Humour in 'Much Ado About Nothing'
- Created by: benny66678
- Created on: 27-03-17 12:12
Humour in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Characters relevant to humour:
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Beatrice uses humour to be outspoken about marriage
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Benedick amuses his friends and jokes about hating marriage
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Leonato jokes about cuckolding, until his daughter’s honour is questioned
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The Watch are part of the play for comic relief
Beatrice:
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Has a merry war with Benedick
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‘I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody marks you.’
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Seeks him out when no-one else is speaking to him
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The source of this is possibly a history between them
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‘You always end with a jade's trick: I know you of old.’
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A ‘jade’ was a broken down, vicious horse
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Uses her humour to be outspoken
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‘It is my cousin's duty to make curtsy and say 'Father, as it please you.' ... let him be a handsome fellow, or else make another curtsy and say 'Father, as it please me.'’
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She is being light-hearted about about the expectation of her cousin to be dutiful
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Being outspoken towards her uncle, while acknowledging what her cousin is expected to do
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Jokes about marriage
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‘I have a good eye, uncle, I can see a church by daylight’
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Joking, but also serious, saying she will not marry as she has a realistic view of marriage
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Does not admit to her feelings, disguises them using humour
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‘I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.’/‘No, an he were, I would burn my study’
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‘In your books’ means in your good graces
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She replies joking to a serious question
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Benedick:
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Has a battle of…
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