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Social and Historical Context1.England ruled by Elisabeth I “the Virgin Queen”. Depictions of strong and resourceful females are common2.1599: Christian country riven by split between Catholic and Protestant division after Henry VIII3.A time of regular plague in the large cities4.A time of adventure and exploration as English sailors such as Drake sailed to discover new lands5.1596: Shakespeare’s son (Hamnet) diedForm1.A mixture of Prose and Iambic Pentameter. The verse is generally used for heightened emotion such as Love and Hate. 5 units of unstressed/stressed syllables in each line u/u/u/u/u/ (pink panther)edy: based on traditional Roman comic plots in which a pair of lovers are tricked into separation and overcome their foes to marry at the end of the play. Shakespeare weaves 2 plots into this model.Themes1.Love: the tension between Courtly Love and Romantic Love and the male perception of love2.Honour: Linked to Courtly Love, Honour as the driving force behind behaviour. Honour is linked to the idea of Patronage3.Noting: The pun on the title and 16C pronunciation. Key to the play is the inability of characters to “note” what is occurring. Nothing also carries overtones of sexual innuendo (No Thing = vagina) and the more obvious connotation of little - ‘a storm in a teacup’4.Gender Roles: Treatment of women within and outside marriage.5.Social mobility: As part of the comic tradition the tangles in the plot are undone by the lower classes. Shakespeare may use Dogberry and Don Pedro to point at the comparative foolishness, arrogance and complacency of the nobles in Elisabeth’s court.6.Deceit: Part of the comic form, Deceit can be seen both as malicious and ‘innocent’ in this play.7.Friendship: often set against honour in the later sections of the play – Benedick shows his increased maturity when he places Hero’s honour over his friendships in 4.1Repetitive Imagery1.Clothing: Bea: “Your Grace is too costly to wear every day” 2.12.Disease: Ben: “She would infect to the North Star” 2.13.Cuckoldry DP: “But when shall we see the savage bull’s horns on the sensible Benedick’s head?” 5.14.Animals: DJ: “A very forward March Chick” 1.35.Sexual Innuendo: Ben: “ I will… die in your lap” 5.2 and many, many more6.Food: ‘I will not endure my Lady Tongue’ 2.1Key Quotations 1.‘I pray you, is Signor Montanto returned from the wars or no?’ Bea 1.1 sexual innuendo and beginning of her ‘skirmish of wit’ with the messenger2.‘Can the world buy such a jewel?’ Claudio 1.1 Noting of Hero. Male dominance – ownership.3.‘thou wilt needs thrust thy neck in a yoke’ Ben 1.1 Views marriage is to be trapped with someone else.4.‘Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your grace’ Leo 1.1 Welcoming DP into his house. obsequious.5.“I will break with her… thou shalt have her” DP 1.1 Establishes his role as marriage broker and patron of Claudio. Stakes his honour on this.6.‘it must not be denied that I am a plain dealing villain’ DJ 1.3 Don john establishing act of character.7.“He is the prince’s jester” Beatrice 2.1 – Using wit to insult Benedick, connotations of being a fool, idiotic – insult because it implies ownership by DP8. “Not till God make men of some other mettle than earth” Beatrice 2.1 – Relating to the theme of marriage and how she despises men9.“See me at her chamber window, hear me call Margaret Hero, hear Margaret call me Claudio.” Boracchio 2.2 – Relates to deception- B is the architect of the plot 10.“That your niece Beatrice was in love with Signor Benedick?” Don Pedro 2.3 – Relates to both love and deception –begins the ‘Gulling’ of Ben11.“For I will be horribly in love with her” Benedick 2.3 – Relates to love - high passion. Oxymoron?12.“Rich she shall be… her hair shall be of what colour it please God…” Benedick 2.3 – Benedick looking for the perfect woman, relates to male dominance 13.‘Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand’- Bea 3.1 – The image comes from animal husbandry and suggests the female as a secondry partner in the relationship14.‘Even she- Leonato’s Hero, your Hero, every man’s Hero’ 3.2 DJ uses anaphora to build up his disgust at Hero15.‘…I will shame her’- Claudio 3.2 A swift decision based on very poor evidence. Theme of Honour16.‘’I have to night wooed Margret’’- Boraccio 3.3 The plot is revealed to the Guard. Boracchio is drunk and boastful17.‘There thou prick’st her with a thistle’ – Hero 3.4. Hero, silent in the company of men, leads witty and sexualised banter with her serving women18.‘’… Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons’- 3.5 Dogberry and malapropisms will allow for dramatic irony to increase in Acts 4 &519.“I do love nothing in the world as well as you” Act 4 scene 1, change of character in Benedick. He admits it first20. “Griev’d I , I had one, chid I for that frugal nature’s frame” Leo 4.1 In his grief and anger, Leonato reflect son the fact he has only a single daughter – self pity.21.“By noting of the lady, I have mark’d a thousand blushing apparitions” Friar 4.1 We see noting and misnoting -The Friar is objective in his study and takes the time to note the behaviour of Hero and to consider a range of possibilities.22.“There Leonato, take her back again. Give not this rotten orange to your friend” –Claudio 4.1 Image (Food) from everyday life – oranges were very rare and valuable – imagine the disappointment in uncovering a rotten one.23.“ Kill Claudio” “ Ha! Not for the wide world” – 4.1 Bea asserts Honour. Ben asserts Friendship. NB he does challenge Claudio24.“Away. You are an ass; you are an ass” Act 4 scene 2, Conrad using cruel words to Dogberry. The humour is in the truth of the accusation and the irony in the fact that he, a ‘gentleman’ has been caught by an ‘ass’25.“I jest not” Ben 5.1 in signalling his intention to challenge Claudio Ben refers back ot his role as the ‘Prince’s Jester’. He has changed26.“Dost thou wear they wit by your side?” DP 5.1 suggesting that Benedick is now using his sword instead of his mind27.“Why , no more than reason” Bea/Ben 5.4 Both publicly deny their love and suggest that to love then other would be a form of madness28.“Another Hero” Cl 5.4 When Hero is revealed, Claudio’s confusion is humourous and also serious – this would terrify him29.“I will stop your mouth” 5.4 Ben silences Beatrice with a kiss. Possible establishment of male dominance. She says no more in the play.30.“Prince, thou art sad. Get thee a wife” Ben 5.4 telling DP to marry. Irony: DP has proposed to Bea in 2.1. Also exaggerates isolation of DP at end of play. No wife =no children = no heir… Elisabeth 1? ................
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