Preview

Much Ado About Nothing - the Importance of Noting

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1230 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Much Ado About Nothing - the Importance of Noting
<center><b>Discuss The Importance Of Noting In Much Ado About Nothing</b></center>
<br>
<br>Noting, or observing, is central to many of the ideas in Much Ado About Nothing. The word nothing was pronounced as noting in Elizabethan times, and it seems reasonable to presume that the pun was intended by Shakespeare to signal the importance of observation, spying and eavesdropping in the play. As a plot device, these occurrences propel the action and create humour and tension. The perils of noting incorrectly are portrayed and this leads naturally to the investigation of another major theme, the discrepancy between appearance and reality. Shakespeare uses the problems of illusion, deception and subjectivity of perception to examine the Elizabethan patriarchy, and he shows how adhering to convention can distort the views of society's leaders.
<br>
<br>Plot development and comedy in Much Ado rely heavily on the use of noting. The play appears to have a simple plot; the romantic couple, Claudio and Hero, are denied marital joy by the evil Don John while the sub-plot, Beatrice's and Benedick's resisted but growing love, provides us with some humour until order and happiness are re-established in Messina. However, Shakespeare cleverly employs the many forms of noting (observation, misunderstanding, misreporting) to move the dramatic action forward. The main plot and the sub-plots are laced together with this device and, to emphasise the importance of noting, the audience is denied viewing the vital episode where Claudio and Don Pedro witness what they think is Hero's debauchery – we observe the watch eavesdropping on Borachio recounting the event to Conrade. This eavesdropping reminds us of the orchard scenes where Beatrice and Benedick are tricked into loving each other. They both come closer to a position of self-knowledge and this enables the "merry war" of Beatrice and Benedick to move a step further to its conclusion.
<br>
<br>The orchard scenes, along with the scenes

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest writers in history, an opinion that is not easily disputed when one regards the innovativeness, complexity, and entertainment of his works. One such work, Much Ado About Nothing, makes use of these attributes that make his work so great.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a play involving by deception, disloyalty, trickery, eavesdropping, and hearsay. The main examples of deception we see are from the characters of Beatrice and Benedick.. We as the audience are exposed to their ‘merry war; ad they exchange witty and sarcastic banter, providing the humor throughout Shakespeare’s comedy and very interesting comparisons to be commented onIn act 1, we are introduced to Beatrice who Beatrice tends to take charge of every conversation, not reluctant to state her own views on a subject regardless of whom she addresses. Her wit and sarcasm are wasted on the messenger, who doesn't know what to make of her. Her uncle, Leonato, acknowledges her ongoing "merry war" with Benedick. Finally, she engages Benedick himself, who can give back as good as he gets.Benedick too is mentioned before he appears, but only by Beatrice, who is clearly bitter toward him, apparently as the result of previous experience with him. In his battle of words with Beatrice, Benedick puts up a noble fight, finally putting her on the defensive, but while Benedick has the last word this time, Beatrice ends the conversation…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Much Ado About Nothing

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The play Much Ado About Nothing created by William Shakespeare is humorous and entertaining. It is about two people who love eachother, when someone sabotages their relationship. In the end they get married and live a very happy life. Although this play is comedic, deception, god or bad, is present throughout it. Deception is found when Don John ruins Hero and Claudio’s wedding, it is also found when the other characters decieve Beatrice and Benvolio that they love eachother, and when Claudio thinks he is marrying Hero’s cousin.…

