A Play in Which Language is a Key Focus

Much Ado About nothing is a comedy of scheming, deceit and a battle of wits. It is a Shakespearean classic that is noted for its excellent use of different words of the English language. This particular edition was adapted by A.R. Humphreys in 1958.

Language is a key focus, in Much Ado About Nothing as its heavily concentrated with metaphors and decorated by rhetoric. For example: Benedick and his companions try to show their social graces both in their behavior and in their speech. Shakespeare does this to make fun at the fairy tale use of language of love, as when Claudio falls in love he tries to be the perfect liegeman by using intricate language.

Shakespeare’s use of language in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ gives us an in incite into characters, class and feelings. However in terms of Beatrice and Benedick, the language they use frequently changes. Both Benedick and Beatrice argue with delightful wit, in which Shakespeare develops their relationship from friction to sincere love and affection with an affluent sense humor and compassion.

In my opinion I believe that since Beatrice and Benefice have history together behind them that then adds weight to their relationship, even though they are typical lovers in Shakespeare’s comedies, their unhealthy competitiveness reveals them to be childish amateurs when it comes to love. Benedick’s character is seen as anti-marriage and love, in which he sees himself as a bachelor for which no woman could ever make him love stick, whereas Beatrice’s character is similar in terms of being dominant. Shakespeare does this to add strength to her character, as it’s unconventional for a woman in the 17th century not to want marriage. The language expressed by the both of them in terms of love is similar, for example at the beginning of the play, Leonato relates to other characters that there is a merry war between them.

Much Ado About Nothing is a play in which language is a key focus, therefore Shakespeare’s use of language is important in terms of how it’s represented. He uses alliteration for example; in Act І scene І where Beatrice says “But how many hath he killed?” for expressing and showing significance to what he’s trying to get across. Shakespeare uses rhyming verse to express a romantic way of speaking, this comes across in Act ІІ scene ІІІ, lines 61-74 when Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato are doing the tricky scene. I believe Shakespeare uses romantic language only for Beatrice and Benedick to empathize and grab the reader’s attention on their relationship, as it’s the most significant in the play. By Shakespeare putting a song in Act ІІ scene ІІІ is used to persuade Benedick to make a move towards Beatrice in terms of marriage. However couplets and a sonnet is used when Beatrice discover Benedick’s feeling for her, whereas he uses soliloquy language for Benedick to overcome what he has heard. Shakespeare’s use of question marks frequently appears in Act І scene ІІІ as Don John and Borachio confirm their plot. In scene ІІІ, the use of language is the key important scene in terms of language as Shakespeare uses metaphors to describe corruption and the use of food, disease, medicine and paradox to describe his scheme. Even though Shakespeare employs language with reference to food, disease and medicine he’s using them in the opposite way.

In my opinion “Much Ado About Nothing” was undoubtedly insightful, however the fact that ridicules me is the lack of power and culture of women. I find it hard to understand the immediate denunciation and dismissal of Hero when Claudio relieves her unfullfillment to chastity and calls her “approved wanton” but when they find out that Hero was the victim of deception and Margaret was the one who slept with Borachio she goes unpunished. It is stress that a women should keep their virginity until they are married, however Margaret has not done such a thing. The lack of female power and authority goes unwrong which Shakespeare points this out in Beatrice’s character in which she comments;

In my opinion the language is the key focus as language centers all the characters in the play, for example the extent of blank verse being used for all the characters even those with a lower socially class. I believe that the language used amongst the characters gives us an insight into their feelings and their personalities and how Shakespeare expresses them shows us what kind of person they are. In my opinion I believe that the way the characters talk to one another shows how Shakespeare wants to break down that social barrier between social classes. This is done effectively as we see in Act V scene І; all people of different social class speak on the same level of language.

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