english cwk - draft two
The conventional main plot concerning Claudio and Hero 'with its simple pattern of courtship, betrayal and restoration is not merely artificial but also distastefully so' especially when juxtaposed with the subplot between Beatrice and Benedick
Throughout 'Much Ado About Nothing', the audience and critics inevitably find themselves contrasting the two pairs of lovers on stage and the comedy in their paths of courtship. Hero is 'modest [and] young', portrayed as the ideal Elizabethan maiden and her suitor Claudio is the inexperienced 'lamb' caught between his weaknesses: the male sense of honour and his love. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick appear to be the more convincing story of genuine love rather than momentary infatuation, giving rise to comments that the Claudio-Hero plot is 'artificial' in it's almost perfunctory resolution which is further made 'distasteful' against a modern audience's values of conventional romance. However, this does not mean the main plot lacks force especially as it is where the bulk character development of the story hinges upon. More importantly, it provides the 'happy ending' that is needed to bring the play from the verge of tragedy to the contemporary comedic finish expected by the Elizabethan viewers. It is more likely that Shakespeare merely attempts a portrayal of the fragility and consolidation of romance and how 'the course of true love never did run smooth'.
There is much evidence that 'Much Ado' was written as a conventional play that drew on conventional values and was based on a formulaic plot. Popular theatricals included Matteo Bandello's 'La Prima Parte de le Nouvelle', a drama based in the context of a versatile sixteenth century Italy and the beginning of the focus on 'extreme situations [and] the pathos of their protagonists' situations, subjected to their own and others' violent passions.' In Bandello's 22nd Nouvelle, the knight Sir Girondo's jealousy causes him to trick his friend Sir Timbreo into believing he was a victim of infidelity by his beloved Fenicia. The next day, Timbreo decides to rescind his betrothal with Fenicia as he feels betrayed. She falls into coma and is believed dead causing both Timbreo and Girondo especially to realize the extent of the damage they have done. By the time Fenicia reawakens, she finds that the differences between the two knights resolved and the truth of her chastity brought to light. In 'Much Ado', there is an obvious similarity between the Claudio-Hero plot; Shakespeare can be seen as using the accepted convention to power the play forward, deliberately glossing over details that would otherwise make Claudio and Hero more believable characters. It was important that 'marriage[s] and dancing [were] not just convenient, but fitting' in 'Much Ado' for an Elizabethan as it symbolized the restoration of harmony in the world. Hence, Claudio and Hero's marriage is hardly 'distasteful' in the light of its significance of order after chaos as well as it's comedic effect on the audience as resolved problem-play.
It cannot be denied Shakespeare uses the 'simple pattern of courtship, betrayal and restoration' in the Claudio-Hero plot but it exists for that of Beatrice and Benedick as well though it is often disguised by their 'merry war'. In many ways, their plot pivots and even mirrors that of the formers. When Hero is slandered at the wedding ceremony, Beatrice equally decides to test Benedick with the words 'Kill Claudio' which he accepts. Thus, both pairs of lovers finally managed to overcome the crisis point and a series of conflicts before marring - consequently while the subplot of Beatrice and Benedick is given much more license to speak, it does not mean Shakespeare made their plot any more complicated than that of Claudio and Hero. More over, we can see how the relationship between the older lovers rely heavily on the younger especially towards the climax of the play - the aftermath of Hero's 'death' allows Beatrice and Benedick to confess their love for each other, breaking from their conventions.
Juxtaposed against them, Claudio and Hero fall irrevocably into the stereotypes of the young, insecure 'boy' and the chaste daughter, appropriate of her 'modest office'. However it may seem 'artificial', from a different perspective, we can see that Shakespeare understood that an indisputable relationship was not just based on falling in love but also testing the limits of the bond, something he experimented with both the plots. Both couples use the underlying 'simple pattern' of courtship, the former with inherent conventionalities whilst the latter bearing a comedic twist, both ending in a conventional, expected manner. As it seems that a 'couple gains emotional experience and texture' through the difficulties supplied in 'Much Ado', Shakespeare perhaps had no intentions of portraying the Claudio-Hero plot as any less plausible than that of Beatrice and Benedick.
Claudio is often judged as being 'in love with [the image of] love', especially when compared with the resilience of Benedict's love for Beatrice when he swears 'by this hand, I love thee'. Beatrice in turn suggests it be used 'some other way than swearing by it', demonstrating to the audience that 'mere words are useless'; more importantly, we recall Claudio's words of praise to Hero, describing her as a 'jewel' and swearing to 'give away myself to you'. The decisive tone of the phrase adds to the superficiality of his intentions when juxtaposed with his later intentions to 'shame her where [he] should wed' her, leaving some to say it was 'exuberance that border[ed] on sadism'. What is seen as especially unnatural or 'distasteful' would be Hero's submissive attitude to her treatment and subsequent marriage to a man who had shamed her. However, from a literary point of view, Claudio and Hero are the stock characters which Shakespeare referenced from Bandello and Ariosto, and that their sketchy portrayal is for the sole purpose of fulfilling their conventional roles of comedy. With the genre of 'Much Ado' in place, Shakespeare needed to ensure a finale that would reflect that of the Elizabethan audience's expectations of world order by consolidating a double-marriage.
