Much Ado About Nothing Context

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PLAY

Having read the play independently and through a couple of read throughs involving the entire cast, Much Ado About Nothing, being a Shakespearian play that I have never read or seen performed before, offers up something light and much more comedic than most of the typical Shakespeare plays I have previously familiarised myself with. The majority of these include The Tragedy of Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Julius Caesar etc which transpose almost quite macabre themes as tragic plays. Nevertheless, I have always enjoyed the prospect of a Shakespearian comedy, the National Theatre's version of As You Like It being a particular theatrical highlight for me in the last few years, as well as having seen multiple versions of, or performed versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Despite Much Ado being 'lighter', I still think that it is an exciting play in the sense that although it tells quite a simple story, the way in which Shakespeare has written it is intricate and comments on the society at the time in an insightful way. Having said this, what I believe is great about Shakespeare plays is that they can't be overdone as subjective interpretation allows room for different innovative creative licence and interpretation towards how the themes might relate to society today, and this is apparent in any Shakespeare play that is put on any stage.
As well as this, having done some intricate research about the context of Much Ado and the themes it interrogates (below), I am fascinated by the social commentary it engages with and the statements about gender politics which still seem seemingly relevant today in particular. 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - CONTEXT AS A COMEDY

• Much Ado About Nothing/Love Labour's Won is generally considered one of Shakespeare's best comedies (also the most frequently performed) because it is incredibly comedic and funny but also offers genuine social commentary on many aspects of the society in which Shakespeare was living in, including honour, shame and court politics, saying a lot about the Conservatism prevalent in Shakespeare's era. 
• It is estimated to have been written between 1598 and 1599, where Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his career.
• It was first printed in 1600 in a small quarto edition. It used actors' names alongside normal speech pre-fixes, which shows that Shakespeare specially created Dogberry to be played by Will Kemp, the famous Elizabethan stage clown who was renowned for physical comedy. The quarto also includes a silent mother figure for Hero, a woman anmed Innogen, who was removed from most later editions. 
• The title page announces that it had already been 'publikely acted' by London's 'the Lord Chamberlain's men', which Shakespeare was a part of.
  This quarto copy was owned by King George III.

TRAGEDY OR COMEDY = TRAGICOMEDY

• The play contains some dark contents but ultimately ends with multiple marriages and no deaths. Nevertheless, Hero's faking of her death is symbolic in showing the acceptance of death as opposed to the fear around it in many of Shakespeare's tragedies, hence, the fact that Hero's 'death' comes at quite a climactic point in the play makes death quite evocative and therefore it stands out as one of Shakespeare's comedies - the crisis of death and conflict between the main characters makes it seem only a few steps away from being a typical Shakespeare tragedy. When the friar steps forward with a great idea for the wronged woman to pretend to be dead - a time when Romeo and Juliet was one of Shakespeare's best known plays, this solution was unlikely to be entirely reassuring to audience.
• Furthermore, Shakespearian comedy is a world in which women's desires tend to triumph, whereas Shakespearian tragedy is a largely masculine sphere where women are structural subordinates, such as Ophelia or Desdemona.  Ultimately, the relationships between men is damaged by the events of the play, but the male ideology prevails. Much Ado continues to be uneasy about female sexuality and female duplicity. Even after Hero's infidelity has been revealed, the jokes about 'cuckolds' are still the currency of male interchange. 
• The fact that Shakespeare strays away from it being a complete tragedy is structural and theatrical, as the audience gain comic relief from funny scenes with the Watch. 
• As a result, it could be argued that this romantic tragicomedy is significant in addressing issues of problematic gender politics, as Shakespeare touches on male rivalries and sexual jealousy. When Benedick says to Beatrice 'Peace, I will stop your mouth' in the final scene, it could be suggested that ultimately silencing the play's main, wittiest female character is a suggestion of male dominance over women 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - SYNOPSIS

When initially researching the play, something I found helpful to familiarise myself with the plot was reading a lot of online synopsises. One of these included a video animation made by the RSC themselves, which made the plot and themes simple and clear as a starting point for understanding the play.

A lot of playwrights during Shakespeare's time memorised and borrowed old Roman and Greek plots and re-worked them into their own fictions.   The Hero-Claudio plot is considered to be quite old, appearing in Greek, Spanish and Italian romances - including Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. The story was also re worked by Bandello in his 1554 Novella, which featured Leonato and Piero King of Aragon as characters. Nevertheless, the Beatrice and Benedick plot is considered generally Shakespeare's own invention, while it could be possible that he was influenced by the plays of John Lyly as they featured witty couples who scorn love but succumb to Cupid's darts. 

The characters of Dogberry, Verges and the Watch are also seen as Shakespeare's creations, perhaps used for comic relief or to move the plot forward. 

SETTING

Messina is a large bustling port city at the north-eastern tip of Sicily, Italy. From the end of the thirteenth century, Sicily had been ruled by the House of Aragon, a kingdom now part of Spain, and it was still under Spanish rule in Shakespeare's time.  The Prince of Aragon, Don Pedro, is granted with huge respect in Much Ado, as is the Sicilian governor, Leonato - any other Italian characters have subordinate status. For the men, returning victorious from war, including Benedick and Claudio, Messina is an exciting place to be with love, parties and witty banter. The seaside town could be a place of play and restoration, nevertheless, the society was strictly bound by custom and convention: the rules for marriage and courtship are heavily enforced and subverting these rules could be tragic. 

Most of the play occurs around Leonato's house and orchard, which becomes a central place of action. Language about the beautiful garden alludes to the whimsical romance characterising the play, since all the conversations about love take place in Leonato's garden, such as when Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into thinking they love eachother. The setting is bigger than its physical realm - Messina is a respite from the battlefield, and the play takes place in a holidaylike mood, with a warm, tropical and agricultural climate. The soldiers' presence in Messina makes it a place for matchmaking and merriment. As a result, the setting makes the mood and atmosphere festive and lighthearted. 

Furthermore, Leonato's garden as a continual setting is important as social commentary because the gardens of the gentry and middle classes were increasingly seen as places of pleasure and artful display as well as spaces for growing food. 

Shakespeare perhaps also used Italy as a chance to utilise ancient Roman myths into the play, and use history of the area to enhance the mood of the play. 

MUCH ADO PERFORMED VERSIONS

Michael Redgrave and Googie Withers - Stratford Upon Avon, 1958

Robert Stephens and Maggie Smith - The Old Vic, 1965

Simon Russel Beale and Zoë Wanamaker, 2007 

Meera Syal and Paul Bhattacharjee, 2012, Royal Shakespeare Company

James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave, 2013

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING PERFORMED AT THE GLOBE

On the 20th of March, we saw a 90 minute version of Much Ado About Nothing performed at The Globe. The experience itself was very exciting as we were standing, and I found myself very immersed in the production as it virtually unfolded around me, with moments of audience interaction.

I thought the acting was great and was strong across the board, not just with the main lead actors but the ensemble actors as well - the fact that I always knew what was going on substantiated this. As a Deutsche Bank production with the aim to educate visiting schools, I think this is an obvious strength of the cast clearly motivated for this purpose, and the production itself really makes Shakespeare enjoyable and exciting, especially for younger audiences.  Moreover, they had a lot of energy and were committed, although I would argue I think all the actors progressed in this way as the production progressed - it seemed as though some of them were just warming up at the beginning.

While I think they definitely found the lighthearted comedic moments within the piece, through jigs, dancing, singing and the general witty and fast paced sentiment of the play, I would still argue that the play in doing this glossed over the subtlely tragic elements of the play. It sometimes sifted into a more melodramatic portrayal of the serious themes present in the play, such as commentaries on social justice, social norms and what happens when we defer from society's norms and values, and I think sometimes this took away from the more poignant meaning of the piece, nevertheless it was an enjoyable version of Much Ado About Nothing and the acting was inspiring to watch.

IDEAS EXPLORED IN THE PLAY: SHAKESPEARE'S INFLUENCES 
Reference: https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare

Ludovico Ariosto's Italian epic poem Orlando Furioso written in 1591 is considered a key source for the Hero-Claudio plot in Much Ado About Nothing, as well as other themes within the plot.

