Mr_Shank

In act 2 we still see that Bianco is not completly sure who she prefers. Or she is hiding it from us.  The quote is siad by Bianco to Katherine while she is being beaten “    Is it for him you do envy me so?
    Nay then you jest, and now I well perceive
    You have but jested with me all this while:
    I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands.

This quote shows that Katherine is completly jealous that Bianco’s ability to choose and wait for the right suitor. Why do you think that Katherine is so jealous of Bianco. Do you think that Katherine went to far by beating the living crap out of Bianco? Who do you feel is the best suitor? Why?

The character that I want to look at now is Puck, yes he is introduced in Scene 2 but he also creates a lot of tension for the lovers that has an upside down turn of events.  It is because of Oberon that the tension has started in the first place, he was trying to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena because he was so cruel to her, but Puck thinks that Lysander is Demetrius and places the love potion on him, so that when Lysander awakes and sees Helena he falls in love with her, and when Puck tries to undo his mistake he ends up making both Lysander and Demetrius in love with Helena and they both want to fight as well as Hermia does with Helena.

Puck is a very interesting character from the beginning of the story, he is mischievous but tends to be good and make everything back to normal for our four main characters.  Do you think that Oberon should have trusted Puck in the first place with the love potion?  Do you think that Puck likes to do a good thing once in a while or is he naturally mischievous and got a good laugh out of what he did to the four lovers?  Why do you think that Puck is a follower of Oberon instead of Titania, should he have been a follower of Titania?

As for Oberon, he hates his wife at the moment but does good for the four lovers by setting them straight and having them fall in love with the right person. Why do you think this is?

-Kianat Zamir

Basically in this section of the play, several important events take place. For one Beatrice and Benedick hook up in a really weird and round about sort of way. There seems to be a lot of involvement from people who are not invloved in this situation which plays in to this happening. If that makes sense, which it probably doesn’t, but oh well its taking up space. Anyway another thing that happens is that Don John convinces Claudio that his fiance, Hero, is a whore. This is just mean and all around wrong. Hero is in no way a whore and Don John needs to mind his own business and try to make his life happier instead of making everyone else’s lives miserable like his. The wedding is set for the next day and Hero doens’t know that Claudio thinks that she is a whore. This could make the following events rather special.

How do you think Hero is going to react to Claudio calling her an allegid whore?

Why do Beatrice and Benedick finally agree to ‘hook up’, after all this time of constant fighting and bickering?

How do you think this whole wedding situation is going to end for both Claudio and Hero?

Act 2:

Scene 1:

This act begins with Duke Senior and Lord Amiens speaking about the forest and what has happened. Then they begin to speak about dinner, and Duke Senior wants to see Jaques. Not much really happens in this scene.

Scene 2:

In this scene Duke Fredrick finds out that Rosalind, Touchstone, and Celia have all run away. He is angry that no one saw them leave. Celia’s maid heard Rosalind and Celia complementing Orlando on his looks and fighting skills. Duke Frederick thinks that Orlando is probably with Celia and Rosalind so he wants everyone to search. He also send a lord to give Oliver a message.

Scene 3:

Orlando is coming how from the match he won. His servant Adam has already heard the new, but is not happy for his master’s win. He tells him that his brother Oliver is furious and is planning to burn down his house while he is sleeping, and if that doesn’t work then he will find some other way to kill him. Orlando and Adam come up with a plan to use Adam’s savings and head to the Forest of Arden. Even though Adam is old he is willing to stay by his master’s side.

Scene 4:

This scene is Rosalind, Touchstone, and Celia walking. Celia is getting extremely tired and so is Rosalind , but Rosalind is hiding her emotion to better portray a male figure. While walking 2 shepherds walk by them and they overhear the conversation. The Young shepherd Silvius heartbroken and is complaining to the older shepherd Corin. Silvius is saying that Corin has no idea what he is going through and wanders off. Corin stops to speak to Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone. Rosalind is connecting herself and being heartbroken to the younger shepherd’s situation, but she hides her emotions. They ask Corin if there is any place they could buy to eat and sleep. Corin tells them that his master’s pasture is for sale. Rosalind and Celia decide to buy it.

Scene 5:

In this scene it is Jaques and Amiens. Amiens is singing a song to Jaques, and Jaques wants him to keep singing more even though it makes him sad. Jaques even wrote his own verse and sings it.