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Much Ad About Nothing

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents an interesting relationship between the characters of Beatrice and Benedick. We can compare their relationships with the poems ‘Sonnet 130’, ‘Sonnet 43’ and ‘Salome’ and the relationships presented in them. Although Shakespeare includes a conventional relationship between Hero and Claudio, he also decides to involve a different affair between Beatrice and Benedick.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ is another of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies. It primarily focuses on the unromantic spiteful relationship between the two main characters, Beatrice and Benedick. Beatrice, the niece of Leonato is a quick-witted, independent woman, who proclaims hers disdain of love and marriage. Despite her hate for love, from the events of the play she soon exposes a very vulnerable side of her and is a gentle and sweet person. During the play, the audience learns how she is tricked into falling in Benedick, and how her feeling towards love changes, making the play very appealing.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, a quick summary of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Anything. In the beginning of this story a respectable noblemen named Leonato, his daughter Hero, and his clever niece Beatrice are waiting on the arrival of friends from the war. The group of friends include prince Don Pedro, and two of his fellow soldiers; Claudio, who is an up and coming young nobleman, and Benedick a man known for his battle skills and witty jokes. Also within the group of friends are; Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother Don John and his entourage of two people. When the soldiers arrive at Leonato’s home, Claudio is very taken by Leonato’s daughter Hero. While Benedick and Beatrice continue a mutual hatred for each other through a confrontation of crude insults. Claudio and Hero shortly after meeting pledge…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare has a talent for recognizing people’s vices and virtues and for applying them into characters that anyone can relate to at some point in the telling, Much Ado about Nothing is no exception. In this wonderful story readers are introduced to the bickering Beatrice and Benedick, an unlikely pair that seem more likely to banter than fall in love. We are also shown the love at first sight pairing of Hero and Claudio, two naïve yet happy people that are content to fall into their respective roles as a couple.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The comic resolution is intrinsically imperfect on a massive scale. ‘Much ado about nothing’ as a modern performance is usually seen as tightly plotted romantic comedy, but the portrayal of marriage as fragile and traumatic masks the theme of disgrace. This is particularly apparent in Jeremy Herrin’s production at the globe theatre or Josie Rourke’s production at Wyndham’s just across the Thames. The characters of Benedick and Beatrice who almost open the play set the tone from their first encounter. The subplot of Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship demonstrates pessimism towards love and clear dislike for one another, Beatrice makes this clear stating ‘Scratching could not make it worse’ in quick wit with regard to Benedick’s face. The ordeal screams ambiguity when at the close of the play they get married to one another, how two individuals who clearly despise one another are so easily are persuaded into marriage is twisted. Leonato himself views the possibility of the two together as preposterous when suggested by…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Much ado nothing is a romantic Shakespeare play about two couples of lovers. The play is set in Messina, deep in the heart of Italy and is based in Elizabethan times. The lovers are namely; Claudio and Hero, Bennedick and Beatrice. Claudio is a noble Florentine count from Florence. Bennedick is a war hero from Padua. Both are honourable war heroes fighting for Don Pedro the prince of Aragon. Beatrice is the niece of Leonato the Governor of Messina. At the beginning of the play Don Pedro and his valiant fighters return from the wars to Messina. While at Messina Claudio immediately falls in love with Hero. However Beatrice and Bennedick trade insults and banter. Bennedick and Beatrice seem to have more experience in love as they take the more cautious approach. Claudio immediately falls in love with Hero and show no hesitations into throwing himself head first in a relationship. Bennedick seems to have held many relationships with different women,” Then is courtesy a turn coat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies - only you excepted” he states rather regretfully. This shows that perhaps even though he is loved all ladies, the only one lacking is the only one he is interested in. The play is rather merry and light-headed to start with, people meeting and trying to impress each other with clever speech and poetic sentences. However there are no indications of darker moments destined to happen later in the play.…

    • 1963 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benedick Foil

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Out of the 37 plays and 154 sonnets that Shakespeare wrote, “Much Ado About Nothing” has become one his most popular pieces. The comedy follows Don Pedro, Claudio, and Benedick after they return home from war. Upon meeting Hero, Claudio immediately falls in love with her, and with the help of Don Pedro, Hero agrees to marry him. As they prepare for the wedding, Don Pedro plans to get Beatrice and Benedick together while Don John plots to ruin Hero and Claudio’s relationship. Both succeed, as Beatrice and Benedick admit their love for each other, and Claudio shames Hero at their wedding, believing that she had cheated on him. By the next day, they discover that Don John had staged the scene, and Claudio and Hero still got married, and Benedick got engaged to Beatrice. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses character foils to emphasize the traits of his characters, and add to his story. In the play, “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, Benedick and Claudio are foils of each other because of their personality traits, choices, and reaction.…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is rather unusual. They begin by deceiving themselves, making them think that they have no feelings for each other, the wage a ‘merry war’ against each other, throwing witty remarks and insults at each other.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s famous play, “Much Ado About Nothing”, highlights the conventions of a Shakespearean comedy. Good morning teacher and students, I’m here to talk to you about Shakespeare’s clever comedy achieved by many techniques to amuse his audience. The main purpose of a comedy is to entertain the audience; Shakespeare has effectively achieved this through his ideas and techniques. The play mainly consists of conventional and satirical comedy that stems from the characterization of Dogberry, the absurd idea of cuckoldry, and a battle between the sexes.…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dramatic irony occurs throughout "Much Ado About Nothing" enabling the audience to know facts of which the characters in the play are ignorant. It is used in the play to create suspense, comedy and cause conflict between characters, thus making the play more entertaining while allowing the plot to intensify. The most notable uses of dramatic irony in the play are Hero's "infidelity", her death and the "duping" of Benedick and Beatrice.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Much Ado About Nothing the main story line is about Hero and Claudio falling in love and the sub plot is Beatrice and Benedick’s merry war of the sexes. The conflict in the play is that Don John creates an appearance that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio. The main theme of the play is love and comedy. Love is a theme in this play because two couples falling in love. Comedy is also a theme in this play because of Beatrice and Benedick’s verbal exchanges moreover the comedy act with Dogberry and Verges and how the other protagonists try to trick Benedick and Beatrice and convincing that they are madly in love with each other. Also in this play, out of all the men Benedick is the most aware of becoming a cuckold because like any other man he scared that he might ruin his ego and lose his masculine pride. A cuckold is when a man believes that marriage is a trap where husbands are controlled and deceived. Claudio, Don Pedro and Benedick all share this suspicion at the beginning.…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The themes of deception, mistaken identity, appearance and reality and love are clearly shown through Shakespeare in his comedy ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and through the characters Beatrice, Benedick, Claudio and Hero. Deception is brought through by the friends of Benedick and Beatrice. Mistaken identity is evident as Margret she was supposedly Hero. Appearance and reality was conveyed through Hero, Benedick and Beatrice. The theme of love was clearly put across due to the relationship of Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedick. We are able to watch the themes of deception, mistaken identity, appearance and reality and love through the characters of the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’…

    • 1256 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays