Much Ado About Nothing
Happy Ending?
Edward Dowden 1895
• Discord is resolved into harmony…the plays
tell of the blessedness of forgiveness of
injuries; they show how broken bonds
between head and heart may be repaired and
reunited; each play closes with the victory of
love
• To what extent do you agree?
Eric Langley
• “ So we have experienced the discords of
love…and now we need to find concord; we need
to put things back together. We need to get ready
for the Shakespearean comedy’s happy ending.
So I want to ask how happy are those endings?”
• Listen to the rest of the talk..note down 3 other
interesting points that could apply to your study
of Much Ado
Discuss
Several of Shakespeare's comedies have an
unusual tone with a difficult mix of humor and
tragedy which has led them to be classified as
problem plays. Is this due to:
• to an imperfect understanding of Elizabethan
humor and society,
• a fault on Shakespeare's part
• a deliberate attempt by him to blend styles and
subvert the audience's expectations.
View Act 5 Scene 4
• Note down the ways in which problems are
resolved, broken bonds are healed and society
is restored to harmony
• Note down any elements of the ending that
are too easily “swept away”, that you are not
satisfied with or what do you feel is forced?
Jonathan Dollimore
• Do these plays reinforce dominant order or do
they interrogate it to the point of subversion?
2 minutes presentations
• Choose one of the statements you have been
given and prepare a 2 minute presentation on
how it applies to Much Ado About Nothing.