WOMEN
In the poem, the Duke Polynesso has tried to woo the Princess Genevra for himself but has been rejected. As revenge, Polynesso tries to sabotage Genevra's relationship with her lover Ariodante by making her seem unfaithful. He persuades her maid Dalinda to impersonate her in a loving rendezvous at her mistress’s window.

The tale of wrongly slandered women was a hugely popular theme in the drama, prose and verse of Renaissance Europe.

CLASS
Like Margaret (one of Hero's waiting women), Dalinda appears at her mistress's window wearing her clothes, jewels and hairstyle. This scene is staged deliberately by the villainous Polynesso to be witnessed by Ariodante and his brother Lurcanio. Similarly, Don John ensures that Don Pedro and Claudio witness Margaret's performance in 'Hero's garments', wooing Borachio at her 'chamber window'. In both these works, the theme of cross-class disguise and visual proof is deception is crucial to the story. This also links to the rigid class divisions at the time and the stigma behind the integration of classes. Importantly, in Shakespeare's play,  this scene is only described in words and isn't depicted directly.

MALE HONOUR/COMBAT
Furthermore, Shakespeare preserves elements of male combat, honour and chivalry from Ariosto's romance. When Ariodante is rumoured to be drowned, Genevra is accused by Lurcanio of causing his suicide with her behaviour. The King feels duty bound by hard scottish law to sentence his own daughter to death, unless a warrior can be found to kill her accuser and defend her innocence. Similarly, Leonato initially assumes Hero is guilty and resolves to 'let her die' but is eventually persuaded by the Friar to question those who 'wrong her honor'. Beatrice, contrastingly is convinced of her cousin's purity and demands that Benedick should kill Claudio for slandering Hero.

In Ariosto's tale, Ariodante is still alive and returns disguised in black armour  to fight his brother Lurcanio. The combat is averted when the heroic knight, Renaldo arrives. Genevra is revealed to be innocent, like Hero, and is reunited with Ariodante, while Polynesso is killed in combat  and Dalinda is sent to a nunnery. As in Much Ado About Nothing, a comedic ending dispels the threat of tragedy.

Therefore, Shakespeare's Italian influence from Ariosto are very clear.

GENDER POLITICS/MARRIAGE
In Elizabethan England, as a patriarchal society, marriage was widely viewed as a social and spiritual necessity, offering men and women support and companionship (more about this on my blog spot on historical context of the Elizabethan Era). There was even a genre of self help guides for men on how to cope with the failings of women and the burdens of marriage. Women were often depicted as manipulative and immoral, deceptive and superficial, hiding their sins beneath a show of virtue. They were even accused of being witches.
In 16th century Italy in particular, there were complex restricting rules which ensured the specific clothing of women before and after marriage. Before and after they took their wedding vows, Venetian brides were permitted to leave their father's houses, carefully chaperoned and wearing a black silk veil.

Romantic comedy in the Elizabethan era was a genre mainly consumed by and directed towards men. While in alot of Shakespeare's plays, ultimately male-female relationships are endorsed, Shakespeare also presents male bonding. The wooing of Hero becomes a negotiation between Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato, and Hero is relatively in the dark - even Don Pedro tells Claudio that he will woo Hero on his behalf, and this is part of the play's pattern of substituting male-male relationships for male-female relationships. Don John pretends that his brother has been unfaithful and that 'the prince woos for himself', but he follows this quickly with the reassurance that the Prince's double dealing is not his fault but Hero's, even though she's done nothing.
Furthermore, Don John is sometimes seen as a representation of destructive sexual jealousy. He seems incapable of dissumulation (concealing his thought) and therefore his conduct is clear throughout the play, yet he is continuously believed by the other men. When he fails to spite Claudio at the ball, he then orchestrates another trick to show Hero's infidelity at her window.  When Don Pedro agrees for Claudio to humiliate Hero at her wedding, this is another hint at male-male bonding, and how ultimately Claudio and Hero's relationship is ruled by two men.

The fact that Shakespeare leaves out the scene showing infidelity at Hero's window doesn't allow his audience to see the spectacle of Hero's apparent wrongdoing. By leaving it out, it can perhaps be suggested that the men have already made up their minds - even Hero's father believes her wrongdoing, saying that he wishes his daughter had never been born. Only Beatrice is utterly loyal to her cousin, and to prove himself to her Benedick has to align himself with her and go against the male norm. Benedick and Beatrice propose an unconventional declaration of love, which almost insinuates that male bonds are incompatible with male partnership.

