Back to Malaprops, Act 3 Scene 5

Fix these first few Dogberry Malapropism 
1. "Marry, sir, I would have some confidence with you that decerns your nearly." ("decerns" but means concerns)
2. "Good Verges, sir, speaks a little off the matter: an old man, sir, and his wits are not so blunt as, God help, I would desire they were;" ("blunt" but means sharp)
3. "Comparisons are odorous: palabras, neighbour Verges." ("odorous" but means arduous)

Questions
1. What does Dogberry's want about all to communicate to Leonato in this scene? Why? How does this impede the discovery of the crime against Hero?
            Dogberry only wants to tell Leonato how great he is a watchman. He doesn't realise he can stop the tragedy and crime against Hero happening. He does this because he wants to further his career and get recognised for what a great according to him job he does. Dogberry should be telling him that he's arrested the two men who started the crime against Hero. 
2. What is the great honor which Leonato bestows upon Dogberry and Verges?
            Leonato says that they 'are tedious' meaning they are the most boring people he's ever met, yet they take it as a joke and think that they are given the honor of something else. 

"Benedictus" Act 3 Scene 4

Margaret's role

• Yet more comic relief 
• Is she a distraction from a more serious point? 
• Hero is "uneasy" and Beatrice "unwell"
• Are the pre wedding jitters or something more significant which we are "deceived" about?  

Bawdiness

• " 'Twill be heavier soon by the weight of a man" 
• "The heavier for a husband"
• "A maid and stuffed! There's a goodly catching of a cold."
• "Cardus Benedictus" (not bawdy)

Questions

1. How has Beatrice changed in this scene from her previous behavior  Identify two sexual jokes the girls make this scene? 

            Beatrice has changed because she thought she could never love and that no man would ever be good enough for her. However in this scene she is feeling sick because she doesn't know how she fells about Benedict. So when Margaret says about "Cardus Benedictus" she immediately defends herself and denies it.

            One sexual joke that the girls make is " 'Twill be heavier soon by the weight of a man" this is a sexual joke because it could be implied as a sexual relationship between Hero and Claudio. A second joke is "A maid and stuffed! There's a goodly catching of a cold." this could be seen as a sexual joke because stuffed is can also be referred to as being pregnant as well as having a stuffed nose from a cold.

2. What is the "Cardus Benedictus" referred to in the scene, and what does Beatrice think it means? 

            "Cardus Benedictus" is a holy thistle, considered a cure for money illnesses. However Beatrice believes that Margaret is hinting at her love for Benedict and over reacts which makes her seem rather guilty and that she does have feelings for him.

3. Are we deceived by Margaret's humor? 

            We are because her sexual jokes hide the uneasiness of Beatrice and Hero. This is foreshadowing what will happen at the wedding. Margaret acts as a comic relief before the tragedy of the wedding. Act 3, Scene 4 ends quickly this along with Margaret's humor makes the distance between comedy and tragedy so large that the switch is traumatic for the audience. 

Malapropism, idiocy, farce and the Watch. Act 3 Scene III

COMIC RELIEF 
A humorous or farcical interlude in a serious literary work or drama, especially a tragedy,intended to relieve the dramatic tension or heighten the emotional impact by means of contrast.

Before 

The action switches from light hearted comedy to nasty and vindictive trickery.
Don John tells Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero is cheating even though she isn't and Claudio believes it straight away without even asking Hero.

NOW
Learn that Dogberry and Verges aren't very good watchman. They mess up on word confusing themselves and others. (malapropism)

Borachio and Conrade enter and, within earshot of the watch, discuss how Borachio earned 1,000 crowns by executing an evil plan for Don John. Borachio then reveals his evening's activity to Conrade, describing how he and Margaret enacted a scene of Hero's infidelity outside her bedroom window. Borachio also tells Conrade how Claudio became angry and swore that he would shame Hero at church the next morning. Just as Borachio finishes his tale, Seacoal and his men emerge from the shadows; the two are placed under arrest and taken offstage.
After
Claudio will shame Hero even though she has done no wrong.
We know that Don John's trickery is likely to be revealed.

A03 - Criticism

Take away from Much Ado all that which is not indispensable to the plot, either as having little to do with it or at best like Dogbertt and comrades forced into the service. When any other less ingeniously absurd watchman and night-constable would have answered the mere necessities of the action; take away Benedick, Beatrice, Dogberry and the reaction of the former on the character of Hero, -and what remains? The implication is nothing, or almost nothing: so that the play as a whole has no purpose that it has no unity and failing to show even a thwarted striving toward unity, is most conveniently for the critic resolved into its elements.  Coleridge

Any other less ingeniously absurd watchman and night-constable would have answered the more neccessities of the action. Coleridge

Questions

1. What does Dogberry utter so many "malaprops"? Identify three such misusages of words?

• "First who think you the desartless man to be constable?" (desartless malapropism for deserving meaning the complete opposite."
•   "This is your charge: you shall comprehend all vagrom men;" (comprehend malapropism for apprehend)
• "You are thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the constable of the watch." (senseless malapropism for sensible)

2. What is the serious social problem underlying the satire on Dogberry and his all volunteer watch? 

           The serious social problem is that the police are ineffective they want to do as little work as possible and think that they cannot be associated with people such as thieves because honest men such as they are should not mix with dishonest men. They also do not wanna deal with anything if it did happen so if they see a vagrant they don't have to run after him if he doesn't stop because it is no longer their problem. 

3. What seems to be Dogberry's primary concern in his instructions to the volunteer watchmen? 

            Dogberry's primary concern is not having to be disturbed from his sleep and have to deal with anyone. He may also be a really lazy person who has no cares at all about anyone else but himself and so if the other watchmen do not disturb him then he has had what he wanted. 

