Shakespeare Comedies

» DenverActor - Much Ado About Nothing

The author makes some great observations, but then what is the solution? Are we as modern, enlightened, civilized human beings to ignore a great piece of theatre because the ideas expressed don't agree with us anymore? Or is it possible to apply a modern outlook to the text? To make Hero more than a hapless victim and Beatrice more than a sideline observer? In reading over the play it seems the text is fairly brimming with roles for strong women. Hero, rather than bending to her father's will that she should die, defends herself tells him the accusations are false. Leonato's actions could be interpreted to be the rash and overwrought actions of a man who has been utterly blindsided. Beatrice's impassioned speech "Oh that I were a man..." can be read as a device to spur Benedick to action. Strong words for a woman of that time. Words that would likely have had a woman beaten or worse for uttering them, and yet Benedick is then convinced that he should indeed challenge Claudio. Rather than making this play about misogyny or the demeaning role of women in Elizabethan England, let's examine the play as a look at how even very strong men are undone by their love of these strong women. It seems important to note that we are introduced to Beatrice before Benedick, Hero before Claudio. Can this piece be a misogynistic and demeaning commentary on the roles of women? Yes. If we allow it to be. To do so I think would entirely miss the point. At the bottom line Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, and in comedy, indeed in most theatre (heck, life for that matter), it's much more compelling to focus on the positive.

-- posted by DenverActor

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