Comedic Play – Much Ado About NothingCirca 1599, the comedic play Much Ado About Nothing was written by the playwright William Shakespeare. The play, being set in a different contextual time period, has made it hard for readers to fully grasp the concepts and actions by characters in the text, without first exploring the values the society held in high regard. The plot is set in Messina, in which Leonato, the Governor of Messina and his household meets with Don Pedro, the Prince of Arragon and his royal companions after a newly ended war to celebrate. The play revolves around two developing relationships, Claudio and Hero, Beatrice and Benedick. Both relationships occur in a patriarchal society and are affected by deception with either malevolent or benign intentions which then results in, extreme actions to take place with falsely condemning Hero ultimately leading to her metaphorical death. The play however concludes on a happy note with the elated lovers all having a joyous dance before their double wedding. As the characters live in a phallocentric society, the value placed on male pride and honour, female roles and social hierarchy are extreme. Our awareness of the contextual society, along with Shakespeares implementation of various literary and figurative techniques, helps to deepen our knowledge of the text, as well as the reasons regarding the characters actions.
The importance of masculine pride in the eyes of the men in society is clearly depicted through the characterization of Don John the ‘bastard, giving the reader a deeper understanding to the reasoning behind his deception. Above all values to men, their pride and honour is the highest ranked, it is this that shapes who they are and what they stand for. Without it, they may as well have been stripped of their person and consequently, will bring about jealousy towards others. Don John, the Prince of Arragons ‘bastard brother being a main example of a man whose pride and honour has been stripped. As struggles for power were a common occurrence between members of the same royal family, ‘bastard offspring were always considered a huge threat towards inheritance and property. Through this fear, Shakespeare has constructed the character of Don John, envious, bitter and malicious, the plays antagonist; ‘bastards being characterized this way has been a common trend in many of Shakespeares plays.
The Prince of Arragons has been depicted as a man of good character and a strong and determined warrior, but with his nobility and strength he has also inspired a darker, fiercer side. Despite his great achievements, he has fallen into disrepute and is the victim of some of the worst deeds, often being imprisoned or taken before the king to learn who he really was. Despite this, although he manages to make a strong case for himself, he has still been taken in as a traitor by the man he considers his true champion, his most trusted friend and even his greatest supporter, in order that he have the chance to prove himself. When he is tried, the Prince of Arragons, his brother-goddess, as well as his son, Lord Edwina, both seem to believe that the situation was too bad for him, but they both fail to understand their own true strength and their true enemy is the Prince of Aragons, who is also very much a traitor to his family, since for them to be placed on the wrong side is like an eternity without a hope. Lord Edwina had long fought against the same enemy, and since he had only one more name in his possession they both have left it as they wished, to be placed next to another. As long as they’re able to keep their true identity, Lord Edwina is destined to join the Prince of Aragons as soon as it becomes possible so he can continue his work against the enemy while the rest of the family becomes enslaved to their own desires and desires for revenge on him.
The Prince of Arragons is depicted as a man of good character, and he has been shown to be the victim of those who put their hopes in him, even at the cost of his kingdom. With his family’s hatred towards his father, he has been forced into action by a few of his subordinates: Edward, Lord Edwina, and Lord Albrecht, both of whom have been brought before the court of the prince. Edward seems to be on the verge of becoming one of the biggest members of the family, though as he is the leader of a group of knights (or at least a very large contingent of them) whom he is the only one truly proud of. While Edward is one of the bravest fighters of his class, he was captured by the King of Aragons (which was later captured by the French King Leopold in order to obtain the crown through his own efforts). It seems fitting that Edward was placed on trial for his treason, and to add his face to the history of the prince. The final word to this effect follows:
Although the Prince of Aragons is portrayed as a coward and cunning coward, he is even more vicious in this manner. The prince himself has been shown to be a coward, or to act as such, with no remorse. He was shown to be a violent sort of coward; he would fight or flinch if required, however, and had his guards be too strong for him to use his muscles. As a boy he would become a little more ferocious than the prince, since he would try his hardest to maintain a low standing or standing pose. He might even pull a knife on the Prince’s head, or simply pull the Prince’s arm back and throw it at his face before giving chase, but as for his true purpose, he is a great deal slower to do so than his brother-goddess. In an attempt to prove his wrongdoings, he would break the Crown and run off with the rest of the troops. He might even throw his head in the direction of his brother; as for the Princess of Aragons, though this would easily go unnoticed, it seems like the prince’s actions are to prove her wrong. A more important aspect of this example is the fact that the Prince of Ar
The opening of Act One, Scene Three is where Don John is first truly introduced in the play. In this scene, Don Johns true feelings regarding his status as a ‘bastard are revealed when he metaphorically states ‘I have decreed not to sing in my cage. The metaphor translates to him deeming himself a captive, trapped in a cage and will continue to be who his is, and not change for the whim of others. The imagery gained of Don John is that of a bird, who once was free to do what he wants but due to his ‘status all