Scene 6:

This scene is very short the story pops back in with Adam and Orlando they are now traveling and Adam with his old age is very hungry and tired. He tells Orlando that he is going to die. Orlando is gonna go get him some food, but he doesn’t just want to leave him there so he takes him to shelter before he leaves to get food.

scene 7:

Duke Senior is about to send someone to find Jaques when Jaques comes walking over. Jaques tells a story about how he met a fool and now would like to be one.  Jaques and Duke Senior are having a playful argument when Orlando breaks the conversation with his sword drawn demanding for food. Orlando calms down and Duke Senior realizes that Orlando is the son of his old friend. He invites him to eat, but before Orlando will eat he goes to get Adam to eat first.

Fool- A professional jester:there seems to be a lot of fool’s in this play

Melancholy- A gloomy state of mind: This desccribes Rosalind and Silivius

Sullen-Showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve: i didn’t know what it ment

hither-To or torward this place: Its a funny word

Humorous-funny: goes with the comedy theme

1. How does this play relate to Romeo and Juliet?

2. Now that Orlando has met Rosalind’s father do you think they will have a better chance of being together?

3. What do you think will happen next? Will Duke Fredrick find Celia? Will Rosalind and Orlando be together?

Ok, in Act 3 a lot is happening.  Two of the most important things that happen are:  Beatrice and Benedict getting together, and Don Jon ruining Claudio and Hero’s love by telling Claudio that Hero’s a whore.  

The fact that Beatrice and Benedict are trying to date the other out of pity reminds me again of Drive Me Crazy.  In the movie two neighbors go through bad break-ups and decide that they will pretend to go out with the other out of pity, [and to try to make their ex’s jealous.  In the movie the two end up truly falling in love, which I predict will be the case in Much Ado About Nothing.  I think that Beatrice and Benedict will truly fall in love with one another, but may have a difficult time showing it.

Do you think that Beatrice and Benedict will truly fall in love or do you think that they are really just doing it out of pity for the other?

-Maddie Zinn

Act III, Scene I

Act III begins with a scene involving the “actors”.  While the six are rehearsing their play they run into some problems that Bottom starts to point out.  He believes that the women in the audience will be scared if his character kills himself with a sword.  This shows how they are continuing a belief that the audience will not be able to separate the fantasy of the story from the reality that it is just a play.  If you remember, in my last post, I said that Shakespeare was using two different settings to merge the fantasy world and real world together in order to make the audience believe in what is happening.  Why does Shakespeare use two completely different views within the same play?

The next problem that comes up in the play is how they will be able to portray certain things such as moonlight and a wall.  The actors decide that the way to deal with this is to have someone put into a costume that represents the moon and to have someone play a wall and hold their fingers apart to represent the cracks in it.  This brings back the idea that the men believe the audience has a strong imagination: with any costume, they can play any object.  The idea of visually having someone represent the moon makes me wonder if the actors lack their own imagination.  The way they are planing to portray the moon shows how they take everything too literally, instead of using their “acting skills” to let the audience imagine the moon (which they are certainly capable of, seeing as the women will grow faint when Bottom is “killed”).  This, once again, shows the incongruity of the actors which brings me back to my original question – why does Shakespeare use two completely different views with the same play?

Act III, Scene II

In this scene, the action of the play is at its height and is ultimately the most confusing scene so far.  All the characters are interacting with the others, or believing they are, without even seeing them.  Again, the theme of the scene is love and all the different forms it can come in.  Here is an example, using a quote from Helena.

Is all the counsel that we two have shared, 

The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent 

When we have chid the hasty-footed time 

For parting us—oh, is it all forgot?

All schooldays’ friendship, childhood innocence? 

We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, 

Have with our needles created both one flower, 

Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, 

Both warbling of one song, both in one key,

As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds, 

Had been incorporate. So we grew together, 

Like to a double cherry—seeming parted

But yet an union in partition— 

Two lovely berries molded on one stem;

So, with two seeming bodies but one heart, 

Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, 

Due but to one and crownèd with one crest. 

And will you rent our ancient love asunder 

To join with men in scorning your poor friend?

It is not friendly, ’tis not maidenly. 

Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it, 

Though I alone do feel the injury.

Here Helena is talking about the bond of friendship that she and Hermia once shared and how Hermia is throwing it all away for a person she loves.  This love between two friends is like the one shared between Titania and the Indian Women.  In both cases, the friends have to put their friendship before their love for their partner.  Titania had to suffer the wrath of Oberon in order to preserve her promise to keep the Indian boy safe and Helena is asking Hermia to remember their bond while she walks away from her love, Demetrius. In both cases, the women are the ones who have a strong friendship and are the ones who are taking the hits for it.  What do you think about this?  Is friendship a more important part of a woman’s life than it is a man’s?