Moreover, we are constantly reminded of Claudio as the 'Lord Lackbeard' and 'Count Comfit, the young soldier who has come back from war having accomplished 'the feats of lion' in the 'figure of a lamb'. The combination of nicknames and antithesis highlighting his still new military career and perhaps age. This is again echoed when he seeks both Benedick and Don Pedro's approval to court Hero when he requests Benedick to 'speak in sober judgement'. The fact he should need another's opinion on matters such as love points to his self-doubt and lack of security and experience. Using Don John's malevolent intents, Shakespeare shows how easily Claudio falls into a trap, believing that someone as righteous as the Prince would lie and woo Hero for himself. The fact he was as 'civil as an orange' shows the extent of his jealousy, naivety and being far too sensitive over issues concerned with love. Thus, Shakespeare appears to be absolving some of Claudio's blame for reacting so strongly by slandering Hero by showing his flaws as a character and that nobody can be perfect(?).
The mourning scene is again used to lessen the impact of the hostile feelings the audience might have for Claudio - by showing his remorse. Props such as tapers, scrolls, tomb and mourning costumes add to the solemnity of the occasion and the recital of the poem with its paced verse and reinforcing rhyme of 'lies' and 'dies'. This contributes to the 'music, the ceremony....to carry the weight of Claudio's grief' on the viewers. Towards the end, Shakespeare hints at 'Good morrow[s]' better prospects for the mourners, steering 'Much Ado' back to the direction of a comedy. A sense of closure to the tragic scenes connoted by the words 'gentle day' and 'so the audience can look forward to the marriages and end of the play. Therefore, it could bet that Shakespeare used the scene of the ceremony to make Claudio's remorse more palpable, enabling the viewers to more readily suspend our disbelief...
Shakespeare makes use of this contrast to show us their differences as the older, experienced couple.
His ideals are precisely the reason why his faith in Hero is so easily challenged, suggesting his inexperience in love
'the battle of the sexes it portrays, for all its lighthearted wit, risks real consequences and casualties;'-claire mcEachern
'Claudio acts most unchivalrously and Beatrice is forced to seek a champion'-claire mcEachern
'one couple gains emotional experience and texture; the other has recourse to convention'-claire mcEachern
Throughout 'Much Ado About Nothing', the audience and critics inevitably find themselves contrasting the two pairs of lovers on stage and the comedy in their paths of courtship. Hero is 'modest [and] young', portrayed as the ideal Elizabethan maiden and her suitor Claudio is the inexperienced 'lamb' caught between his weaknesses: the male sense of honour and his love. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick appear to be the more convincing story of genuine love rather than momentary infatuation, giving rise to comments that the Claudio-Hero plot is 'artificial' in it's almost perfunctory resolution which is further made 'distasteful' against a modern audience's values of conventional romance. However, this does not mean the main plot lacks force especially as it is where the bulk character development of the story hinges upon. More importantly, it provides the 'happy ending' that is needed to bring the play from the verge of tragedy to the contemporary comedic finish expected by the Elizabethan viewers. It is more likely that Shakespeare merely attempts a portrayal of the fragility and consolidation of romance and how 'the course of true love never did run smooth'.
There is much evidence that 'Much Ado' was written as a conventional play that drew on conventional values and was based on a formulaic plot. Popular theatricals included Matteo Bandello's 'La Prima Parte de le Nouvelle', a drama based in the context of a versatile sixteenth century Italy and the beginning of the focus on 'extreme situations [and] the pathos of their protagonists' situations, subjected to their own and others' violent passions.' In Bandello's 22nd Nouvelle, the knight Sir Girondo's jealousy causes him to trick his friend Sir Timbreo into believing he was a victim of infidelity by his beloved Fenicia. The next day, Timbreo decides to rescind his betrothal with Fenicia as he feels betrayed. She falls into coma and is believed dead causing both Timbreo and Girondo especially to realize the extent of the damage they have done. By the time Fenicia reawakens, she finds that the differences between the two knights resolved and the truth of her chastity brought to light. In 'Much Ado', there is an obvious similarity between the Claudio-Hero plot; Shakespeare can be seen as using the accepted convention to power the play forward, deliberately glossing over details that would otherwise make Claudio and Hero more believable characters. It was important that 'marriage[s] and dancing [were] not just convenient, but fitting' in 'Much Ado' for an Elizabethan as it symbolized the restoration of harmony in the world. Hence, Claudio and Hero's marriage is hardly 'distasteful' in the light of its significance of order after chaos as well as it's comedic effect on the audience as resolved problem-play.
