Much Ado About Nothing Essay - 1110 Words

English Essay The Elizabethan Worldview and Much Ado About Nothing Audrey Hernandez The Elizabethan Era is one of the most fascinating periods in the History of the World. It is named after one of the greatest of the Queens of England - Queen Elizabeth I. It was the era of the very first Theatres in England - William Shakespeare and the globe Theatre and Christopher Marlowe! It also had a very different feel and look to it than we experience nowadays and this is shown in the marriage and wedding customs, recreation, social hierarchy, and how it is a patriarchal society. The Elizabethan worldview is strongly reflected in Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ set in the 17th century in Messina, a port on the island of Sicily,†¦show more content†¦Then there were the Yeomen who owned and used agricultural land for their living. In ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ these people would be ‘The Watch’. After them are the servants, laborers, and peasants. Last there were the indigents, the poor people, and beggars. This is also reflected in â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing’ in the way that the different classes speak.It was a very patriarchal society where women were taught that they were men’s inferiors. The Elizabethans had very clear outlooks of men and women, and in general men were expected to be the workers and women to be housewives and mothers. Women were regarded as the weaker sex, not just in terms of physical strength, but emotionally too. It was believed that women always needed someone to look after them. If they were married, their husband was expected to look after them. If they were single, then their father, brother or another male relative was expected to take care of them. They were not allowed to go to school or university nor could they inherit their father’s titles.Women who suffered most in this period were those like the Queen who did not wish to marry. Tudor society did not have many opportunities open to single women and, following the Reformation, those avenues were even less. Before, women were able to become nuns and look forward to a gratifying life in convents, and perhaps be a Mother Superior one day. But with the Reformation, the convents were closed. Wealthy single women could lookShow MoreRelated Much Ado About Nothing Essay: Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing585 Words   |  3 Pages Social Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing nbsp; In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents us with a romp through the realms of truth and illusion. The play is full of characters plotting and deceiving, for both noble and repugnant reasons. 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This film seeks to capture its audience with visual majestyRead More Much Ado About Nothing Essay: An Exploration of Conformity925 Words   |  4 PagesMuch Ado About Nothing as an Exploration of Conformity       In Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Benedict rant about marriage for most of the beginning of the play, while Claudio raves about how wonderful it will be being married to Hero.   Yet in the end, Claudio exchanges his marriage to Hero for an opportunity to bash her in public, while Beatrice and Benedick marry despite that they were mortal enemies for most of the first three acts.   How did the situation swing aroundRead More Problematic Marriage in Much Ado About Nothing Essay910 Words   |  4 PagesQuestioning Marriage in Much Ado About Nothing       Much Ado About Nothing raises many important issues concerning the institution of marriage. Perhaps Shakespeares purpose in writing this play was to question the existing approach to relationships and marriage. Shakespeare reveals the faults of the process through the characters of Hero and Claudio and also Heros father, Leonato. Shakespeare also may be suggesting an alternative approach to marriage and relationships through the charactersRead More Much Ado About Nothing Essay: Effective Use of the Foil1025 Words   |  5 PagesEffective Use of the Foil in   Much Ado About Nothing      Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, the famous British poet William Blake wrote that without contraries there is no progression - Attraction and repulsion, reason and imagination, and love and hate are all necessary for human existence (Blake 122).   As Blake noted, the world is full of opposites.   But, more importantly, these opposites allow the people of the world to see themselves and their thoughts more clearly.   For, as BlakeRead MoreEssay on Inconstancy in Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing 1099 Words   |  5 PagesInconstancy in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) explains inconstancy as the recurrent and generally unexpected or impulsive change from one condition to another. It is the state or quality of being inconstant and unfaithful by virtue of being undependable or deceitful. Set in Messina, Sicily, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is a very popular play generally viewed as one of his happiest comedies and is often performed in theatres. However, the playfulness