Shakespeare & Theatrical Aspects - Essay Example

First sur Lecturer’s Theatre art in Much Ado about Nothing Theatre as an art has undergone rapid changes in a number of areas in the recent past. These areas include how it is projected to the audience as well as the theatrical effects, which have particularly benefited immensely from the visual and sound technology. However, its roles have basically not changed much since Elizabethan ear, the golden era of England’s literature and theatre. Today, the theatre still plays its roles of entertainment and education the only difference between now and the Elizabethan era is that the rapid rise in the popularity of theatres displayed during the era is no longer there. Despite this, Shakespeare’s plays and their adaptations and variants are still staged in theatres around the world from time to time. According to Allardyce Nicoll (2007) in her book Shakespear Survey, the most staged among Shakespeare’s plays around the world include Othello, Much Ado about Nothing, Macbeth, as You Like it, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth night, the Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra. The book that details surveys in a number of countries around the world suggests that there seems to be popularity of Shakespeare’s plays even among non-theatre-going public. This has been attributed to a number of reasons including the use of language, the stylistic devices and the theatrics he employed. In this paper I will explore how Shakespeare’s use of theatre art in Much Ado about Nothing has been calculated to teach, rebuke and correct audiences and thus bring the community together. Much Ado about Nothing, which most students of Shakespeare’s works date to have been written between 1598 and 1599 (Stevenson, 1998, p.xvii) is always categorized as a comedy, written in the middle phase of Shakespeare’s writing career. In it, Shakespeare uses the art of theatre in a number of occasions to various calculated effects. These effects may be to deepen the plot, to bring out the personality of a character, to build up a theme or even to achieve an overall style of the play and in so doing the audiences are taught character and virtue as well as being rebuked. Some of these theatre art elements evident in Much Ado about Nothing include: Masquing, a style in which masked actors represent allegorical or mythological characters, is used to a large extent in the play; it is actually the driving force in the play and has been used to various effects. There is masquing when Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthasar, Don John, Borachio, Margaret, Ursula and others wear mask and enter the party where Don Pedro is to woo Hero on Claudio’s behalf. In this instance the masquing is effective in creating an atmosphere where the characters freely display their affection. Beatrice for example talks to Benedick without the knowledge that she is actually talking to Benedick. In the talk, she admits Benedick’s humor. Don John also takes advantage of Claudio’s mask and brands him to be Benedick and discredits Don Pedro, who was to woo Hero saying Pedro is actually wooing her for himself. In this instance masking is an effective tool in portraying Don John’s and Borachio’s villainy. At the same time it also serves to endear Don Pedro more to Claudio. Onother instance of masquing is when Margaret poses as Hero to discredit her. The plan hatched by Barochio succeeds since Claudio and Don John also hear the conversation and believe Hero to be unfaithful. Hero also connives with her father and friar Francis to say that she is dead and arouse guilt in Claudio. Masquing has therefore been used to show the audience how having a strong individual character and ethics can help resolve issues of misunderstandings. Friar Francis is convinced that Hero cannot be guilty of unfaithfulness, and that Don John must be behind the plot to shame Hero and her father. Shakespeare here seems to say that a person’s perception about another is directly related to the character of the other person. Play within play There is an instance of play within a play when the ladies led by Hero and Don Pedro’s men conspire to have Benedick and Beatrice marry. Knowing that both Beatrice and Benedick are eavesdropping on their conversation intimate how each loves the other. They also talk about the defects that hinder each of the from approaching the other. These calculated moves make both Benedick and Beatrice to requite the other’s perceived love. To some extent, Shakespeare uses this style to teach the audience about the pride and its roots. By allowing Benedick and Beatrice to view know of the others mind, we are told that the root course a person’s arrogance is their ignorance about the other’s intentions. Info dumping In this device, a character gives the audience concentrated amount of information about a particular thing in the play in the form of a conversation. There a re numerous instances of the use of this device in the play. In Act iii scene 3, Borachio, in a conversation with Comrade reveals how he wooed Margaret in the name of Hero to discredit Hero. In this instance the audiences come to learn how the Borachio’s plan was executed. While there are many instances of this device, Shakespeare used it mostly since his play lacked the numerous stage directions that are common in plays today. Info dumping (plot dump) is therefore used to inform the audience of an event or events that are about to