Much Ado About Nothing - THEMES
Love - Whole plot based around love and relationships.
Often we see contrasting pairs - Benedick and Beatrice insulting one another while
Claudio and Hero get engaged…. B & B falling in love while H & C split up AT their
wedding.
Different types of love:
1. Traditional elizabethan romance - Hero and Claudio
C wants marriage after war - falls in love based on beauty - “Can the world buy such
a jewel?”
H accepts marriage, does not know C. What her father wants.
2. Witty, love-hate relationship - Beatrice and Benedick
They have known each other before - have history - “I know you of old”
Make such a scene of not being interested in romance and audience that it becomes
clear to audience they are ‘meant to be’. - “When I said I would die a bachelor….”
3. Family Love - Hero, Beatrice, Leonato, Antonio
Always want the best for each other - very supportive and protective. (eg: L steps in
to try and humour C when he there is confusion at the wedding)
Often seen together in the play. B protective of H - “Sweet Hero, she is wronged,...”
NOTE* L betrays his own daughter and temporarily sides with DP and C - shows
male dominance - 1590s.
Reputation - Very precious to each character. Every character begins the play with
a good reputation - men have fought well in the war.
- Don John is the only character we know of that is supposedly known for his
bad reputation - “I am a plain-dealing villain”
- The most significant moment about reputation is at the failed wedding of H
and C. Claudio falls in to DJ’s trap of thinking H is an “approved wanton”
and no longer wants to be with a woman of this reputation. DP calls her a
“common stale”
- C uses the fact that H starts blushing against her - “she is blushing due to
guilt” even though earlier in the play he described this action as ‘virtuous and
innocent’
- H faints - she feels unable to cope with the unfair destruction of her
reputation.
- Leonato feels very uncomfortable because he doesn’t want the family
reputation to be damaged. He is more concerned with his own reputation and
turns against Hero momentarily, before even assessing the facts.
Love - Whole plot based around love and relationships.
Often we see contrasting pairs - Benedick and Beatrice insulting one another while
Claudio and Hero get engaged…. B & B falling in love while H & C split up AT their
wedding.
Different types of love:
1. Traditional elizabethan romance - Hero and Claudio
C wants marriage after war - falls in love based on beauty - “Can the world buy such
a jewel?”
H accepts marriage, does not know C. What her father wants.
2. Witty, love-hate relationship - Beatrice and Benedick
They have known each other before - have history - “I know you of old”
Make such a scene of not being interested in romance and audience that it becomes
clear to audience they are ‘meant to be’. - “When I said I would die a bachelor….”
3. Family Love - Hero, Beatrice, Leonato, Antonio
Always want the best for each other - very supportive and protective. (eg: L steps in
to try and humour C when he there is confusion at the wedding)
Often seen together in the play. B protective of H - “Sweet Hero, she is wronged,...”
NOTE* L betrays his own daughter and temporarily sides with DP and C - shows
male dominance - 1590s.
Reputation - Very precious to each character. Every character begins the play with
a good reputation - men have fought well in the war.
- Don John is the only character we know of that is supposedly known for his
bad reputation - “I am a plain-dealing villain”
- The most significant moment about reputation is at the failed wedding of H
and C. Claudio falls in to DJ’s trap of thinking H is an “approved wanton”
and no longer wants to be with a woman of this reputation. DP calls her a
“common stale”
- C uses the fact that H starts blushing against her - “she is blushing due to
guilt” even though earlier in the play he described this action as ‘virtuous and
innocent’
- H faints - she feels unable to cope with the unfair destruction of her
reputation.
- Leonato feels very uncomfortable because he doesn’t want the family
reputation to be damaged. He is more concerned with his own reputation and
turns against Hero momentarily, before even assessing the facts.
