Much Ado about Nothing (Vol. 31) | Michael D. Friedman (essay date 1990)
Michael D. Friedman (essay date 1990)
SOURCE: "'Hush'd on Purpose to Grace Harmony': Wives and Silence in Much Ado about Nothing," in Theatre Journal, Vol. 42, No. 3, October, 1990, pp. 350-63.
[In the essay below, Friedman argues that Beatrice, upon marrying Benedick, "ultimately sacrifices the verbal mastery which constitutes her power in exchange for a hushed existence as Benedick's wife" and suggests a stageable alternative to the play's conclusion.]
In Act II, scene 3 of Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio describes to his liege Don Pedro the twilight's quiet mood as they prepare to hear the singer Balthasar: "How still the evening is, as hush'd on purpose to grace harmony!" (II. iii. 38-39). Claudio means, of course, that the stillness of the evening is the perfect setting for the melodious sounds which are to follow, for the ideal listener blesses the musician with silent attendance. But the harmony represented by music...
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