Act IV, Scenes I + 2

I am combining these two scenes together because my discussion applies to both.  When Bottom comes back to the troupe, he realizes that something incredible has happened, but he can’t remember what – it’s like a dream that he is trying to recall, but keeps slipping through his fingers.  This is like all of the lovers in Scene I – they can’t remember how they got into the woods or why they were there, but still some vague clues of what happened that night linger in their minds.  I would like to relate this back to my first post (again).  I posted a quote from Lysander talking about how true love faces all kinds of obstacles and it can disappear as quickly as a dream.  In this scene, everyone is waking up from a “dream” after losing their “true loves”.  So, in what ways was the foreshadow fulfilled throughout the play?  In what ways was it incorrect?  

Recap:

1. Why does Shakespeare use two completely different views within the same play? (Answer for fantasy/reality and incongruity of the actors)
2. What do you think about friendship suffering for love?  Is friendship a more important part of a woman’s life than it is a man’s?
3. In what ways was the foreshadowing in Lysander’s quote fulfilled throughout the play?  In what ways was it incorrect?  

That’s all for now!

Erin B

In this section we see that Bianca and Lucentio are becoming closer and seem to like each other. During this processes everyone seems to be something they are not. This reminds me of the movie Wedding Crashers. In that movie these two guys go to peoples weddings and pretend to be something they are not to pick up women. Eventually one of them actually falls in love with one of the people at the wedding. he goes and meets her crazy family along with his friend who is not looking for love but is roped into it. Eventually she finds out what he really is and is ashamed and turns him away.

This same type of thing seems to be happening. Although everybody is lying and being something they are not to find love instead of a cheap short lived “party”. Lucentio is in love with Bianca and Bianca may be falling in love with Lucentio.  Bianca definitely seems to have a crazy family with Kathrina. I believe that when Bianca finds out who Lucentio really is if she ever finds out who Lucentio really is the same thing might happen and she will turn him away and turn to Hortensio and Lucentio will have to fight to get her back.

So my question for you is do you think that Bianca will find out who everybody really is and if she does will she accept Lucentio or will she desert him and turn to another suitor? Or do you think something completely different will happen? Be creative.

-Taran

Act Three, Scene One
      Hero tells Margaret to get Beatrice, and tells her that she overheard Ursula and Beatrice gossiping in the orchard. Hero then tells Ursula to talk Benedick, pretending that he was madly in love with Beatrice. They make this plan, and then wait for Beatrice to hide in the orchard to go to the hiding spot. Once they are there, Hero says that Benedick is madly in love with Beatrice, but she would never tell Beatrice that because Benedick would just get turned down. The ladies continue saying things along these lines, including the statement that Benedick is a fine man and would be a great match for Beatrice. After they leave, Benedick says that she will plan on marrying Benedick.
    Do you think it is a bad idea to bring these two together (Beatrice and Benedick) by lying? I think that it may not be the best idea, because Beatrice and Benedick really did not have the exact feelings for each other that they are saying they do.

Act Three, Scene Two
      Benedick is noticably been sad, and Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato have taken notice. They tease him, and Benedick asks Leonato if he could speak to him in private. Don Pedro and Claudio are quick to accuse him of wanting to talk about Beatrice.
      Don John then comes in the scene, and tells Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero is unfaithful. He says he will show them that he is not lying, telling them to go with him to look in her window that night. Claudio says if he sees anything, he will shame her before the wedding. Then all agree then to meet Don John that night.
     Why do you think Don John is so obsessed with ruining the marriage? Also before you read the outcome, did you think Claudio and Don Pedro would believe what they saw in Hero’s window?

Act Three, Scene Three
      Dogberry and Verges assign a watchmen for the night. They tell the watchman what to do to guard, and Dogberry says to only wake him up if something important happens. Soon later, Borachio and Conrad come up and accidently stand within hearing distance of the watchman. Borachio tells Conrad that he earned a thousand ducats from Don John that night because he wooed Margaret in Hero’s room and called her Hero. Meanwhile, Don John had brought Don Pedro and Claudio to orchard where they watched this whole scene, being convinced that Hero has another lover. One of the watchmen then arrests Borachio and Conrad for villainy. They are then taken to be interrogated.
     What do you guys think Borachio and Conrad will say when they are interrogated about their villainy? They must not have been too smart and not careful enough to talk in hearing-distance of the watchman.