4. How are the watchmen able to discover what Borachio has done? How much do they understand of what they have found out? 

            The watchmen are able to discover what Borachio has done by overhearing the conversation Borachio has with Conrade telling him about how he got 1,000 crowns by executing an evil plan for Don John. They don't understand any of what they have heard they just know it is wrong somehow. This is because although Borachio did the crime he wasn't the perpetrator and Conrade was only hearing about it from Borachio so didn't know about it until the watchman learnt about it. 

5. From what we learn from Borachio's account of the deception how was he able to fool the Prince and Claudio? 

            From Borachio's account of the deception we learn that the Prince and Claudio didn't really see Hero messing around with another boy but instead it was him and Margaret who were doing it to fool Claudio into thinking it was Hero. We also learn that he only did it because he was paid good money by Don John, which links to when Don John says that 'You may think I love you not; let that appear hereafter, and aim better at me by that I now will manifest.' because he is showing that he doesn't love Claudio because he is trying to ruin his relationship. 

Transformation Act 3.2

Beatrice says that she doesn't want a man with a beard and neither one without. This is because this was seen as the sexual ideal of the time.

Benedict changes his appearance to impress Beatrice as he knows that she doesn't want a man with a beard because he would be too old, he also has a proper wash and puts aftershave on because he thinks it will make her love him more.

Dressing to impress is Benedict's way of getting more attention from Beatrice. He wears his best clothes, his shirt unbuttoned so far and German trousers.

MORE BAWDINESS - She shall be buried with her face upwards.

Deception 
1. According to Claudio and Pedro how has Benedict changed since we last saw him? How does Benedict explain the change in his behavior?
           Benedict changed by shaving his beard off, he also was wearing his smartest clothes "as a German from the waist downwards". These changes caused Claudio and Don Pedro to upset Benedict, and making him run away. Benedict tries to explain to them that he has had to shave his beard because he has toothache "I have the toothache". He actually has done all of this to impress Beatrice. 

2. How does Don John's choice of language make the impact of his revelation about Hero all the more devastating to Claudio? 
            Don John uses a lot of apologetic language for disturbing them to make them feel like they are of great power, although he is of more. "My lord,and brother" and "If it pleased you;" are both examples of him being very polite and apologetic. He also says that they may think he doesn't like them but it's not the case. however it is, but they don't release what he's actually saying "let that appear here after." meaning he will show he really doesn't like them.

3. Why does Claudio immediately announced he will shame Hero in the church at the wedding?
             Claudio does this because he doesn't want to be ashamed so if he ended it he still shows that he is of great power, and of a hierarchy over Hero. It would also show everyone how that he is the one who will be better off out of the relationship. He doesn't really care at this moment if what he's been told is true or not but about his pride and reputation. 

Deception Table

Scene	Character	Right/Wrong	Deception	Quote
Act 2 Scene 1	Don John	Wrong	Makes Claudio jealous by saying Dan Pedro plans to wed Hero	'Signior you are very near my brother in his love' he is an enamour'd on Hero'
Act 2 Scene 2	Borachio	Wrong	Makes a plot to ruin Claudios marrage plans	'Be you constant in the accousation and my cunning shall not shame me'
Act 2 Scene 3	Don Pedro, Claudio & Leonato	Right	Tells Benedick on purpose that Beatrice loves him	' that your niece Beatrice was in love with signior Benedick'
Act 3 Scene 1	Hero	Right	Arranges for Beatrice to over hear that Benedick loves her	'my talk to thee must be how Benedick is sick in love with Beatrice'

Act 2, scene 3 & Act 3, scene 2

AO2- Language, Structure and Form

In act 2, scene 3 there is a quibble when Don Pedro and Balthasar have a conversation and the word ‘note’. A quibble is a wordplay that uses as many different meanings to a word in a smallest amount of time possible. They also have a word play when they use the word ‘crotchets’ this is because it is also a type of note.

Don Pedro: . . . Do it in notes.
Balthasar: Note this before my notes;
There's not a note of mine that's worth the noting.
Don Pedro: Why, these are very crotchets that he speaks.
Note notes, forsooth, and nothing!

Structure and Repetition

Also in act 2, scene 3 there is another wordplay when Benedick has a monologue and uses several structural variations repeating the same thing over and over in different ways.

". . . one woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well" and "rich shall she be, that's certain: wise, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel."

AO3- Critical Interpretation

Both scenes are a deception of each other. In act 2, scene 3 Benedick ‘notes’ that Beatrice is in love with him and in act 3, scene 1 the other way round. These are both contrived and forced scenes are needed within the play otherwise a lot of the following events may not happen.

AO4- Social and Historical Context.

The word nothing has many different meanings; Shakespeare may or may not have put ‘nothing’ in the title for a reason. He might have done so that people could interpret it in many different ways using the different meaning of ‘nothing’ or he may not and it was only after it was written that it was realised that it had double meanings.  In Shakespeare’s time the word nothing was pronounced as ‘noting’ allowing many different interpretations.  Nothing has 4 main meanings:

nothing (as in present parlance): not anything, zero, zilch,nada
nothing: In Shakespeare's time, "thing" and "nothing" ("nothing") were slang words for referring to a sexual organ; thus phrases with the word "nothing" sometimes had sexual or erotic connotations
noting: writing musical notes
noting: observing, overhearing, perceiving

In both act 2, scene 3 and act 3, scene 1 there is a lot of noting within the meaning over observing, overhearing and perceiving. This is because both Benedick and Beatrice overhear other peoples conversations, and are told that each other loves them. This may show that Shakespeare deliberately put the word nothing in the title to imply what it is to come within the play.