Eric Powell
Mrs. Gloria Tidwell
English 271
May 4, 2012
Much Ado About Nothing
I would like to start off by saying wow! This play, Much Ado About Nothing, was stunning and totally caught me off guard. I didn’t know that reading Shakespeare would be fun and enjoyable. All the plays I have read by Shakespeare have been tragedies so I thought all his plays were gloomy and ended on a sad note. It is so fortunate that I got the opportunity to read this play and see another side of the magnificent Shakespeare. During the play there was a lot of word play and scheming both good and bad. All this was fascinating to me but what really got my attention and my brain turning was the prince, Don Pedro.
Just who exactly is Don Pedro? Well he is the Prince of Aragon in the play and half-brother to Don John, the villain. He was also a very close friend of Claudio and Benedick. They were the “It” bachelors of Messina at the time. All of them find beautiful wives and they live happily ever after, the end. Well that is how we would hope the play ended but unfortunately it is not. The Prince does not find a wife out of the three men and that is what draws my attention to him. Don Pedro seems very elusive during the play. He is very honorable and noble but there is really no explanation of his motives. He did help Claudio by wooing Hero for him but why? He also had the ingenious plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together but why? These are all questions that run through my mind because the play doesn’t give a clear motive. I believe Shakespeare left this open for the viewers to give their own opinions.
The Essay on Don Pedro Play Beatrice Benedick
In the first essay, written by Jean Howard, the main idea or thesis seems to focus on the anti theatrical aspects of the play. The actual thesis would be Shakespeare employs anti theatrical discourse in a way that advantages certain social groups without calling attention to the fact that it does that. Howard takes a Marxist approach to the play. She looks at how the conflict intertwines itself ...
Why does the prince help Claudio by wooing Hero? Well the obvious is that Claudio is one of his close friends so of course you help a buddy out when he needs it. He is also the prince and is it not the prince’s duty to help his kinsmen when in need. I believe that the Don Pedro is acting on his friendship at this point and not doing this because he is the prince. The thing that is confusion to me is why he went about getting the two of them together in the manner he did. He is the prince so why didn’t he just tell Claudio to make his love known to Hero and he would give his blessing as the prince and all would be glorious. It seems to me the prince wanted a little more to do with the bringing of young Hero and Claudio together than normal. It is like he had something to prove to himself or to Claudio. He gives off the vibe that he is the prince and I can get any women or give any women I wanted too. Don Pedro means well and has all the intentions of giving Hero to Claudio but he seems to want control of the situation. These are not bad characteristics for the prince but it does give an elusive feel for him.
Now that the prince has his hands in Hero and Claudio’s arrangement it seems he just couldn’t stop there. So now he has this elaborate plan to bring the two wittiest characters in the play together, Benedick and Beatrice. The motive for him doing this is unclear like before but open to interpretation. This again is the prince trying to show his power and control over events. He has all the best intentions and wishes good upon everyone but he wants to show off. It feels like he is boasting because he feels he is better than cupid. He is the prince and he is clever and everyone should know this. He does not come out and say this of course but that’s what I get from his character. Also when the prince is talking to Beatrice he asked her if she would have him. I believe when he asked this he is just being nice to her. I think he knew she would say no and that’s why he asked. I say this because Beatrice is a strong woman and very outspoken. He could not have a wife that would challenge his word and be of equal wits with. This would not fit with his character because I believe the prince loves his power but he chooses to do good with the power.
The Essay on Beowulf Superman Hero Powers
A hero is defined in classical mythology as a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift. Beowulf, the title character of an epic poem and Superman, a more modern day hero are both prime examples. Beowulf and Superman exhibit several differences, but they also share some similar qualities. Beowulf possessed great strength that separated him ...
Don Pedro is the Prince of Aragon so why does he help his friends get wives and not himself? I thought when I first starting the play that Don Pedro was going to end up with a wife and he was going to live happily ever after. He is the prince so why wouldn’t he, well I was wrong of course and I have a theory why. I believe the prince isn’t ready for a wife because he is content with his power and wit. He loves to play games and dance about with the underline of power in is plots. He is enjoying himself too much and has no time for a wife. Even at the end of the play he is the only one of the three men without a wife but he doesn’t seem to care.
I over all really enjoyed this play and all its humor. Like I said before this was this first comedy I have read of Shakespeare and it is by far my favorite now. I don’t think I can ever go back to tragedies again but unfortunately that was short lived. Reading this play has opened my eyes to Shakespeare and taught me that you shouldn’t think ill of Shakespeare until you have given him a chance.
