ipl-logo

Solipsism In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

772 Words4 Pages

Solipsism is a philosophical belief that states only one 's own mind exists. Therefore, anything outside of the realm of one 's existence is uncertain. In multiple plays, Shakespeare 's characters are driven to explore truths they are given on their own accord. They rarely encounter the crux of the issue directly, so they run around the problem instead. For example, in Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio can prevent the majority of the play from happening if he asks Hero to explain what he saw in his window. This inability to solve problems is a common thread in Shakespeare 's tragicomedies. In my research, I will focus on three of Shakespeare 's works. As previously stated, Much Ado about Nothing revolves around misunderstanding. The characters …show more content…

All of the hysteria is dispelled by a simple moment of clarity. The characters are digging their own graves and manage to pull themselves out by the end of the play because of one singular moment in the conclusion. This trend is Shakespeare 's rebuke to anyone that relies too heavily upon themselves. The critical approach I will take with the plays focuses on the nature of the conflicts in the plays and their relationships to the audience. For example, juxtaposing the divine intervention in Cymbeline and the lack of magic in Much Ado about Nothing creates space to discuss Shakespeare 's multiple rejections of solipsism. Even further, the confusion in Comedy of Errors is able to alienate the audience and challenge their relationship with the work. Rather than close-reading, I have picked secondary sources with analyses that I will use to explore the idea of solipsism in Shakespeare to its full capacity. Barbara Everett 's article, "Much Ado, The Unsociable Comedy," investigates the work 's inability to connect with audience as well as Shakespeare 's other works. Everett examines the disappointment commonly felt in the ending because of the poor development of characters. I will use her insight to describe the shortcomings in characters that rely too heavily on themselves, such as Posthumus and

Show More
Related

  • Rollercoaster In Romeo And Juliet

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the plot progresses, Shakespeare stirs more emotions into the audience and ends the play in one of the most dramatic ways known to literature: death. More specifically, Romeo’s and Juliet’s death; however, it was not the death that made the

    Read More

  • Play Analysis Of 'Much Ado About Nothing'

    941 Words  | 4 Pages

    Play Analysis – Essay 1 “Much Ado About Nothing “ Submitted by Noor Ul Ain Shaikh (BSMS 2A) What seems to be a comedy play for an audience who enjoys a theatre with good humor and romance, “Much Ado About Nothing” contains much more than just entertainment. If we dig in deep, William Shakespeare’s play has much more than a tragic story with happy ending; even that is debatable. The theme of this play revolves around deception, plotting against your own, personal gains and rejection.

    Read More

  • Who Is To Blame For The Death Of Romeo And Juliet Essay

    384 Words  | 2 Pages

    The tragedies that occur in the script molded what is now the most renowned play of our time. Although, we will never find out if the lovers would have gotten a blissful ending to this flawless Shakespearian tragedy if they had not

    Read More

  • Essay On Foreshadowing In Romeo And Juliet

    782 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the curtain closes, the audience is struck with a newfound love, and because of the excellent use of literary devices, Shakespeare’s writings continue to live to this

    Read More

  • Miscommunication In William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

    423 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Shakespeare is a famous author of over 37 plays; such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing. Much Ado About Nothing is about a little place in Sicily where rumors and deception run rampant which causes betrayal and chaos. Benedict and Claudio are two characters in the play who illuminate how people worry about things that could have been avoided by just communicating. Benedict is one of the main characters from Much Ado About Nothing who because of miscommunication changed from being very closed in to being expressive of his feelings.

    Read More

  • Who Is Friar Lawrence To Blame In Romeo And Juliet?

    551 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, is a tragic love story of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet. Their relationship is made complicated by the fact that they yield from feuding households, the Montagues and Capulets. After falling in love instantly, Romeo and Juliet are forced to marry secretly in order to avoid further escalating their families’ conflict. As teenagers, Romeo and Juliet seek the guidance of an elder, Friar Lawrence.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Use Religious Allegories In Julius Caesar

    856 Words  | 4 Pages

    By using the chaos and civil strife that ensued after the assassination of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare created a mimesis about what would happen after the death of the nulliparous Queen Elizabeth I. This play was a cautionary tale that warned of the dangers that would come after her death and through gaining an understanding of this, helps achieve a much better appreciation for the

    Read More

  • Misunderstandings In William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

