Saturday, 9 March 2013
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Act 3 Scene 3 (A)
[3.3A] Exeunt Hugh Oatcake Enter Dogberry and Verges.
Conrade A commodity in question, I warrant you. Come,
we’ll obey you.
Dogberry [to Seacole] what is the charge lain upon
these two lawful gentlemen?
Seacole Slander against the brother of the prince.
And engrossment in a ploy against the Lady Beatrice; Leonato’s heir.
Dogberry The most slanderous of crimes, a price must
be paid in the dishonourable name of thou prince’s brother.
Borachio My good man you have-
Dogberry You must exceed to speak, you are charged!
Exeunt
Borachio and Conrade.
Dogberry [to watchman] Why ever would you approach
such men as those? Against thy incompetent word to approach an unknown knave.
Watchman But their participation in the plot against
the Lady Beatrice is most compelling and dishonourable.
Dogberry Speak not of this. I am inferior to your
judgments as a man with such valour, and ignorance as mine will gladly look
upon such a case as this with the true intention of concealing the proper
evidence and come to the correct confusion.
Verges For a watchman to doubt the intellect of the
constable, I pity thou life and thou soul.
Dogberry Verges, how could you not distrust thy? I am
most tedious, and a statement such as thou’s should see thou forced from the
watch under complimentary charges.
Verges I am intolerable to your nature and thou art
the most ignorant of all.
Dogberry Marry,
this is the most unreasonable way of you and I will not deprive thou of thy
company.
Verges Thou hath always been considered a forgiving
man.
Dogberry Speak not, I fear there may be something of
great unimportance we must consort. [to watchman] Adieu. I beseech you.
Exeunt
all.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Act 4 scene 1
How does Dogberry confuse various criminal charges?
He prioritises the slander of Don John’s name opposed to the
true crime which is the accusation against the Lady Hero. Dogberry refuses to
hear of the true crime and dismisses it as he believes that the disgrace of Don
John is a more important and relevant matter.
What event, reported here for the first time, tends to
confirm the charges against the bad guys?
The confession of Borachio and Conrade’s involvement is a
matter of payment on behalf of Don John ‘a thousand ducats’ this confirms Don
John’s involvement in the crime but Dogberry dismisses this absurdly relevant statement
as he is focused on the wrong crime entirely.
What is the worst crime, according to Dogberry, that the bad
guys are guilty of? Why is it so important to Dogberry that the evidence of
this crime is written down? How does Dogberry justify himself against this
criminal slander?
The account of Don John being a villain seems to be the most
heinous crime in Dogberry’s opinion and he want all of the evidence written
down so he can be recognised for his part in this trial and therefore be
praised for his involvement in bringing the men to justice. He does justify the
criminal slander by talking highly of himself ‘everything handsome about him’.
Act 3 scene 4
How has Beatrice changed in this scene from her previous behaviour?
Identify sexual jokes the girls make in this scene.
Beatrice has changes her attitude towards the idea of relationships;
she is confused by her feelings for Benedick and will no longer partake in
Margaret’s bawdiness as she no longer thinks it an appropriate conversational
topic to be discussed with other women. Beatrice
is also excessively defensive about claims of her and Benedick ‘Benedickus’. She
is oversensitive and scared of admitting her feelings. Margaret makes several
remarks of a sexual nature ‘the heavier for a husband’ could refer to sexual
relations between a man and his wife or could be a reflection on Hero’s heavy
heart on the account of her upcoming marriage.
What is the ‘Carduus Benedickus’ referred to in this scene? And
what does Beatrice take this to mean?
Carduus Benedickus is a thistle plant known for its healing properties;
a remedy for the heart is most common. Which Beatrice takes this to mean that
they believe her to be lovesick and is most outraged by this accusation as she
does not yet know her true feelings.
Are we deceived by Margaret’s humour?
Margaret is a distraction from the attention drawn to Hero
for her ‘uneasiness’ and the upcoming public shaming that the audience are
aware of. The Bawdy nature of Margaret’s humour acts as comic relief for this
situation.
Act 3 Scene 3
What is the serious social problem underlying the satire on
dogberry and his all-volunteer watch?
Dogberry is a man of a low social class who thinks himself
better than his peers; this is often seen in his pure ignorance and arrogant
nature. He enjoys the authority and responsibility
placed upon him when he is in charge on the watchmen and the constant idolising
manner then Verges entreats him to. The volunteer watch are as low class as
Dogberry and they are perceived to be almost as dim-witted as Dogberry and
Verges, they follow is every command without
giving it a second thought as he is the figure of authority amongst the men. This
only enhances the comic relief as the men as most ridiculous in the way they
are easily lead and confused.
Why does dogberry utter so many malapropisms? Identify three
such misuses of words.
Dogberry attempts to portray himself as intelligent by
complicating his language to impress his peer and to enforce his authority over
the many watchmen. ‘Desertless’ is supposed to be Deserving; ‘senseless’ is a
malapropism of sensible and ‘tolerable’ in place of intolerable.
What seems to be dogberry’s primary concern in his
instructions to the volunteer watchmen?
