Much Ado About Nothing
-Taylor Henderson-
summary:
in the play much ado about nothing there are several layers to the complicated plot. The play begins as a light hearted romance that stays on point with that of a fairytale. War heroes Prince Don Pedro, and his two friends, arrive for an invited stay with a nobleman Leonato. Leonato presents his Daughter Hero to Claudio, one of the prince's friends, and the reader foreshadowed to the ensuing romance between the two. The story continues as the romance blossoms into a planned wedding. But as the wedding drawls nearer the couple and their friends plan to trick two friend into falling in love, Beatrice and Benedict. This game of lovers is a success, the two fall secretly in love. But alas the original lovers are not yet married and still they have adversity to face. A character Don John decides to ruin everyone’s happiness out of his own misery, misery loves company. He creates a genius plot to break up the two lovers Hero and Claudio the night before the wedding. The resulting rage that ensued caused Claudio to call off the wedding and publicly humiliate Hero under the assumption she was unfaithful. This causes Hero's family to claim her death and place her into hiding until her guilt or innocence can be proven. In the end the truth is found out and the lovers are reunited, the couple and adjacent couple , Beatrice and Benedict are married in a double wedding.
Main conflicts: Man v. Man(Claudio&Hero v. Don John) Man v. Self ( Claudio) Man v. Society (Hero)
Man v. Man; this conflict is seen between the couple Claudio and Hero, and Don John. Rather then the traditional single man v. a single man the conflict falls with that of a couple as a whole. the conflict arises out of the misery Don John feels he must spread to all.
Man v. Self: the inner turmoil over the actions and reactions that Claudio feels. When he blindly denounced his fiance and ruined her reputation.
Man v. Society; After the public humiliation at the hands of her lover and fiance Claudio, Hero is at ends with society, being denounced by her family to separate themselves from the shame she looses her place in life and must learn to deal with that if she ever plans to move on and live a life.
Character analysis:
Hero: A beautiful young daughter of Leonato, Hero is a kind girl that lives according to the moral values her father has taught her with, she is very sweet and caring making her the ideal wife. But she lacks a voice for herself, and is easily taken by love. Her heart is weak, she would rather keep quite and not offend or upset anyone and take her punishment even if it is unfair and unjust. This again can be a quality that would make her an ideal wife for the time, so there are pros and cons to these such qualities about her. But she is faithful and unfaltering, even in the face of extreme adversity she holds true to her heart and love for Claudio and will not turn away from him as he did to her. She waits until her name can be cleared and she can once again be with him to be his bride.
Don John: The illegitimate brother of Don Pedro; sometimes called “the Bastard.” Don John is a character created to be hated, a character the audience can pour negative emotion into for his deeds and actions. He is vile, evil, a snake; spineless in nature. He lives a life of misery and feels it is his divine mission to spread such misery where he can, if he realizes it or not his actions speak in accordance with that purpose. He is melancholy and sullen by nature, he is the villain of the story, the character designed to be hated by all until the very end. The end of the story he is presented with the option to turn away from evil and join the side of the just and the right.
Symbols:
Taming of animals:
in the story the two future lovers Beatrice and Benedict where at ends with one another. They originally played a game through the years in which they would insult one another and send such messages as to convey hatred for one another. But just as wild animals hold a desire to be under mans authority the two future lovers had a secret desire for one another. The two lovers where brought together by the training or rather the plotting of dear friends pushing them together.
Hero's death:
Her death in the story is used to signify the ending of her life as a single woman, the end of her dependance on her family, and the appearance of victory for Don John. In the faking of her death Hero is given a new sense of freedom in the world, at that point she no longer exists, she can be who ever she wants to be where ever she wants to be and no one can stop her. She is given unmatched and unchallenged freedom. But yet she still chooses to stay for the sake of love, she chooses to wait for her lover and her future husband. Her disconnection from her family is also quite notable in the fact it represents her new life, or the one she wishes to have with Claudio. Her single life is soon to be over and she will soon leave her family when she is to marry Claudio.
Citations:
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/muchado/themes.html
used for: anilizing symbols of the play and understanding their meanings.
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/muchado/summary.html
used for: summary and plot overview of the play
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