| Where does Language and typical human behavior fail us in Much Ado? Note a specific scene or two where the characters fail to understand each other. What is the cause or result of this misunderstanding? With these examples in mind, what is Shakespeare noting about human nature and the facility of language? |
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Who's on first? What's on second?
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In Act I, Scene II, servants to Leonato misinterpret Don Pedro's intentions to woo Hero for Claudio, believing instead that Don Pedro intends to woo Hero for himself. Although this misunderstanding ends up being harmless, it sets the stage for the rest of the misunderstandings and misinterpretations that characterize the rest of the play. Also, when Act I, Scene II, is taken in context with Act I, Scene III, the scene where the sinister Don Jon knows exactly what's going on when all other characters do not, it is clear that Shakespeare is noting that illusion and misinterpretation are primary tools that forces of evil can use to manipulate the innocent.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of Act 2 scene 3 of Much Ado, Benedick is running off to have a mini portrait made of Beatrice, marking a significant departure from his dismissal of marriage and the opposite gender. After overhearing what he thinks to be a legitimate conversation between Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio about Beatrice's profound love for him, Benedick vows to fall "horribly in love with her" and misconstrues her response of taking the pains to invite him inside the house for dinner as a sign of reciprocated love on her end. Shakespeare is commenting about human nature to suggest that our ability to perceive the truth becomes tainted or misconstrued when we allow our own perceptions to interfere. This is evident in this encounter since Benedick takes Beatrice's response to be a sign of love because he is under the notion from the earlier conversation he heard that she loves him even though she sarcastically expresses the disdain she has in delivering this message to him.
ReplyDeleteIn Act 3 scene 2, Don John has a plan of deceiving Claudio and Don Pedro by showing that Hero is actually unfaithful. Claudio and Don Pedro see who they think is Hero with another man, when in reality it was really Margret. This misconception becomes very problematic for all the characters. Claudio chooses to revoke the marriage and shames Hero in front of the whole town. As result, all the characters begin to blame each other for the events that have happened. Claudio believes that Hero is not faithful, while Leonato believes that Claudio may been making this whole thing up. Shakespeare uses this scene to demonstrate how easily people can be manipulated. Claudio automatically assumed that Hero was unfaithful because Don John, who he does not know well, showed him and did not even give her chance to explain or tell him that it was false. Scheming and misinterpretation are various methods that people use to trick the naive and innocent.
ReplyDeleteI found Margaret and Boratio's relationship interesting, because there was a large misunderstanding between them about what each person wanted out of it. Throughout the play, Margaret is willing to do anything to win Boratio’s affection because she wants to take their flirtatious relationship to the next level and marry him. On the other hand, even though in Act 2, Scene 2, Boratio confesses to knowing that he had been in her favor “a year since”, he never commits himself to Margaret or values her or her feelings. Instead, he completely disregards Margaret’s reputation and manipulates her by leading her on to ruin Hero and Claudio’s wedding, despite the fact that Margaret is Hero’s waiting gentlewoman. She ends up being seen as a villain by Leonato and others in Act 5, Scene 1, and the only thing Boratio does to defend her after the fact is say “No, by my soul, she was not, nor knew not what she did when she spoke to me, but always hath been just and virtuous in anything that I do know by her”. Despite the fact that Margaret is manipulated into innocently and unintentionally doing something horrible, no apologies are ever made to her by Boratio and no real effort is ever made to fix her reputation. I think Shakespeare was trying to highlight what some people are willing to do out of love and how much they get hurt when they realize they are just being used and their love will never fully be returned. I also believe Shakespeare wanted to highlight how little some men valued women, their feelings, and their relationships in the time era.
ReplyDeleteIn Act 3 scene 5, Leonato was preparing to go to the wedding when Dogberry and Verges rushed in to tell him about the criminals they caught and to ask Leonato to be present during the interrogation. While Dogberry and Verges tried to explain this to Leonato they ended up off topic and rambling the entire time. Since they failed to communicate their message, Leonato left for the wedding and did not end up hearing why the criminals were charged. Without having that knowledge, Leonato is led to believe the information that was misinterpreted by Claudio which eventually leads to Hero’s “death”. In this case, Shakespeare is noting how we have a desire to fit in with those around us with the example of Dogberry who is a middle-class character trying to use more elaborate terms to imitate those around him who are part of the higher-class society.
ReplyDeleteThe misunderstanding in Act 1, in which Leonato misunderstands the intentions of Don Pedro by misinterpreting the conversation between Don Pedro and Claudio, may have occurred as a result of the unconscious desires of Leonato and Antonio. The servants did not hear the conversation in its entirety and as a result the missing parts were filled in, or in other words the truth was tainted, as Eman described. One aspect of human nature is to fill in gaps to make things make sense, whether it be in conversation or observation. These gaps are filled with what seems most logical to us. Perhaps the reason the servants thought that Don Pedro was planning on wooing Hero was due to the fact that they themselves thought that Don Pedro was a much more suitable match for her. This same phenomenon occurred when Claudio and Don Pedro wrongly assumed that it was Hero at the window with Barachio, when in reality it was not. They did not see clearly what was happening; in fact, they only saw shadowy figures. However, their brain filled in the gaps and allowed for the misunderstanding to arise. These misinterpretations are merely the result of people trying to compensate for incomplete information.