Dogberry’s primary concern appears to be the approach of thieves
and strangers as they are to be left alone as they could cause more problems
for the watchmen. He advises them to let them pass to protect the watchmen as
untold dangers could become an issue. This leaves the watchmen being able to
sleep on the job as it requires the advised amount of effort and attention.
How are the watchmen able to discover what Borachio has
done? How much do they understand of what they’ve found out?
The watchmen are assumed to be asleep and the drunken
Borachio and Conrade pay little attention to them before discussing and an
audible level there involvement in the crime against Hero. The watchmen however
only understand their slander of Don John (the prince’s brother) as they refer
to him as villainous in his evil ploy against Don Pedro and Count Claudio.
From what we learn from Borachio’s account of the deception
how was he able to fool the prince and Claudio?
Borachio was able to deceive the prince and Claudio by
pretending to be a man in Hero’s chamber the night before her wedding, this is
however untrue as the Lady Hero was elsewhere and Margaret was in fact the lady
at the window being wooed by Borachio, for the sole purpose of being seen by
Claudio and for him to believe that Margaret was the Lady Hero forcing him to
break his affections for her.
study questions
Why do Claudio and Don Pedro decide upon public humiliation
of Hero at the wedding?
Claudio and Don Pedro want to shame Hero and her family,
making an example of her in front of the other women to warn them of the
implications of not staying virtuous till their wedding night. It is only
possible to gain the full attention of the women at the wedding a place of
religion and tradition and in that convey the true implications of her supposed
actions.
How does Leonato react to Claudio’s accusation at the
wedding? Why?
Leonato will only take Claudio’s claim into account as it is
his word against a woman’s and in the contemporary patriarchal time a man’s
opinion is always prioritised. Leonato at first does not understand why Claudio
is objecting to marry his daughter. But as soon as a complaint is made he turns
on her and blames her immediately without taking her side into consideration.
How has Benedick’s allegiance shifted in this scene from
what it had been before?
Benedick’s allegiance, at first, is with Don John and
Claudio, but in scene three Benedick has to choose between the men and Beatrice
to place his allegiance with. He chooses Beatrice over the prince and the count
and agrees to prove his love by challenging Claudio to a duel to avenge Hero’s
disgrace.
How does Leonato interpret Hero’s facial expression? How
does Friar Francis?
Hero is blushing at Claudio’s accusation which Leonato takes
to mean that she is guilty of this heinous crime and believes this to be proof
enough. Friar Francis however does think
it as a blush of disbelief and sheer embarrassment as she is much too delicate
and lady-like to confront these rumours.
Who is the first to name Don John as the villain behind the
plot?
Borachio and comrade are first to reveal Don John as the
villain when they are overheard by the watchmen.
What is the purpose of Friar Francis’ deception about Hero’s
supposed death?
To make Claudio feel great unease and guilt as he is thought
to be the cause of her untimely death, it enables Hero to escape the torment of
her supposed disloyal nature. By removing Hero from the crime it allows her to
marry without being shamed. As she is perceived to be deceased, Leonato decides
that she will marry Claudio under the false pretence of her being Antonio’s daughter
so Claudio will agree to wed her, then revealing her true self when the marriage
is agreed to.
What is the backup plan if Hero’s reputation cannot be
salvaged?
To send her to an abbey to live her out her life as a
servant of God, this will protect her from ridicule and protect her soul from the
allegations as she can repent her crimes. And prevent Leonato from experiencing
the shame of an unwed and unfaithful daughter.
When Benedick and Beatrice are alone their language is softened
and romantic towards one another as they reveal their true feelings. They no
longer taunt or insult each other in the fashion they once previously did;
removing the obvious comical side to their relationship. The tone is a lot more
serious and the responses a lot more heart felt and true.
Who declares love first for the other, Benedick or Beatrice?
Why? What is the complicating factor in this romantic climax between Benedick
and Beatrice?
Benedick is the first to speak of his unknown love for Beatrice;
he could be trying to break her painful melancholy by declaring his unforeseen love
for the first time, distracting Beatrice from the disgrace her cousin, Hero,
has been subjected to.
How does the lecture explain the ferocity of Beatrice’s rage
lines 300-325?
Beatrice feels powerless in the fight to save her cousin’s
dignity and wishes she were a man; as then she would be heard. She is so full
of rage she has little regard for Benedick’s declaration of love and instead
wishes for a man to fight on her behalf, a strong hint towards Benedick that he
does not take. It expresses her frustration of the events and how little can be
done to resurrect Hero’s name and reputation, as she decides that no man is a
really man anymore ‘but manhood has melted into curtsies’ this is greatly
troubling as the contemporary society was strictly patriotic and to belittle
the role of men is almost unheard of. This articulates her rage at men and
society as it prevents her from taking any part in the situation at hand.
How does Benedick’s decision to challenge Claudio represent
a major change for his character?
Benedick’s decision to challenge Claudio represents his
change in loyalty and company; for he is now confident of his love for Beatrice
and her love for him. The duel is a way to prove his love using actions instead
of words, challenging Claudio, a previous companion, is the ultimate sacrifice
for Benedick as it concludes with him to give up his bachelor way of life to
become a faithful and honest husband for Beatrice.
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