Monday, February 22, 2016

Reading Question

  1. Explain why the ending of the play proves that it is a comedy, and give specific examples from the play. What would have had to happen instead were this play a tragedy?
When it comes to comedy and tragedies, the defining factor that can be used to differentiate the two is the ending. At the end of a comedy, which Much Ado About Nothing is, there is always one of two things that happen. The first is that a baby can be born or the second, which is the case of this story, there is a marriage. In a tragedy though, there is almost always a death with a funeral. This is very different from Much Ado About Nothing where at the end Claudio and Hero get married which is the main story point of the whole play.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Reading Question

  1. Find three examples of dramatic irony in the play. Explain what is going on during these scenes and why you believe that these are examples of dramatic irony. Please include a page number.
In the book Much Ado About Nothing, there are many cases of dramatic irony present. I am going to talk about three of them that really stood out to me. The first example is on page 20, when Hero starts talking to Don Pedro. In this scene, Don Pedro is masked and pretending to be Claudio so that he can pick Hero up for Claudio. The entire audience knows that the person pretending to be Claudio is actually Don Pedro, but Hero is none the wiser. Another example is on page 22, when Benedick is talking to Beatrice. The result is reversed here though, as though Benedick is the one with the mask on, Beatrice knows it is him and it is Benedick that believes that Beatrice knows not who he is. I found this situation a bit more complicated but equally interesting. My third example is on page 48, and is when Claudio learns of Hero being "disloyal" by supposedly having sex with someone else before their wedding. In this situation though, the audience knows that Don John is actually lying and trying to ruin the wedding. I found this scene to be very important to the plot of the play and heavily represents the importance of dramatic irony to the plot of comedy like this.

Monday, February 8, 2016

  1. Choose one central character to analyze. Is s/he round or flat? Explain your answer and provide an example from the play (meaning a quote).
The character I have chosen to analyze is Benedick, because his character seems very interesting to me. I believe that he is round as a character seeing as he changes throughout the play. He starts off the play being a man who is very misogynistic and wants to be a bachelor for life, but after he discovers his love for Beatrice he changes as a man. One example of this is in the scene right after he overhears that Beatrice might love him and his reaction to when she is sent to get him for dinner.

BEATRICE
Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner.
BENEDICK
Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains.
BEATRICE
I took no more pains for those thanks than you take
pains to thank me: if it had been painful, I would
not have come.
BENEDICK
You take pleasure then in the message?
BEATRICE
Yea, just so much as you may take upon a knife's
point and choke a daw withal. You have no stomach,
signior: fare you well.
EXIT
BENEDICK
Ha! 'Against my will I am sent to bid you come in
to dinner;' there's a double meaning in that 'I took
no more pains for those thanks than you took pains
to thank me.' that's as much as to say, Any pains
that I take for you is as easy as thanks. If I do
not take pity of her, I am a villain; if I do not
love her, I am a Jew. I will go get her picture.

This scene shows that Benedick has a complete reversal of his former beliefs and is instead hitting on Beatrice in the hopes of getting with her and eventually marrying her.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Reading Question

Is't come to this? - Has it come to this?
In faith, hath not the world one man but he will wear his cap with suspicion? - By God, is there not one man in the world that will be suspicious of girls?
Shall I never see a bachelor of three-score again? - Will I never see another 60 year old bachelor?
Go to, i' faith; an thou wilt needs thrust thy neck into a yoke, wear the print of it and sigh away Sundays. - Go ahead and get yourself tied down, make it so that you are chained to your wife and that Sundays are never yours anymore.
 Look Don Pedro is returned to seek you. - Look Don Pedro has come back to get you.