English much ado about nothing notes

Beatrice Leonato’s niece and Hero’s cousin. Beatrice is “a pleasant-spirited lady” with a very sharp tongue. She is generous and loving, but, like Benedick, continually mocks other people with elaborately tooled jokes and puns. She wages a war of wits against Benedick and often wins the battles. At the outset of the play, she appears content never to marry
Hero appears to be a dutiful and obedient young women, largely silent and passive in the presence of men. Her name symbolises faithful love and The beautiful young daughter of Leonato and the cousin of Beatrice. Hero is lovely, gentle, and kind. She falls in love with Claudio when he falls for her, but when Don John slanders her and Claudio rashly takes revenge, she suffers terribly.
Benedick An aristocratic soldier who has recently been fighting under Don Pedro, and a friend of Don Pedro and Claudio. Benedick is very witty, always making jokes and puns. He carries on a “merry war” of wits with Beatrice, but at the beginning of the play he swears he will never fall in love or marry.
Claudio appears to be the model Elizabethan lord , courageous, in battle and a close friend of the prince. But he is young and inexperienced , which leaves him vulnerable to Don John’s plotting and A young soldier who has won great acclaim fighting under Don Pedro during the recent wars. Claudio falls in love with Hero upon his return to Messina. His unfortunately suspicious nature makes him quick to believe evil rumors and hasty to despair and take revenge.
Don Pedro appears to share with his half-brother a liking fortrickery and plotting , although his deceptions have no malicious intent. And An important nobleman from Aragon, sometimes referred to as “Prince.” Don Pedro is a longtime friend of Leonato, Hero’s father, and is also close to the soldiers who have been fighting under him—the younger Benedick and the very young Claudio. Don Pedro is generous, courteous, intelligent, and loving to his friends, but he is also quick to believe evil of others and hasty to take revenge. He is the most politically and socially powerful character in the play.
Don John The illegitimate brother of Don Pedro; sometimes called “the Bastard.” Don John is melancholy and sullen by nature, and he creates a dark scheme to ruin the happiness of Hero and Claudio. He is the villain of the play; his evil actions are motivated by his envy of his brother’s social authority.
Leonarto A respected, well-to-do, elderly noble at whose home, in Messina, Italy, the action is set. Leonato is the father of Hero and the uncle of Beatrice. As governor of Messina, he is second in social power only to Don Pedro.
Margret Hero’s serving woman, who unwittingly helps Borachio and Don John deceive Claudio into thinking that Hero is unfaithful. Unlike Ursula, Hero’s other lady-in-waiting, Margaret is lower class. Though she is honest, she does have some dealings with the villainous world of Don John: her lover is the mistrustful and easily bribed Borachio. Also unlike Ursula, Margaret loves to break decorum, especially with bawdy jokes and teases.
Borachio An associate of Don John. Borachio is the lover of Margaret, Hero’s serving woman. He conspires with Don John to trick Claudio and Don Pedro into thinking that Hero is unfaithful to Claudio. His name means “drunkard” in Italian, which might serve as a subtle direction to the actor playing him.
Conrad = One of Don John’s more intimate associates, entirely devoted to Don John. Several recent productions have staged Conrad as Don John’s potential male lover, possibly to intensify Don John’s feelings of being a social outcast and therefore motivate his desire for revenge
Dogberry The constable in charge of the Watch, or chief policeman, of Messina. Dogberry is very sincere and takes his job seriously, but he has a habit of using exactly the wrong word to convey his meaning. Dogberry is one of the few “middling sort,” or middle-class characters, in the play, though his desire to speak formally and elaborately like the noblemen becomes an occasion for parody.
Gender quote 1 Is she not a modest young lady – Claudio
LEONATO:Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband.BEATRICENot till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust? To make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl?No, uncle, I’ll none. Adam’s sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kinred. (2.1.57-64) . Beatrice first uses “man” in the general sense (as in mankind), but she finally comes around to admitting the gender inequality inherent in marriage. She plays on the notion that all mankind is ashes to ashes dust to dust, so it isn’t fitting that a woman should be ruled by a man (who is in the end only dust). The capstone to this deliciously incisive commentary is Beatrice’s assertion that all of Adam’s sons are her brothers, and she’d commit the sin of incest to marry them.
Gender theme Men (particularly fathers ) dominated Elizabethan society. Traditional assumptions of male superiority were widespread .it was largely accepted that a wife should submit to her husband. She was his legal property ad was rarely expected to think for herself.
‘Can the world buy such a jewel?’ Metaphor, Claudio is referring to Hero and is saying she is as precious as a jewel. This illustrates that men in that time treated women as objects.
Oh that I were a man , oh god that I were a men Repetition of man and I wereThat she is powerless as a women and she has uncontrolled hatred, reasserting the patriarchy
Not to knit my soul to an approved wanton MetaphorClaudio isn’t going to link his soul to hero who isn’t a virgin
“With a good leg and a good foot,uncle,and money enough in his purse,such a man would win any women in the world if a could get her good will” (Beatrice, Line 12) Man could get any woman he wanted but the women never got a say , if her father said yes then it would be done
Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues. Metaphor and personification
Give not this rotten orange to your friend Metaphor, connections and connotation To emphasis you don’t give spoiled goods ( hero) (looks pure and innocent and rotten inside) to your friends
Did see her, hear her Accumulation, repetition of her, alliterationNot saying hero’s name as she’s not worthy, treating her like an outsider
Into a pit of ink , that the wide sea hath drops too few to wash her clean again Extended metaphorOf not being able to be pure again
I had rather be a canker in a hedge , than a rose in his grace ( Don John line – 20 ) MetaphorThis means that Don John hates his brother so much that he rather suffer than be on good terms with his brother
For beauty is a witch’ (Claudio line 135) Metaphor , irony, connotations and connections This metaphor means that beauty is deceiving and it will break your heart and faith. It is ironic as Claudio judges Hero by her looks.
Love theme Claudio and hero marriage is the centre plot , more attention on benedick and Beatrice’s relationship ( contrast)
My dear lady disdain , are u yet living Benedick to Beatrice
Deception theme Intentionally deceptions and nonintentionally , Claudio and don Pedro disgracing Geri and the death of her for redemption for claudio , Beatrice and benedick being fooled into loving each other , margret not speaking up when hero getting insulted
Reputation / pride / respect theme Claudio rejects hero accusing her of unfaithful behaviour and publicly shaming her ,
Hence from her let her die Leonarto to hero , as she is accused of being unfaithful
Being called framed for u faithful behaviour in Shakespeare’s time meant a loss of Honour for the women and her family especially her father , loss of social standing
Male honour depended one Make friendship alliances, and fighting war and bravery
Gender roles theme Man dominated Elizabethan society , traditional assumptions of male superiority were engraved in minds of women from a young age
Women roles Submit to her husband and she was considered is legal property
Ideal Elizabethan women Hero
Isn’t an ideal Elizabethan women Beatrice
Love thesis Relationships weren’t based on the love for each other , they were based off physical attraction and social status of the partner
Deception thesis Deception is a feeling or betrayal where one feels cheated , constantly revolved around the act of being deceived to fill the void of genuine love and equality between genders
Margret deception Margret deceived hero but Margret got deceived by borachio
Shakespeare’s world Superficial men and stereotypical and patriarchal world with social hierarchy
July 11, 2019