds both characters remain combative with one another but as love becomes the better of them, they begin to reveal that somewhat secretive sensitivity amongst the complications of their hearts. In this essay we are going to explore the fundamental scenes that contribute to this, as well as overall changes in the characters and the techniques used to imply given ideas.
The machinations of Claudio and Don Pedro initially bring Beatrice and Benedick together, despite their initial dislike for each other. A previous relationship is the probable root of both character’s intolerance and ‘postures of hostility’ towards marriage and the opposite sex. Throughout the play Beatrice and Benedick engage in a ‘war of wit’, whereby they both exercise their impressive, quick, humour, as a mechanism of defence against one another. This immediately depicts there is going to be an element of comedy in the play, and both characters are a source of entertainment.
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.
Both of them despise marriage, are witty, and are each their own people. These, however, are not the reasons why they come together. They are brought together by their respective companions who conspire to tell each of them that the one loves the other as the two misdirected lovers listen in. In his speech directly after this, Benedick is swayed to a life that he previously would have avoided at all costs. In hearing of Beatrice’s supposed affection, he immediately changes his entire outlook on perpetual bachelorhood and pronounces a love that is not real or his own, but comes secondhand from trickery.
Benedick and Beatrice are similar to Odysseus and Penelope because they are equals in wit. Practically the entire play demonstrates their wits brings the struggle they create for each other alive. However, one special moment that they share where their wits are used in harmony comes after Hero’s almost-wedding, and public disgrace. Benedick goes to comfort Beatrice, and confides, “I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?” (Shakespeare, pg. 227). After some prodding and some repartee characteristic of their relationship, he gets Beatrice to admit, “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest” (Shakespeare, pg. 229). As mentioned previously in another essay prompt, neither one allowed them self to love the other before they felt certain of the other’s feelings. But, once they let themselves love each other, and open up, they were able to be true, and sincere with one another. Their love is strong enough that upon Beatrice’s request to “Kill Claudio” (Shakespeare, pg. 229), Benedick first refuses this challenge, which pains Beatrice; but, in the end, he agrees to challenge Claudio. Love has a lot of power; whether for good, or for bad. But, the point is that no matter the difficulties, and differences between a man and a woman, they can undertake
... heart in the marketplace.” (A4; S1; L 315-321). When Hero was wrongly accused is when Beatrice showed this the most. She believed that because of what he had done, Claudio deserved to be dead. She wanted no bad deed to go unpunished and what she seen fit was for Benedick to challenge Claudio to a dule and she didn’t want Benedick to stop until he was dead.
Beatrice and Benedick eventually sacrificed their values and their independent self-images to be together, yet they had to be tricked into doing so. They were never willing to admit their feelings until the other did so first. Benedick likes to be known for being loved but not giving love because it makes him feel powerful. Beatrice is either scared of being hurt or already has been. Even after they profess their love to each other, Beatrice and Benedick remain in competition to protect their egos. At the wedding, they claim not to love each other until Hero and Claudio expose the love letters they had written but never sent. They then give in and decide to be married, yet they are not rid of the prideful patterns that may later threaten their relationship. If they are still unable to healthily express their love for each other, is that love strong enough to endure the hardships of a lifetime together? Another effect of her emotional suppression is the outburst Beatrice has in Act 4. For the first time, she is seen weeping, which is followed by a radical request. When she tells Benedick he must kill Claudio or lose her, all the tension and emotion she has been holding in throughout the movie is released and you see her frustrations with gender roles and inequality (4.2.255-329). This scene also reveals the unequal expectations of each other. Benedick is originally