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Editor's Notes
Comedy: The play is a comedy because it ends in a positive matter. The good guys have a happy ending and the bad guys get what they deserved, and it has a lot of funny and witty moments. At many moments the play comes very close to becoming a tragedy.
This play has two main plots which are interwined: Beatrice and Benedick, who go from hating each other to being in love with each other; and Claudio and Hero a young couple who are diceived and face a crisis in their relationship.
Exposition- when the prince and his group of men arrive at the Leonatos home in Messina and we learn a bit of the characters like: that Don Pedro is a good friend of Leonato and his half brother Don John is a bit more reserved and serious. We also see that Beatrice and Benedick don’t get along and that Hero and Claudio are interested in each other.
Rising action- Hero and Claudio get engaged with everyone’s approvals. Don John wants to sabotage this and plans a way to draw them apart. Beatrice’s and Benedick’s friends notice theat they are a perfect match and devise a plan to get them together.
Climax- Don John brings both Don Pedro and Claudio to where they supposedly see Hero with another man. Later in the wedding, Claudio confronts Hero, and yells and accuses her, in front of everybody. Benedick and Beatrice, unknowingly under the influence of their friends, get together and express their love for each other.
Falling action- Beatrice and Benedick talk about their relationship and notice that their union was a set up by their friends. Some men discover the plan to ruin Claudio and Hero’s marriage and go to officials to inform them. Don John runs away to avoid facing the consequences of what he’d done. A priest comes up with a plan to fake Hero’s death in order to restore her good name.
Dénouement: The truth comes to light. Don Pedro and Leonato’s friendship remains strong. Hero’s good name in cleared. Claudio and Hero get married and Benedick and Beatrice realize that they do love each other. Don John is captured and would later on be brought to justice.
Hero and Claudio’s relationship is sabotaged by Don John. Beatrice and Benedick, two people who supposedly cannot stand one another, are told of each other’s secret love.
Protagonist: Beatrice, Benedick, Claudio, Hero
Antagonist: Don John
Round character: Beatrice & Benedick (they change their thoughts about getting married once they fall in love); Don Pedro (his brother is not the person he thought he was and he has to accept that);
Flat character: Don Pedro(“The Prince” the men the soldier fight for, Leonato’s close friend, Don John’s half brother), Signor Leonato (The owner of the estate, Hero’s father, Beatrice’s uncle, Don Pedro’s friend)
Stock character: Don Pedro and his men (young healthy bachelors who prefer their lifestyle), Dogberry and Verge (funny but well intentioned characters), Borachio and Conrad (idiotic/rude/drunken bad guys)
Beatrice: She is Hero’s cousin and Leonato’s neice. She is friendly and a very joyful woman. She’s also very confident and is not afraid to speak her mind.
Benedick: He is one of Don Pedro’s soldier and close friend. He is very confident and is always making jokes and witty comments.
Tat the beginning of the play these two characters do not get along and even have argument. They are both very happy with the idea of never getting married.
Claudio: He’s a young soldier and good friend of Don Pedro. Upon his arrival at Messina, he falls in love with Hero. He is very insecure at the beginning of the play and quickly believes rumors that drive him to act with anger.
Hero: She is Leonato’s daughter and Beatrice’s cousin. She’s the lovely, young girl that Claudio falls for. She is the main victim of Don Johns evil actions.
Don John is the half brother of Prince Don Pedro de Aragon, a close friend of Leonato. He is envious of his half brother’s authority and superiority.This is mainly what drive his evil actions in the play.
Monologue: It’s the main type of dialogue used in the story.
Soliloquy: Beatrice, Benedick and Don John have moments in which by soliloquy they express their thought and emotions to themselves.
Dramatic irony: The audience knew beforehand the bad intentions of Don John. The plans and trick that occur in the story are clear to the audience while the characters are ignorant of what’s going on.
Setting: Sixteen century, Messina, Sicily, on and around Governor Leonato’s estate
Mood: It’s mainly festive with a few moments of tension and crisis.
Social context: The town in which the story takes place is a very small and united community. There, everyone knows and trusts each other. This sets way for someone like Don John to take advantage and deceive them; and cause the crisis in the story. This is also what makes Beatrice and Benedick to so quickly and undoubtedly to believe in what their friend say about the other’s feelings for them.
Realistic
Some of the themes of the play are:
Love: Shakespeare presents different types of love. There is Claudio and Hero’s love, which is superficial, sweet and innocent. Benedick and Beatrice’s view on love at the beginning of the play is of indifference and they do not desire it. Then as they discover their feeling for each other, they begin to genuinely care and show interest in the other.
Deception: **
Honor: Status is very important at this time. Claudio reacts really badly when Hero’s purity is questioned even her father is ashamed of her when at the start he was so proud of her for getting married to an important male. Even Dogberry gives his honor importance when called an ass.
Jealousy: we can see jealousy from Don John towards Don Pedro and Benedick when Claudio wanted to marry Hero he felt jealous and a bit betrayed.