ReplyDeleteAfter Don John comes up with his plan to destroy Claudio and Hero's marriage, he sets up a situation in which Claudio would see Borachio with Margaret dressed in Hero's clothes. With this occurs, he believes that Hero is unfaithful and calls off their marriage with the help of Don Pedro, causing Leonato and the rest of the men to publicly humiliate Hero in front of the town. This is significant because Shakespeare shows how easily humans can be fooled by anything they hear and that in the heat of the moment, they will believe whatever anyone tells them. It shows that human nature is impulsive and can be manipulated easily by others.
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DeleteIn adding to the mention of the scene when Dogberry and Verges attempt to tell Leonato about their recent capture and apprehension of Borachio and Conrade, is the commentary on our human nature to rush. Leonato is about to leave for the wedding ceremony which is at the forefront of his thoughts at that moment in the play. As a result, he brushes the two guards aside due to their lack of comprehensible communication. When something is on our minds we tend to feel that everything preventing us from focusing on that one thing is taking way too long. If Leonato had not been distracted by the upcoming event he probably would have stayed and listened intently to what the guards were trying to say in an effort to understand them. In the same respect, if Dogberry had gotten straight to the point Leonato would have listened.
ReplyDeleteThere is a caveat to my response: I am not sure if I actually believe this interpretation, but I think it's plausible enough to deserve a proposal. In Act 2, Scene 1, Don Pedro asks Beatrice to marry him, and she responds that she would not because he was too sophisticated for her. It seems that her answer wasn't completely thought out or serious, which is understandable considering that his proposal was impulsive and playful. This could have been a misunderstanding, however. Don Pedro could actually have intended for his question to be serious. This would explain why he is unhappy at the end of the play; perhaps he is jealous of Benedick for marrying Beatrice. It would also explain his tampering in the love affairs of others. If he had no interest in love, why would he spend so much of his time with plans concerning other peoples' love lives? He spent more energy and time on finding love (even though not for himself) than any other character. If this is true, then Beatrice misunderstood his intentions and unknowingly broke his heart.
ReplyDeleteMisinterpretation of language is continuously present throughout the play. From Anthony presenting to Leonato a garbled account of Don Pedro's plan to woo Hero, to no one really understanding a word Dogberry has to say due to his idiosyncratic vocabulary, and to Claudio and Don Pedro not noting the woman they saw acting a floozy was indeed Margaret. The results of these misunderstandings leave many characters looking very vulnerable and insecure, especially Claudio. These goings-on almost mock Claudio because even though he entered the play as a gallant and honorable youth, his character unwinds so quickly because he is so easily fooled and put down. From this we might assume that Shakespeare was noting that we are prone to deception and even honor and status cannot escape the juvenile nature of deceit. Language is merely a vehicle by which the flaws in human nature may become exposed.
ReplyDeleteMisunderstandings commonly occur in this play as a result of the constant eavesdropping and scheming of the characters. A specific example of this occurrence is in Act 2 scene 3 when Benedick overhears Claudio, Leonato, and Don Pedro talking about how Beatrice is in love with him. Although Benedick is under the impression that they do not know he is there, they are fully aware and counting on him 'noting' them. The three men knew how Benedick would react when he heard that Beatrice loved him and they used that to manipulate the situation to result how they wanted it to. Shakespeare uses the idea that human nature is predictable and that most people react to situations in similar ways. If someone is told that someone else is in love with them, in most cases they will consider the possibility of loving them back. Shakespeare uses common emotions and reactions in this play and that results in the sole reason that this play's plot progresses.
ReplyDeleteOne of the pivotal moments within the play occurs because of a misunderstanding. When Don John convinces Claudio and Don Pedro to look at Hero’s window, they see an image of a woman in Hero’s cloths with another man. Don John purposefully uses this misinterpretation to further his goal of being a pain to Don Pedro. This misinformation shortly leads to Claudio breaking off his wedding and destroying the honor of Hero. Through the constant misunderstandings and misinformation, Shakespeare is mirroring the constant issues that happen in real life because of it. By having Don John use these misunderstandings to his advantage, Shakespeare implies that misinformation can be worse than no information. Shakespeare is noting that in life, it is important to be certain of information before applying it to situations. Otherwise, the following actions can further hurt the situation.
ReplyDelete"Give not me counsel...For, brother, men Can counsel and speak comfort to that grief Which they themselves not feel" (5.1.6-24). In attempts to console his brother, Anthony encourages Leonato to abandon his grief over Hero's public mortification. Leonato tells Anthony not to comfort him, because words of comfort can do nothing to alleviate the pain caused by Leonato's grief. Leonato argues that it is easy for men to give comfort and advice when they are not the subjects of grief; however, when men must endure their own grief, they are unable to internalize their own advice to dismiss the burden of their unhappiness. This behavior is explained by a fundamental misunderstanding between persons caused by an inability to internalize the circumstances of others. Shakespeare notes or criticizes this interpersonal disconnect by highlighting Anthony's supposed inability to "practice what he preaches".
