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!
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
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.
Well done Bryony. By working through the AO's you ensure that you are developing the skills needed for the coursework.
ReplyDeleteYou will need to review lesson powerpoints to see if you can develop a stronger A03 point. You really need a critic in order to develop your idea.