As we briefly talked about in the class, what does the title of this play actually mean? We spoke about how there are a few different levels to it; 2 different puns; the first one being that men have some THING and women have NOTHING,which is the Elizabethian slang term for vagina. The play deals with a variety of highs and lows of the relationships between different men and women, gossip, suspicion ,and lack thereof. When the title is viewed in this way, the women are the ones being put in a powerful and central role, the men are the ones that are working while the women are what they are working for.
This can also be linked to a saucy romantic comedy where the men are looking for women to be with. However, one may interpret it as the men chasing around nothing. Also, it can be related to the theme of power and how the play takes place in a masculine setting. The second pun is to focus on the word nothing, which also sounds like noting and we can describe this as watching/making note of. The title may be deliberately a paradox, in order to catch the eyes of the reader. The play deals with a variety of highs and lows of the relationships between different men and women, gossip, suspicion of and lack thereof.
Benedick and Beatrice are both interesting characters because they both invoke each other. They both say that they don't want to marry, however they bicker like two middle schoolers who have crushes on each other. Benedick is a very dominant character, and is known for his independence and leadership qualities. However, by the end he has altered his loyalty to Beatrice. We see a lot of manipulation throughout the play as well. One example is when Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato trick Benedick into believing that Beatrice is in love with him. Like Benedick, Beatrice's feelngs about love are strong and opposing, is this what brings them together? Because at one point in the play Beatrice feels that her desired partner doesn't exist. My opinion on their relationship is that they knew all along that they were meant for each other and would also end up together.
3 comments:
When I think of the title of this work, I almost immediately remember the tagline of that classic piece of 90s comedy "Seinfeld": THE SHOW ABOUT NOTHING. In a way, this play sort of shows the trivial nature of the pursuit of love, whether in honest courting or trickery at the hands of peers. Is love really worth all the talking in circles, the staunch positions on independence, the manipulations? The title is just loaded to the brim with many interpretations, which is a real fantastic quality. You can't have the same discussion with a work entitled "Julius Caesar," you know.
I like your post and Tyler's as well. As to be expected from Shakespeare, I believe the title "Much Ado About Nothing" is working in a number of ways. The relevance of the Elizabethian slang term seems very fitting and I think it was definitely purposeful on Shakespeares part. "One for the cheap seats," as they say. Remember the wide range of audience Shakespeare attracted.
My favorite interpretation of the title, though, is that 'much ado about nothing' refers to the amounts of inefficiency and folly in the play. The watchmen being the best example, working feverishly to accomplish nothing except by accident. Most characters in the play are involved in seemingly childish ploys, and as a whole, these massive undertakings with OPPOSING goals leave much of the effort inconsequential.
Also, The mere courting of beatrice and benedic could be seen as much ado about nothing, since plotters created so farcities between them when nothing was there to begin with at all.
As mentioned in the other comments, the title of the play is open for interpretation and can be received in many different ways. Holly's original post as well as Tyler's, Chris', and my comments with our different opinions prove this to be true.
My take on the meaning of the title is that there is much ado about truly nothing. All of the drama and antics of the play is created either through rumor, hearsay, or intentional deception. Without these factors there would be no story line, or at least not an interesting or entertaining one!
I think that Shakespeare titled this play knowing that there would be many different opinions and interpretations of it and that he would therefore be pleased with our blogs!
Post a Comment