ReplyDeleteImmediately in the beginning, in Act I scene II, Leonato's servants mishear Don Pedro and relay to Leonato that Don Pedro plans to court his daughter, Hero, at the dance the following day. Like Kyle said, this sets the tone for the play as one full of mistakes and misunderstandings that drive the plot. Likewise, the paranoia of Claudio also fails him twice within the play. During the masked dance, Don John successfully convinces Claudio that Don Pedro intents to woo Hero for himself, and Claudio is disheartened to hear that the girl that he loves will fall for someone else. Benedick, however, is able to remedy this, and the characters evade an early disaster. Later however, as part of Don John's plan, Borachio and Margaret make love while Margaret appears to be Hero, effectively convincing Claudio that Hero is a whore and is not the virgin she portrays. This leads to more problems, but the miscommunications as a whole represent flaws within human nature to automatically assume the worst. Shakespeare also stresses the importance of accuracy over speed, as many scenarios within the story could have been avoided if the characters had listened carefully.
ReplyDeleteAfter Benekick overhears Claudio's comments and believes that Beatrice is in love with him, he then has a conversation with Beatrice in act II scene iii. He misinterprets everything she says, thinking that she is sending messages of love, when really she is just being her usual self. He uses the double meanings of her words to support in his mind that she loves him. The result of this misinterpretation is that Benedick falls for Beatrice and he thinks she loves him too. Shakespeare is saying that when we take in our personal accounts and beliefs, we misconstrue the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe most entertaining and powerful scenes of misinterpreted language for me were those involving Dogberry. In all of the other scenes Shakespeare kept a cover of the inefficiency of language; however, whenever Dogberry spoke, language’s shortcoming became clear. Dogberry was a character who, technically speaking, was saying very little wrong, but yet nothing he said made sense. These scenes are Shakespeare’s way of reaching out toward the audience and reinforcing the subtle message that was already abundant in the play, language is not enough. We watched as characters struggles to understand each other or misinterpreted signs. All in all, Much Ado About Nothing is a critique of the shortcoming of all forms of human observation, and how they must be used together to create a clear picture of the world.
ReplyDeleteA prominent misunderstanding in "Much Ado About Nothing" that begins the comedy of errors is when Leonato believes Don Pedro has intentions to marry his daughter, Hero. Antonio is told by a servant that Don Pedro and Claudio were conversing about Hero. Not all of the story is heard though and specific details (like Claudio actually having intentions to marry Hero, not Don Pedro) are left out. As Ina stated, people, in order to make sense of something, tend to fill in gaps. In order to better comprehend a situation, one tries to fill in the missing information to try and connect the whole story. It may have been Leonato and Antonio's subconscious desire for Hero to marry Don Pedro that led to them rushing into the assumption and belief that he did want to become involved with her. In the situation of the misunderstood intentions, it is not only a result of human nature, but also of incorrect language.
ReplyDeleteIn Act II scene I, Claudio believes that Don Pedro is trying to court Hero for himself. Don John simply suggests this and Claudio automatically believes it to be true. Even though there is no evidence that Don Pedro is tricking him, Claudio quickly accepts that Hero will not be his. In the Elizabethan era, peoples word was often taken very seriously and easily accepted to be true. The testimony of a man could easily condemn a person, like how Hero is labeled a harlot with no real proof. In Much Ado about Nothing, the constant miscommunications that occur show how unreliable language can be. Shakespeare demonstrates the flaws of the society through these common misunderstandings and shows how much trouble can be caused by false information and the drama that can come from nothing.
ReplyDeleteIn Act II, scene III, Benedick comes to believe that Beatrice is in love with him, but when he encounters her towards the end of the scene she scolds and scorns him with her usual witticisms. However, Benedick takes this as a hinted statement of her love to him, and misinterprets her insults against him. By giving Benedick this unique interpretation, Shakespeare shows us that ultimately people hear what they want to hear, regardless of the actual statement.
ReplyDeleteTowards the middle of the play we see an interesting instance of the failure of human nature, specifically "noting" something or someone. Claudio simply "notes" or briefly observes the consersation between Dogberry and Margaret, and assumes it to be Hero decieving him. This almost leads to destructive consequences in the end, all because Claudio briefly noted an ongoing conversation and completely blew it out of proportion. Perhaps Shakespeare wishes to mock human nature, and make comedy out of how gullible we all are.
ReplyDeleteMisinterpretation is a central motif in Much Ado. From the beginning of the play, people are receiving and spreading incorrect information. I believe the best instance of misinterpretation in Much Ado comes when it is not the recipient of the information that is at fault, but the person trying to convey the information. At a crucial point in the story, Dogberry is endowed with extremely important information. Unfortunately, Dogberry either does not recognize the importance of that information or he lacks the skills to communicate it. When it comes time for Dogberry to inform Leonato of the danger to his daughter, the simple message is lost as Dogberry struggles with his words and Leonato loses interest. I think that this is the best example of misunderstanding in Much Ado, since it is so vital that the message be communicated, but it tragically lost in conversation.
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