    744 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Much Ado About Nothing, wit was the down fall to many of the characters, but it was also used to provide the audience with comedic relief. Beatrice‘s and Benedick’s pride in their cleverness, Claudio’s assumptions and gullibleness, and Dogberry’s lack or wit and intelligence lead to the misunderstandings and Discoveries throughout the play (Dennis 224). Dennis is saying that each character had a fatal flaw that Shakespeare highlighted by having something terrible or having something ironic happen to them. This shows how he used the elements and levels of wit to captivate the audience by leaving the characters blind to what was really going on. The audience knew the plan for Beatrice and Benedick, but their own confidence in their wit betrayed them.

    Read More

  • Self-Consciousness In Hamlet

    272 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the final scene of Hamlet, Hamlet says “Being thus be-netted round with villainies, -- Ere I could make a prologue to my brains, they had begun the play” (Shakespeare 131). Hamlet ironically thinks to himself as a character in a play because he is so melodramatically self-conscious. By adding this sense of paradoxical exposure, Shakespeare shows his effort to foreground the fact that the audience is watching a play within the play. Since Hamlet is such a rich character, Shakespeare’s work shows how he has something within him goes beyond what a play is capable of representing.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Fate And Free Will Analysis

    882 Words  | 4 Pages

    Though the characters in the play seem to believe and to be completely convinced that something greater, such as “fate,” is controlling them, they only choose to do so since they do not want to take responsibility for the actions they have done. Throughout the play, Shakespeare argues between fate and free will acting upon the characters. Early in the play, the chorus immediately introduces the readers to a pair of “star-crossed lovers,” who later take their lives as quoted in the Prologue. The role of fate in the play is described to the reader as a “greater power” that’s complied within the characters and that is out of their reach and already “written in the stars.”

    Read More

  • Relationships In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

    922 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, is a play about multiple relationships. Hero and Claudio are the first relationship, and Beatrice and Benedick are the other relationship. The play talks about the ideal traits of a couple in the Shakespearian time period. Times have changed, as couples have evolved and have generally become less “traditional”. Back in the day, the female would submit to the male.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Madness In Hamlet

    767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet Hamlet is a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare. It is a play that involves numerous deaths. Hamlet is the main character in the play and he is depicted as an insane person. Hamlet faked his madness so as to confuse Claudius and his assistants in order to find the truth about the death of his father.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Literary Devices Essay

    489 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the use of multiple literary devices makes the play interesting. Dramatic irony, which is when the audience knows more than the characters, occurs numerous times throughout the play and grabs the attention of the audience. Soliloquies, which are lengthy speeches by a character to project their thoughts and emotions to the audience, this allows the audience to be more attentive. Allusions are references by characters to well-known places, events from myths or other literature that cause the audience to be absorbed into the play. After reading this marvelous play, it is obvious that Shakespeare uses dramatic irony, allusions, and soliloquies all written in blank verse to grasp the undivided attention of the audience.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Impact On Theatre

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    “William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theater” says that “Theater, in particular, has experienced many changes due to his influence,” and without any major influence like Shakespeare to guide the changes of theater, it would be extremely different (Octane 1). Shakespeare introduced many new elements to theater because of how his writing was unique in his time period. Despite this, his writing appealed to many different audiences. For instance, Octane says that “The way in which Shakespeare’s plots move forward has helped define modern play-writing. Similarly, Shakespeare’s complex characterizations have brought forth a new type of storytelling in which characters’ choices drive plots forward” and “His plays were often imbued with universal truths of human existence, rather than acting as mirrors of the privileged life.

    Read More

  • Why Is Shakespeare Still Relevant Today

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the twenty-first century, the plays of William Shakespeare may at first appear dated and irrelevant: they use archaic language, are set in the age of Kings and Queens, and the Kingdom of England. However, it would be plainly mistaken to construe that Shakespeare’s works do not still remain integral to a twenty-first century society. Shakespeare’s plays gave the words and expressions one uses every day, revolutionized the art of theater as it was known, and forewarned about issues that would unknowingly still apply centuries later. Therefore, Shakespeare has had a profound effect on our lives by enriching our language and culture, as well as providing ideas that would still apply five centuries later, and it would thus behoove us to learn from his works and life.

    Read More

More about Solipsism In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

Open Document