In Shakespeare's original 1600 quarto, as mentioned earlier, Shakespeare details Innogen, Leonato's wife, as a ghost character. Shakespeare found a maternal figure active in recuperating her daughter's slandered reputation, but this ghost character was later dismissed and edited out of the play - this almost shows further gendered isolation between Hero and Beatrice against the other unforgiving men in the patriarchal society of Messina.

MASKS
Masks are also integral to Much Ado About Nothing. They were a common feature of popular entertainment and everyday life in early modern Italy and other parts of Europe. Travelling troupes of masked commedia dell' arte players performed stylised bawdy scenes at carnival time in Venice, much like the masquers and torchbearers in Act 2, Scene 1 of Much Ado about Nothing.

The Flemish oil painting 'Monkeys and Cats at a Masked Ball' is 1632 (left) may depict the confusing wooing scene at the masked ball in Act 2, Scene One where Don Pedro woos Hero on Claudio's behalf.








'NOTHING' - WHAT DOES IT MEAN? 
The word 'nothing' in Shakespeare's England had contradictory meanings. It could mean the absence of anything, the nothingness of death, but was also a bawdy euphemism for female genitalia. At the time, it was pronouced the same as 'noting'. The broadside ballad in 'praise of nothing' plays with some of these different connotations, as Shakespeare does in Much Ado.

'The Praise of Nothing' is a 17th century ballad which takes on the paradoxical task of making something out of nothing, like Much Ado About Nothing. This gives us an insight into the recurrent use of the word in Hamlet, King Lear and Much Ado Nothing.
The title of Much Ado About Nothing, for example, suggests an unnecessary fuss about something unimportant. The whole plot revolves around misconceptions and misplaced reactions to something that never happened: Hero's infidelity. The title also perhaps has sexual connotations, as there is 'much ado' over women's sexuality, as it becomes the focus of male desire, revulsion and suspicion. Because 'noting' and 'nothing' were pronouced the same, it could also allude to the play's obsession with noting, or eavesdropping. This highlights the Elizabeth need to distinguish between appearence and reality, performance and genuineity, but through this it also shows deception and misunderstanding.

POLICE IN THE ELIZABETHAN ERA
Before the formation of a professional police force, each province of a city was policed by ordinary citizens - generally uneducated men who patrolled the neighbourhood in a group called 'The Watch' and arrested people. The chief civil officer of the parish was the Master Constable, an unpaid volunteer. The constable and watchmen were often mocked at this time for their pompous self importance.

DANCING
Like other Shakespearian comedies, Much Ado ends with a dance to signal restored order and harmony. Dancing enabled close but highly controlled encounters between the sexes.  It also suggests some of the entertainment prevalent in the Elizabethan era, as dancing was commonplace.

'BASTARDS'
This theme is referred to a lot in the play and refers to children conceived outside of marriage and born 'out of wedlock'. They were common figures in early modern Europe where male infidelity was often accepted. Bastards had a precarious role outside the family since they were denied inheritance rights of legitimate children. As a result, Shakespeare, especially in Much Ado but also in King Lear (Edmund), paints bastards as scheming villainous figures. Shakespeare's first audiences could have made a link between the fictional Don John and the real Don John of Austria, who was a 'bastard' son of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

'CUCKOLDS' 
These were men depicted with animal horns as a shameful sign that their wives had been unfaithful - this became a running joke in many early modern ballads, pamphlets and plays like Much Ado About Nothing.

'HARPY'
This is a mythical monster of Greek and Roman origin, with the head of a human and the wings and claws of a bird. Metaphorically, this term was used to refer to an annoying, unscrupulous woman, as in Much Ado, when Benedick sees Beatrice approaching and exclaims to Don Pedro that he would go to 'the world's end... rather than hold three words' conference with this harpy'.

SWORDS
In early modern Europe, ornate rapiers or thin sharp swords were worn as weapons and as signs of male honour, status and fashion. In Much Ado, swords become very metaphorical between Benedick and Beatrice - later Benedick challenges Claudio to a duel to defend Hero's honour with a sword too.