It cannot be denied Shakespeare uses the 'simple pattern of courtship, betrayal and restoration' in the Claudio-Hero plot but it exists for that of Beatrice and Benedick as well though it is often disguised by their 'merry war'. In many ways, their plot pivots and even mirrors that of the formers. When Hero is slandered at the wedding ceremony, Beatrice equally decides to test Benedick with the words 'Kill Claudio' which he accepts. Thus, both pairs of lovers finally managed to overcome the crisis point and a series of conflicts before marring - consequently while the subplot of Beatrice and Benedick is given much more license to speak, it does not mean Shakespeare made their plot any more complicated than that of Claudio and Hero. More over, we can see how the relationship between the older lovers rely heavily on the younger especially towards the climax of the play - the aftermath of Hero's 'death' allows Beatrice and Benedick to confess their love for each other, breaking from their conventions.
Juxtaposed against them, Claudio and Hero fall irrevocably into the stereotypes of the young, insecure 'boy' and the chaste daughter, appropriate of her 'modest office'. However it may seem 'artificial', from a different perspective, we can see that Shakespeare understood that an indisputable relationship was not just based on falling in love but also testing the limits of the bond, something he experimented with both the plots. Both couples use the underlying 'simple pattern' of courtship, the former with inherent conventionalities whilst the latter bearing a comedic twist, both ending in a conventional, expected manner. As it seems that a 'couple gains emotional experience and texture' through the difficulties supplied in 'Much Ado', Shakespeare perhaps had no intentions of portraying the Claudio-Hero plot as any less plausible than that of Beatrice and Benedick.
Claudio is often judged as being 'in love with [the image of] love', especially when compared with the resilience of Benedict's love for Beatrice when he swears 'by this hand, I love thee'. Beatrice in turn suggests it be used 'some other way than swearing by it', demonstrating to the audience that 'mere words are useless'; more importantly, we recall Claudio's words of praise to Hero, describing her as a 'jewel' and swearing to 'give away myself to you'. The decisive tone of the phrase adds to the superficiality of his intentions when juxtaposed with his later intentions to 'shame her where [he] should wed' her, leaving some to say it was 'exuberance that border[ed] on sadism'. What is seen as especially unnatural or 'distasteful' would be Hero's submissive attitude to her treatment and subsequent marriage to a man who had shamed her. However, from a literary point of view, Claudio and Hero are the stock characters which Shakespeare referenced from Bandello and Ariosto, and that their sketchy portrayal is for the sole purpose of fulfilling their conventional roles of comedy. With the genre of 'Much Ado' in place, Shakespeare needed to ensure a finale that would reflect that of the Elizabethan audience's expectations of world order by consolidating a double-marriage.
Moreover, we are constantly reminded of Claudio as the 'Lord Lackbeard' and 'Count Comfit, the young soldier who has come back from war having accomplished 'the feats of lion' in the 'figure of a lamb'. The combination of nicknames and antithesis highlighting his still new military career and perhaps age. This is again echoed when he seeks both Benedick and Don Pedro's approval to court Hero when he requests Benedick to 'speak in sober judgement'. The fact he should need another's opinion on matters such as love points to his self-doubt and lack of security and experience. Using Don John's malevolent intents, Shakespeare shows how easily Claudio falls into a trap, believing that someone as righteous as the Prince would lie and woo Hero for himself. The fact he was as 'civil as an orange' shows the extent of his jealousy, naivety and being far too sensitive over issues concerned with love. Thus, Shakespeare appears to be absolving some of Claudio's blame for reacting so strongly by slandering Hero by showing his flaws as a character and that nobody can be perfect(?).
The mourning scene is again used to lessen the impact of the hostile feelings the audience might have for Claudio - by showing his remorse. Props such as tapers, scrolls, tomb and mourning costumes add to the solemnity of the occasion and the recital of the poem with its paced verse and reinforcing rhyme of 'lies' and 'dies'. This contributes to the 'music, the ceremony....to carry the weight of Claudio's grief' on the viewers. Towards the end, Shakespeare hints at 'Good morrow[s]' better prospects for the mourners, steering 'Much Ado' back to the direction of a comedy. A sense of closure to the tragic scenes connoted by the words 'gentle day' and 'so the audience can look forward to the marriages and end of the play. Therefore, it could bet that Shakespeare used the scene of the ceremony to make Claudio's remorse more palpable, enabling the viewers to more readily suspend our disbelief...
Shakespeare makes use of this contrast to show us their differences as the older, experienced couple.
His ideals are precisely the reason why his faith in Hero is so easily challenged, suggesting his inexperience in love
'the battle of the sexes it portrays, for all its lighthearted wit, risks real consequences and casualties;'-claire mcEachern
'Claudio acts most unchivalrously and Beatrice is forced to seek a champion'-claire mcEachern
'one couple gains emotional experience and texture; the other has recourse to convention'-claire mcEachern