Act Three, Scene Four
       Margaret is helping Hero get ready for her wedding. She then sends Ursula to get Beatrice, who has come down with some sort of sickness. Margaret then tells Beatrice that Benedick is in love. She then says that maybe someday Beatrice will come to love him too. Ursula then tells Hero that the men are there to take her to the church.
     Are the men totally fine with Hero now? Aren’t the men who saw Hero in her window going to say anything about it?

Act Three, Scene Five
      Dogberry had told Leonato that two men were arrested the previous night. He asks Leonato to interrogate the men, but Leonato rejects the offer because the wedding is that day, and tells Dogberry to do it himself. Dogberry tells Verges to get one of the men who can write to examine the two men, so he can write everything down and give it to Leonato.
   Do you think that this examination will help or ruin the marriage? Will the interrogation be a good thing or a bad thing for the marriage? And how do you think Leonato will react?

Just let me know if you need any help with vocabulary or words, or figuring out what something means.

-Leah Sevco

This Act of the book involves a lot of sneakery and general cloak and dagger Splinter Cell type operations going on.  Rosalind is hardcore messing with Orlando by disguising herself like a boy.  Jaques is stealthily creeping after Touchstone and Co. in the forest.  In the Act, we see a lot of sneakery, but not a lot of playery.  What I mean to say is in this section, not a lot is revealed about the characters.  This act focuses purely on character to character interaction.  My question for you is do you think that Rosalind (Name is familar) and Orlando get married?  Do you think that their romance will blossom?

Brian Wawrzyniak

First off, Mr. Shank, since the title of the play is as you like it, I would like to say that I would like it if I never would have had to read it. This honestly serves no purpose except to get in one last torture session before the year is over.

Now about the play……

Act III

The act starts off with Oliver searching for Orlando. He then goes to see Duke Frederick, he tells Oliver that if Orlando isn’t found in a year he will take of Oliver’s property and while he is searching for him the duke will temporarily seize his land. In the next scene Orlando is running through the forest hanging up poems about Rosalind hoping that others will read them and appreciate her like he does. Corin and Touchstone walk through the forest unaware of the poems, Rosalind enters shortly after they do. She and her friend Celia, who is also in disguise, agree that the poems are badly written. But when Rosalind finds out that Orlando wrote them she becomes incredibly excited and wants to know everything about him. As the women are talking they hear voices and decide to hide. Orlando and Jaques walk enter and are arguing with one another. Jaques leaves to wonder the forest alone; Rosalind sees this as the opportunity to approach him as Ganymede. She talks to him about the poems about Rosalind and he says that is madly in love. She disagrees with him and then tells him to try and woo her (Ganymede) as if she were Rosalind (she really is Rosalind). She asks Orlando if she could tutor him in the ways of love. He agrees to come to her house and learn from her (he thinks he’s talking to Ganymede). In the next scene Touchstone and his mistress are wandering around in the forest, Jaques is closely following. They talk about their situation and also how he has already arranged a marriage for them. During the ceremony the priest (or guy whose marrying them, whatever he’s called) says that in order for it to be official someone must give the bride away. Jaques offers to help but then persuades the two lovers to get married in an actual church. The three of them leave the forest leaving the priest alone and confused. The next scene starts off with Rosalind (Ganymede) waiting for Orlando to show up, he does not. Rosalind becomes worried and slightly angry; she compares him to Judas from the bible. Celia says that he’s not a traitor but basically says that Orlando can not be depended on since he’s in love. Corin then enters and tells the women that Silvius is about to try and woo Phoebe, and wanted to know if they wanted to watch. Rosalind agrees and goes to see what happens, but she intends to do more than just watch. The next scene starts with Silvius begging Phoebe to take accept him. Corin and the disguised Celia and Rosalind enter to see Phoebe’s reply. She mocks the way he talks and says that if her eyes are murderers why isn’t he dead yet. Rosalind steps in and tells Phoebe that she should be lucky that Silvius wants her. Phoebe instead falls in love with Ganymede right then and there, seeing this Rosalind departs with Celia, as to try and avoid any more trouble. She tells Silvius that she wants him to deliver a letter to Ganymede from her, not a love letter but one taunting Ganymede. Although I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a love letter. 

Words to your mother:

chaste- to abstain from sex

copulation- to have sexual intercourse

cuckoldly- to be a man with an unfaithful wife

ere- before time itself

medlar- a fruit shaped tree

Questions: Everyone is the play seems to be eavesdropping all the time, why do you think that is? Are they just nosey or was it a cultural thing?

Adam Lough