unfold but will require some background information to be understood well. Info dumping is therefore used to create awareness about listening. By listening to someone’s words we can learn more about his background and other information that we may nee. Humor Humor is one of the main theatre devices extensively employed in this play. When Beatrice is told about the return of Benedick of Padua and asked by a messenger whether Benedick is in her books (meaning friend) she replies by saying “No; an he were, I would burn my study” she further compares Benedick to a disease and pities Claudio saying “if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere a be cured”. This humor is used to set up the irony at the end of the play by presenting the two (Beatrice and Benedick) as opposite. Throughout the play humor is mostly displayed by Benedick and Beatrice or in connection to them. Their pride and sharp wits which make them to dissect each other whenever they are talking of the other offers the rich humor in the play. Humor is effective in that it doesnot totally allianate the characters even though they critically criticize one another (Benedick and Beatrice), it is therefore used to teach patience and how to maintain relationships. Irony there are many instances of irony in the play. Dramatic irony is achieved in the play when we see Claudio repentant after having realized that he had ashamed Hero wrongfully which led to her death. Claudio is so remorseful that he agrees to marry Hero’s cousin in her stead. He does not know that Hero is actually alive. This irony serves to show Claudio’s repentant spirit and builds him as gentle. Benedick and Beatrice are also played against each other. Each believe that the things they are hearing about the other is true and that the other truly loves them. They therefore requite the other’s love without knowing or suspecting that the talks are actually made up. These ironies have been used to develop the plot of the play. The play actually revolves around Benedick and Beatrice. The two adversary who had “…a skirmish of wit between them.” Whenever they met are paralleled and developed and used to dupe the audience to believe that there is no hope for the two, this we find that builds on the plot twist which comes when we the two later agree to marry. The many instances of irony in this play are geared towards showing how prejudgment is dangerous. Most of the characters presumed opinions in the play change setting a stage for regrets and remorse. Shakespeare therefore tries to warn the audiences about the evils of prejudgment. Allusion Like most of Shakespeare’s plays there is extensive allusion to Greek gods and goddesses. Benedick tells Claudio “…to tell us Cupid is a good hare-finder and Vulcan a rare carpenter?”. This is just to tell Claudio that he should not lie to him by inferring that Claudio is like telling him that Cupid, god of love, is a hunter and Vulcan, god of fire, a carpenter. There are also other mention of other Greek gods such as Hymen (god of marriage), Phoebus (sun god), Jove (Jupiter, god of oaths). Allusion in this play has been used mainly to emphasize a point, and thus help in building a coherent plot. Poetic justice, There is poetic justice when Claudio maries Hero. The apathetic Claudio repentant for having caused the death of Hero agrees to marry Hero’s statue (Leonato’s niece) but is really surprised to realize that it is actually Hero who he is marrying. Don John is also caught in flight after having treacherously tricked his brother into believing that Hero was not a virgin and hence disgracing her. In the play, the poetic justice is used to clarify Claudio’s intentions and reasons for disgracing Hero. It is through it that we also realize his repentant spirit. Poetic justice serves to both encourage good works as well as discouraging lies and treachery. Poetic justice, while not always applicable in normal day-to-day life is a way Shakespeare shows the idea situation; how things should be. In this way he help enforce our view of ethics. By using these arts of the theatre, Shakespeare has critically examined our perceptions about role of women, marriage, and love as well as other virtues and vice such as pride and deception. Beatrice, Hero, Margaret and Ursula are women in the play with varying characters. Apart from Beatrice, they are all portrayed as subservient to their male counterparts. Thus Shakespeare contrasts them to Beatrice who is witty and proud. The pride in her is viciously attacked by Hero insinuating that she might never get a husband with such a tongue and heart. This seemingly affects Beatrice who reflects on her character. The social representation in this play tends to favor males than females. One instance of this is in the character of Claudio. He is represented as a gallant young soldier whose only crime is being lied to by his ‘bastard’ brother Don John. Throughout the staging of this play, there has been a consistent effort to portray him in the best of lights (Shakespeare & McEachern, 88). These positive portrayals have trivialized Hero’s humiliation and shame as well as excusing Claudio’s disrespect. References Nicoll, Allardyce. Shakespeare Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007 Shakespeare, William & David L. Stevenson. Much ado about Nothing. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. Shakespeare, William & Claire Elizabeth McEachern. Much ado about Nothing. Cengage Learning EMEA, 2006. Read More