Play Run Through

Scene	Synopsis	Aspects of Comedy
Act 1
Scene 1	- Don Pedro, Don John, Claudio and Benedick are greeted into Leonato’s house. - Benedick and Beatrice have a playful argument. - Benedick announces that he will never get married. - Claudio falls in love with Hero - Don Pedro works out a plan with Claudio to make Hero his.	Wordplay/Innuendo- “Signior Mountanto” Mockery- “I promised to eat all of his killings” Scheming- “I will assume thy part in some disguise”.
Scene 2	- Leonato finds out about Don Pedro and Claudio’s plan through his brother whose servant overheard them plotting.	Dramatic irony- “thus much overheard... break with you of it.”
Scene 3	- Don John is unhappy with his brother and then finds out about the plan to woo Hero.	Dramatic irony- “intelligence of an intended marriage”
Act 2
Scene 1	- Beatrice claims that she doesn’t want a husband. - A dance begins with all men masked. - They all pair up. With Don Pedro wooing hero. - Benedick dances with Beatrice pretending to be someone else. - Claudio, after speaking with Don John, believes that Don Pedro loves Hero and has taken her for himself. - Benedick swears revenge for Beatrice’s description of him - Misunderstanding is sorted out. Claudio and Hero kiss. - Don Pedro proposes to Beatrice which she turns down - The wedding is planned for a week away - Another plan is made to match Beatrice and Benedick.	Mistaken identity- “Thus answer I in name of Benedick” Misunderstanding- “his conceit is false” Wordplay- “Civil as an orange”
Scene 2	- Don John and Borachio plot to ruin the wedding	Plotting and scheming “the poison of that lies in you”
Scene 3	- Benedick talks of love - Benedick hides from Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio. - They know Benedick is there and start talking about Beatrice - Benedick starts falling for Beatrice.
Act 3
Scene 1	- Beatrice overhears Hero talking about Benedick - Beatrice starts falling for Benedick
Scene 2	- Benedick is acting strange and Don Pedro and Claudio conclude that he is in love. - Don John breaks the fake news that Hero is unfaithful and invites Claudio to join him at midnight to see for himself.	Mockery Bawdiness/innuendo- “dies for him. She shall be buried with her face upwards”
Scene 3	- Meeting of the villages guards and Dogberry. - Borachio who is drunk tells his friend how he and Don John fooled Claudio. - The guards overhear and arrest them both	Mix- up- “Salvation” and “Damnation” Drunkenness - Borachio
Scene 4	- Hero prepares for her wedding. - Beatrice, Hero and Margaret talk of Beatrice’s love for Benedick.	Wordplay- “barns” and “bairns” Pun- Carduus Benedictus
Scene 5	- Dogberry talks to Leonarto about the two they arrested the other night. - Leonarto tells them to question the men themselves	Misunderstanding- Dogberry mistakes the word tedious as a compliment meaning rich
Act 4
Scene 1	- At the wedding Claudio announces that Hero is unfaithful. - He is backed by the Prince and Don John. - Hero faints, presumed dead but recovers - Leonarto doesn’t know who to believe but Beatrice and Benedick believe it was a set up. - They plot to fake Hero’s death	Plotting and scheming- “publish it that she is dead indeed”
Scene 2	- The watch examine Borachio and Conrade	Fools- Dogberry “I’m an ass”
Act 5
Scene 1	- Everybody hears of Hero’s death. - Leonarto and Antonio threaten Don Pedro and Claudio - Benedick challenges Claudio - Everybody finds out about Don John’s trick - Don John has fled	Mockery- “carve” a “calf’s head” (a fool) and a “capon” (impotent idiot) and a “woodcock” (a gullible dolt)
Scene 2	- Benedick talks to Margaret - Beatrice comes in and talks to Benedick about love	Innuendo- “pikes with the vice, and they are dangerous weapons for maids”
Scene 3	- Don Pedro and Claudio visit Hero’s tomb	Dramatic irony- Audience knows she is alive
Scene 4	- Claudio goes to marry Hero who is pretending to be her own cousin. - Benedick asks for permission to marry Beatrice. - Hero reveals herself - They get married happily - A messenger reveals that Don John has raised an army but it’s dismissed	Reveal- Hero reveals she is alive and Beatrice and Benedick reveal that they love each other. Mockery- “how dost thou, Benedick the married man”

The Gullings

How does the form of the language in this gulling scene differ from that used in the scene with Benedick?

Language and the form of the language plays a big part in the play as a whole and especially in these two scenes where Beatrice and Benedick are being fooled by their friends in order to kindle a relationship between them. Yet the similarities difference between the two scenes in the language used and how it is used are done deliberately to show the similarities and differences of Beatrice and Benedick. 

Shakespeare has changed the language over the scenes to highlight the difference in sex as when Benedick is being deceived the script is written in prose and the language and comedy is more bawdy and covered with double meanings such as "she will die" which had both a serious note and a ruder connotation. Whereas when Beatrice is tricked by Hero and Ursula the script changes to the more poetic form of verse to show the purer, the more romantic and feminine side which contrasts the men. The critic Michael Mangan wrote that the play was "partly based on the theme of a battle of the sexes" and in these two scenes the behaviour of the two sexes are seen. Especially since the character of Hero, who is supposed to represent the belief of a perfect woman as seen in the Elizabethan days and who spends most of the play not talking takes a main role in this scene, showing that she is more than the quiet girl who waits for instruction. This may be Shakespeare's way of pointing out that the perfect woman according to John Knox and others of the time did not exist.

