Classical Imagery in Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing...

Classical Imagery in Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing The romance of history has lured many of the worlds greatest authors to search for their subject matter in the pages of time. William Shakespeare serves as a unfailing embodiment of the emotion of days past; yet he also turned to those before him. The comedy Much Ado About Nothing is a poignant love story, riddled with stunning imagery and allusion. An examination of the development of certain characters, the imagery and allusion, diction, and structure illustrate that the author wrote in a style heavily influenced by the classical movement of Ancient Greece and Rome. The classical thread strengthens the tapestry which is Much Ado About Nothing. The play is staged in the†¦show more content†¦The play was written in 1598 during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. The following statement certainly rings true of William Shakespeare: English authors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries made extensive use of classical mythology, in drama and narrative poems, as ornaments in lyric poetry, and by means of mythological allusion in prose and verse works.1 The mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome appears in the characterization, imagery, allusion, and theme of this play. The references to the classical period are both bold and subtle as Shakespeare weaves them into the work. The opening scene immediately sets the stage as well as introduces the characters and their relationships, thus allowing the playwright to ply his stylistic trade. Shakespeare uses a subtle ploy: the setting of the scene is Italy, which was the very heart of the classical world. Messina seems to exist as a peaceful town, nestled in nature. The pastoral setting is characteristic of the Renaissance movement which itself was a return to the classical glorification of nature. As the play unravels, it becomes evident that many conventions were selected due to their specifically classical undertones. The beginning is reminiscent of the epic genre: the first scene starts in medias res with the announcement of Don Pedros triumph in battle. The epic style is characterised as possessing a hero of great national or even cosmic importance, a setting ample in scale,Show MoreRelatedKenneth Branaghs Much Ado About Nothing Essay1588 Words   |  7 PagesThe scene opens in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, Italy. Lying about on the slopes of grass are the humble townsfolk basking in the sunshine as a soft voice introduces; â€Å"Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more.† This dreamlike setting is the opening scene of the major motion picture Much Ado About Nothing as envisioned by film director Kenneth Branagh. A far cry from its Shakespearean origins, Branagh’s Much Ado has a look and feel all of its own. This film seeks to capture its audience with visual majestyRead MoreHumours of Two Characters in Much Ado About Nothing Essay1215 Words   |  5 PagesCompare the Dramatisations of Benedick and Don John in Much Ado About Nothing; looking closely at the way they speak and the ways they interact with other characters In Shakespeare’s era character traits were often represented by humours. Benedick is predominantly influenced by the sanguine humour which gives rise to his friendly, happy, optimistic and generous nature. Don John [henceforth John], however, is portrayed as an introspective, solitary and vengeful character due to the melancholic humourRead More Movie Essays - Narrative Holes in Films of Shakespeares Plays2130 Words   |  9 PagesNarrative Holes in Films of Shakespeares Plays My subject in this essay in playtexts and in films of those playtexts. Drama offers the storyteller a simple choice about how to communicate each element of the story to the audience: show it, or have a character describe it. Often in drama narration is used because an event cannot be shown, but occasionally telling is used when showing is perfectly possible and Shakespeare uses this device self-consciously to draw attention to the mediumRead MoreFeminist Theory Applied to Hamlet2809 Words   |  12 PagesRepresenting Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism Elaine Showalter Though she is neglected in criticism, Ophelia is probably the most frequently illustrated and cited of Shakespeare’s heroines. Her visibility as a subject in literature, popular culture, and painting, from Redon who paints her drowning, to Bob Dylan, who places her on Desolation Row, to Cannon Mills, which has named a flowery sheet pattern after her, is in inverse re lation to her invisibility in