Much Ado about Nothing Group at eNotes

From Act 1, sc. 1, when Benedick and Beatrice are exchanging insults,...

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:57:17 PST

From Act 1, sc. 1, when Benedick and Beatrice are exchanging insults, one example of a pun is: "What my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?" spoken by Benedick to Beatrice. He uses the word "disdain" both as a name for Beatrice and as a description of her attitude toward him. She shows him scorn, or disdain.

Please give a quote with a pun in it from "Much Ado About...

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:45:37 PST

Please give a quote with a pun in it from "Much Ado About Mothing".

they talk about loving to reason because they claim that they dont love...

Tue, 6 May 2008 10:45:23 PST

they talk about loving to reason because they claim that they dont love eachother with a passion and until they are proven wrong they are more than happy to deny their love for eachother

Signor Montanto is Benedick. she refers to him as thins because there is...

Tue, 6 May 2008 10:42:11 PST

Signor Montanto is Benedick. she refers to him as thins because there is a 'merry war' between them and she calls him this to tease him

i think that i is a little bit under harsh as Claudio disgraced his only...

Tue, 6 May 2008 10:38:57 PST

i think that i is a little bit under harsh as Claudio disgraced his only daughter Hero and by making him agree to marry another woman was a bit simple.

In the scene referenced above, Benedick is claiming that "he did...

Sun, 4 May 2008 20:12:01 PST

In the scene referenced above, Benedick is claiming that "he did not think he would live till he was married." He is claiming that he didn't actually change his mind, he just lived longer than he thought he would. In other words, Benedick is still suggesting that he has been right all along.However, in the last scene, Benedick finally owns up. He says "man is a giddy thing", meaning that man is often foolish and says...

In Act II, scene 3, Benedick overhears Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio's...

Sun, 4 May 2008 20:03:17 PST

In Act II, scene 3, Benedick overhears Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio's staged discussion of Beatrice's love for him. He then admits his love for her, and rationalizes it this way:"I may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have rail'd so long against marriage. But doth not the appetite alter? A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age. Shall quips and sentences and these paper...

How does Benedick rationalize his change of heart regarding love and...

Sun, 4 May 2008 17:21:39 PST

How does Benedick rationalize his change of heart regarding love and marriage in "Much Ado About Nothing"?

I'm afraid my version of the play doesn't have a scene 5 in Act IV, but...

Fri, 2 May 2008 18:10:59 PST

I'm afraid my version of the play doesn't have a scene 5 in Act IV, but as for Act V, Lenato explores and explains the pain of love there. To be specific, he articulates just how painful it is to lose someone you love, just how much he loved his daughter, and just how useless rational advice, however well-meant, is at times like those. In his later challenge of the younger men, he shows that this pain can drive men past their habitual limits,...

Honor is portrayed in different ways and by different characters in this...

Fri, 2 May 2008 17:44:40 PST

Honor is portrayed in different ways and by different characters in this play. The lack of honor is shown by Don John as he twice tries to thwart the relationship between Claudio and Hero. Honor is shown by Benedick in Act 4, when he agrees to kill Claudio for Beatrice because Claudio dishonored Hero when he publicly disgraced her by accusing her of not being a virginal bride at what was supposed to be their wedding. Then later, when...

How is the theme of honor presented in Much Ado About Nothing?

Fri, 2 May 2008 15:03:41 PST

I would like some help with P.E.E paragraphs with some quotes.

Does he make it clear? Absolutely? He pretty much swears that he'll use...

Thu, 1 May 2008 10:47:46 PST

Does he make it clear? Absolutely? He pretty much swears that he'll use nothing else late in Act I.Does he do so? No. He manufactures a few obstacles and spreads a few lies, but really, as villains go, he doesn't do much. He needs to take a few lessons from Iago.

Does Don John make it clear that he will use his "discontent"...

Thu, 1 May 2008 10:14:33 PST

Does Don John make it clear that he will use his "discontent" completely? Yes or No.

How is the theme of love explored in Act V, scene 1 and Act IV, scene 5...

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:26:26 PST

How is the theme of love explored in Act V, scene 1 and Act IV, scene 5 of Much Ado about Nothing?

Shakespeare establishes the difference between the two pairs of lovers...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:05:43 PST

Shakespeare establishes the difference between the two pairs of lovers or the two couples very clearly. Hero and Claudio, a young fair maiden and a heroic soldier fall in love in the traditional expected way. Claudio is soon seeking Hero's hand in marriage. Beatrice and Benedick, on the other hand, are older and very different. Beatrice once loved Benedick, but he broke her heart and is now an avowed bachelor. She is looked upon as a...

I would also say that the lovers are contrasted in terms of realism. ...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:30:16 PST

I would also say that the lovers are contrasted in terms of realism. Beatrice and Benedict are the more realistic pair, suffering the ups and downs of a relationship. At the party, Beatrice says about Benedict's heart that "he lent it me awhile; and I gave him use for it." So they were in a previous relationship, one where she feels that he abused her by winning her with "false dice." Benedict has left their...

I understand your question, but I'm not sure if you mean in Act 1, scene...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:27:25 PST

I understand your question, but I'm not sure if you mean in Act 1, scene ?, or Act 2, scene ?. It's important when you ask questions like this to be specific about both the act and scene number so that the eNotes editors can be of more assistance.I would say, though, that the differences between the pairs - Hero/Claudio and Beatrice/Benedick - are established right from the beginning of the play. Hero hardly has anything to say, and it's up...

How does Shakespere establish the differences between the two pairs of...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:20:02 PST

Act 1? Act 2?

Audiences in Shakespeare's time came to see his plays for pure...

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 07:01:23 PST

Audiences in Shakespeare's time came to see his plays for pure entertainment. Drama, satire, and plot twists make for a witty production. Although Beatrice and Benedick appear to have a relationship based on sparring or fighting, it is just this type of arrangement that makes the joining of these characters so satisfying. The audience loves this type of union. The players are more interesting. There is nothing like a good argument...

Why would a Shakespearean audience have accepted the declaration of love...

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:47:06 PST

It has been said that other charaters have planted the seeds and that Shakespear has just shocked his ausiebce (with the shaming) and he wants to alter their emotional response