Power comes into the scenes quite a lot as Hero and Don Pedro try to take the power away from Beatrice and Benedick who are both known to be head-strong and independent characters. They try to take power through mockery and slander as they reveal truths about the characters that appear shocking to the characters own ears. In the first scene with Benedick however they mix up the insults with praise in order to make Benedick feel special and not just "any man" so that he would go after Beatrice. Camille Wells Slights says that language is used "as an articulation of power" and that it is the language that holds the power which is true to some extent in the book. However here Don Pedro gains the majority of his power from his status and even when Benedick thinks "this a gull" he continues to listen because "the white bearded fellow speaks it" showing that Don Pedro is the main power holder throughout the whole play. In the scene with Beatrice, Hero seems to talk the most and Beatrice who is known from earlier in the play to use wit to gain power is uncharacteristically quiet until the end of the scene.

Overall the language used in Beatrice's scene differs due to the difference in sex and the different approaches to the deception however their are also many similarities in the types of comedy and other aspects.

Summaries

Summaries

1. Claudio and Hero have fallen in love, Beatrice and Benedick admit to having some liking. Comedy comes from the wit and bawdy jokes.

Introduction to Much Ado

Much Ado About Nothing

William Shakespeare

Introduction

Much Ado About Nothing one of Shakespeare's comedy plays, written in the later years of the 16th century during the middle of Shakespeare's career. It is centered around the farcical business of courtship and love and shows some truths about society to reveal comedy for example Beatrice, the heroine, is portrayed very differently from the ideal women of the time in order to show how incorrect the stereotype is. The play is also made to appeal on different levels with bawdy and simple jokes mixed in with witty and well thought out jokes and also makes fun of itself by showing that it is not real and is just a play. This means that no matter which level the audience sees and even if they are unsure or do not understand certain parts there is still humor to be found as well as comedic and dramatic techniques that are still around today.

The Basics

Setting- The play is set in Italy, which at the time was considered very exotic and popular but also meant that Shakespeare could take away the normal rules of society to cause chaos and ridiculous situations to occur in the plot. 

Plot- The story starts with Leonarto greeting visitors to his house, these turn out to be Don Pedro, a Prince, his soldiers, Benedick and Claudio and his illegitimate brother (the main antagonist of the play). Claudio instantly falls in love with the quiet daughter of Leonarto and asks Don Pedro for help. Despite Benedick's moaning about marriage Don Pedro forms a plan to woo Hero on Claudio's behalf which instantly forebodes a misunderstanding. However when Don John finds out about this he plots to make mischief.
At the feast that Leonarto has prepared for his guests the act of courtship is seen and Shakespeare has purposely put the men in masks despite the fact they aren't needed to show the unnecessary rules of wooing. Everybody pairs up including Don Pedro, pretending to be Claudio, and Hero, as well as Beatrice and Benedick who use this as an opportunity to insult each other. Don John however deliberately tells Claudio that Don Pedro wants Hero for himself and Claudio believe him however this is sorted out and the marriage is arranged much to Don John's dismay. More scheming happens as everybody plans to match Beatrice and Benedick together and Don John plots to ruin the wedding.

Later Leonarto, Don Pedro and Claudio talk about Beatrice when they know that Benedick is eavesdropping. They say that Beatrice really loves Benedick but would never admit it, this leads to Benedick secretly admitting to himself that he likes Beatrice back but also fuels his ego.

Beatrice also overhears a conversation this time from Hero, her cousin where they say that Benedick secretly likes Beatrice, kindling a secret love between them despite their usually bickering which turns into an act.

Don Pedro's plan to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro into thinking that Hero is unfaithful works, however the critical part of the plan is not seen and is only talked about. Once they are fooled Borachio, one of Don John's men who played a large role in the plan was caught by the village watch bragging and was arrested.

More hints to Beatrice and Benedick as a couple are dropped into the conversations as everybody prepares for the wedding of Hero and Claudio.

However during the ceremony Claudio accuses Hero of being unfaithful after fooling for Don John's plan, he is backed up by Don Pedro and Hero faints at the accusations. Beatrice and Benedick stick together and support Hero instead of Claudio. From this the friar comes up with a plan to rid Hero of the slander by pretending she is dead in a hope that Claudio would feel guilty and revoke the accusation.

At this point the village watch had interviewed Borachio and found out about the plot which they tell Leonarto, Claudio and the Prince. While Beatrice and Benedick slowly become more forward in their love, Claudio and Don Pedro visit Hero's supposed tomb to pay respects. Leonarto reveals that Hero had a cousin who was exactly the same as Hero and would inherit his wealth just like Hero and Claudio promises to marry her.

At the wedding Hero reveals herself to be still alive and Beatrice and Benedick reveal their love and a double marriage occurs, followed by a celebration typical to a comedy play. The play actually ends on a dark moment that is quickly dismissed in the party as a messenger brings new of Don John raising an army.

Characters
Benedick- The Bragging Soldier character. Benedick enters the play very arrogantly yet it soon turns out to be the opposite as whenever he is challenged Benedick is the sort of man to run away to sulk. He swears that he will always be a bachelor despite his claims of being loved by all women. Whereas Don Pedro and Claudio support love Benedick is the character to talk down about it and turning it into farce. Due to his exaggerated nature it has been said that Benedick is the entertainer of the group yet because of his mannerisms its hard to tell if he always loved Beatrice or if he falls in love with her after a crucial moment, all that is known is that he has always admired her as he described her as being almost perfect in the first scene.