Comic and Serious Aspects in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
In Much Ado About Nothing there are many intersecting deceptions
between the main plot and the sub plot. For example, there is the
deception of Claudio and Don Pedro by Don John which at first seems
separate from the comical deception of Benedick by the male tricksters
until Act 4, Scene 1 where the consequences of the comical deception
turn serious. Each type of deception gives a lighter or graver aspect
to the play, whether it is from the characters reactions or from who
is doing the deceiving. All deception are centred around love, which
is the antithesis of reason, this could be why we see some desperate
reactions or changes in characters. The only characters that stay the
same throughout are the minor characters as they are not in love with
any of the major characters like Hero or Beatrice. The comic
deceptions are mainly for benevolent intentions and the serious
deceptions are mainly for malevolent intentions.
In Act 2, Scene 1, there is a masked ball which has both comic and
serious aspects of deception. This is important as the audience will
be reminded that the play is a comedy from the minor characters and
the joke that Beatrice makes of Benedick. This is all comical as the
men are masked and try to deceive the women without much look.
Shakespeare put this in the middle of the deception of Don Pedro
wooing Hero and Don John’s first plot of deceiving Claudio, which
creates bathos. Antonio tries to deceive Ursula who can guess who he
is (Ursula: “…you are Signor Antonio”, Antonio: “At a word, I am
not.”). Beatrice deceives Benedick, this i...
... middle of paper ...
...his true feelings for her), there
is no comic deception in this scene and there doesn’t appear to be any
sign of a marriage as it has just been broken off. Benedick is the
first one to state that if anyone one do such an evil act as this it
would be Don John, “The practice of it lives in John the bastard”.
Leonato is so disgraced that he would rather be led than be the leader
and is no longer ther key figure in Hero’s life. The consequences of
the deception of Beatrce and Benedick are also shown in this scene as
Benedick chooses his love of Beatrice over his friendship of Don Pedro
and decides to challenge Claudio. He is no longer the jester. Also
because of Don John’s deception Leonato accuses Claudio of being a
“dissembler” in Act 5, Scene 1 which is the first time when somebody
has actively accused in the play.
What makes the plot of Much Ado About Nothing so interesting is the use of deception and betrayal; though deception is used more frequently than betrayal. To deceive someone is “to cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.” Throughout the book divergent people manipulate others for an advantage. Whether deception is okay or not depends on the intentions of the deceivers – if the intention is to promote happiness, then the deceiver is a good friend, but if the deceiver intends harm, then he’s a bastard. The play is built on the problems caused by deception.. Benedict and Beatrice are deceived into thinking they love each other. Hero and Ursula deceived Beatrice and for that, they are good friends. Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato deceived Benedick and that makes them good friends as well. However, Don John deceived Claudio into thinking hero b...
In this world rumors and dishonesty happen to be everywhere, no matter where you are. Nowaday people start rumors just to hurt and insult people’s feelings that later on lead to dramatic events. In the story “Much Ado about Nothing”, we encounter different scenes that lead to rumors and deception. One scene that we encounter is when Don John, the bastard brother spreads rumors about Hero being disloyal to Claudio and Don Pedro to corrupt Claudio’s and Hero’s relationship. Another scene that we run into is when Ursula and Hero have a talk in the garden about how Benedick has love affection towards Beatrice. Later on, these two scenes play a huge role and become dramatic elements of the story. We will encounter on how rumors and dishonesty can destroy and corrupt not just one person, but many.
The Influence of Commedia dell’arte on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Commedia dell’arte had great influence of Shakespeare’s comedy “Much
How Shakespeare Presents the Character of Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing and How Interpretations of His Character Can Vary
“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.
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
Incomplete An exploration of Shakespeare’s presentation of trickery and deception in his play ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’ 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. These instances are as follows: Don Pedro wooing hero for Claudio, Don Pedro wooing hero for himself, Claudio pretending to be Benedick to find out information from Don John and Borachio, Don John and Borachio both know that Claudio is not Benedick but trick Claudio into thinking that they believe that Claudio is in fact Benedick, Benedick pretending to be somebody else whilst talking to Beatrice, Beatrice pretending to believe that she is in fact talking to Benedick, Beatrice having romantic feelings for Benedick, Benedick having romantic feelings for Beatrice, Beatrice not having romantic feelings for Benedick, Benedick not having romantic feelings for Beatrice, Hero is unfaithful with Borachio, Hero is dead, and Antonio having another daughter.
Transformations are altering certain thematic concerns of the original text, yet still retaining much of the storyline. The process of transformation requires some conscious decisions which shape and re-shape the meaning, and must be justified in order to execute them. . This is explored in ‘BBC’s Shakespeare Re-told: Much ado about Nothing”, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s original playwright “Much ado about Nothing”
Dual Nature of Characters in Othello Many of the characters in Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, are duplicitous to the extent that how. they are perceived in public is not how they behave in private. The perception of the public plays.
Comparing the Villains in Much Ado About Nothing and Othello & nbsp; The two villains in Much Ado About Nothing and Othello share much in common, despite their numerous differences. It is evident that Shakespeare framed the second piece of literature to be similar to the first. Although shorter, the plot of “Othello” is definitely more complex. The villains play a major part in the novels, and are very much alike in their line of thinking. The comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing” depicts the story of a group of high-ranking soldiers who travel through a town called Messina.
Humor was added to Hamlet by two major scenes, along with Hamlet's use of his antic-disposition. These two were: the scene between Hamlet and Polonius in the library, and the scene with the grave diggers (the clowns).
In the passage from Act 1, Scene 2 through the use of language and dramatic effect Shakespeare explores and expands the character of Hamlet, also enforcing themes such as gender and desire.
The Effectiveness of Shakespeare's Exposition of Plot, Character, Theme and Atmosphere in the First Act of Othello The action of the first scene increases the audience’s anticipation of Othello’s first appearance. The audience learn Iago’s name in the second line of the play and Roderigo’s soon afterward, but Othello is not once mentioned by his name. Rather, he is ambiguously referred to as “he” and “him.” He is also called “the Moor”, “the thick-lips” and “a Barbary horse” all names signifying that he is dark-skinned. Shakespeare’s exposition of plot is also effective, because in the very first scene there seems to be a lot of action.
The Development of the Character of Othello as Shown by his Use of Language and Imagery in William Shakespeare's Play
Imagine the trauma of those that experienced World War II, were victims of the Nazis and Fascist, and lived under the threat of nuclear bombing. Those events and experiences were significant, challenging the conventional ways people were living their lives. This influenced theatre in a big way, through a type of theatre called Avant-Garde (Franks). Avant-Garde was known to introduce original ideas, forms, and techniques. Often considered Experimental Theatre, it lacked logically-constructed plots and pushed the limits of the stage (Franks). It evolved into a form of theatre, known as the Theatre of the Absurd, which challenged the norm of the post-World War II society (Culik). Through unique methods, the Theatre of the Absurd made a major impact on drama and life, challenging the power that realism had on the theatre and people during the 1950s.