Much Ado About Nothing

Happy Ending?

Edward Dowden 1895

• Discord is resolved into harmony…the plays tell of the blessedness of forgiveness of injuries; they show how broken bonds between head and heart may be repaired and reunited; each play closes with the victory of love

• To what extent do you agree?

Eric Langley

• “ So we have experienced the discords of love…and now we need to find concord; we need to put things back together. We need to get ready for the Shakespearean comedy’s happy ending. So I want to ask how happy are those endings?”

• Listen to the rest of the talk..note down 3 other interesting points that could apply to your study of Much Ado

Discuss

Several of Shakespeare's comedies have an unusual tone with a difficult mix of humor and tragedy which has led them to be classified as problem plays. Is this due to:

• to an imperfect understanding of Elizabethan humor and society,

• a fault on Shakespeare's part• a deliberate attempt by him to blend styles and

subvert the audience's expectations.

View Act 5 Scene 4

• Note down the ways in which problems are resolved, broken bonds are healed and society is restored to harmony

• Note down any elements of the ending that are too easily “swept away”, that you are not satisfied with or what do you feel is forced?

Jonathan Dollimore

• Do these plays reinforce dominant order or do they interrogate it to the point of subversion?

2 minutes presentations

• Choose one of the statements you have been given and prepare a 2 minute presentation on how it applies to Much Ado About Nothing.