Much Ado about Nothing Megan Douglas Discussion Director
I am so sorry guys! I don’t know how I forgot what play we chose, but whatever! Let’s try this again.
In the play, Much Ado About Nothing, it seems like Beatrice and Signor Benedick have a constant battle and do not really get along much. It mentions that there is “a skirmish of wit between them”. This I take to mean that they are both very clever and neither one of them is able to ‘outwit’ the other. Before I even read Act two of the play, I had predicted that they would end up falling for each other, for that is what usually happens with lovers that do not know know they love each other. What do you guys think will happen? Will the plan work or will they end up hating each other even more?
It seems as if most of the characters in this play are very cunning and devise many plans to try to make people fall in love. Do you think this happened a lot in Shakespeare’s time or is this idea what contributed to the play actually being a comedy?
With all of the many plans, there are sure to be flaws, as seen already with the plan to hook up Hero and Claudio. Will there be any major flaws do you think with the rest of the plans the characters devise? Could any possibly affect the plot greatly? If so, what could an example of one be?
Again, sorry about the wrong initial post!
~Megan Douglas
Category: Discussion Director 4 comments »
May 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
In my opinion, Beatrice and Benedick will end up falling in love because they do have a lot of similarities that will end up meshing. They seem to pick fun at each other, but perhaps it is their way of ‘flirting’. People who do not initially get along more often than not end up together.
I do think that there was some of this plan making back in Shakespeare’s time, for he probably had to get his ideas from somewhere! The flaws in the plans, I believe, is what contributes to the plays being comedies, for it gives the plot an ironic twist.
I think that there will be one major flaw that will lead to a twist in the play but will happen because of fate. An example of this flaw I think will be something with the major plan that Don John is devising with his servants. Maybe Claudio will not coopeerate and go and see the balcony scene. Also, Hero’s impersonator may not be completely willing to dress up or she will mess it up in some way.
~Megan Douglas
May 10th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
1) I have to agree with Megan. I see Beatrice and Benedick will end up together in the end. Sometimes the one you could never imagine being with, either because you are to close as friends or you can not stand them (which seems to be the case), is the one you end up with in the end. I have a question, if Beatrice doesn’t like Benedick and can’t stand him then why does she bring him up and why does she ask about him? I also think that making fun of eachother is their way of flirting.
2) I think that this may have happened in Shakespeare’s time but I think he magnified the idea in his plays. There has to be some ironic twist, like Megan said, that makes this a comedy. In this time were most marriges arranged? (I think they were but I really don’t know) If so, I think it would be difficult to make people fall in love when their spouse was already chosen. This is why I think Shakespeare expanded on the idea.
3) Once again I have to agree with Megan. Their must be some large flaw that makes this play interesting. It would not be a comedy with out some kind of mess up or misunderstanding. I think that the realy Hero will end up showing up at the balcony scene and ruin the plan. Just an idea!
~Lauren Gress~
p.s. Did anybody see Brittany’s post?
May 10th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
1. I agree with both of you guys. I think that seeing the play done at our school makes a difference, since we know what happens. But I do think that they will end up falling in love because of their similar qualities and personalities.
2. I think that there was a lot of this kind of thing going on back in Shakespeare’s time. A lot of Shakespeare’s plays were about romance, whether they were tragedies or comedies. I think that there was some kind of irony or dramatization that made the plays more interesting.
3. I agree with both of you guys. I think that there will be a big mishap. I agree that the problem will occur when the balcony scene is taking place. I think that something may happen that the impersenator of Hero’s name is called, or if Claudio really loves Hero, he may be able to recognize that it is not Hero.
-Maddie Zinn
In answer to your question Lauren, I talked to Brittany today and she told me she just didn’t post this weekend.
May 14th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Hello guys, i decided to post now…
1. Well to answer your first question Megan, I do believe that they will end up falling madly in love. They will get married and have lots of babies. I also think that their whole arguing thing is like a decoy to hide their true feelings from the rest of the world.
2. I think that their might have been a few plays like this in Shankespear’s era, but I also think that it has something to do with the play being catagorized as a comedy. There is nothing more humorous than a family scandal and betrayl. I guess the category of ‘funny’ has changed over the years.
3. There are always flaws in every plan. It is a comedy so something is bound to go wrong becasue there is nothing funny about a play going according to plan. So, I do think that something will go wrong, at this point I am not so sure as to what that might be, but it will happen eventually.
Brittany Miller