Much Ado About Nothing Royal Shakespeare and Bollywood performance.

It was so good! It was very funny and the actors played their parts well.They used all the Shakespearian language, the setting was great. At first I did not think that Shakespeare and Bollywood could work but it did very well. It was entertaining. Possibly Hero was a bit louder and more confident than i imagined her. My favourite part of the play was when Benedick and Beatrice found out that they loved each other, when Benedick was swinging on the swing and being lovestruck, it was so funny  :D

Much Ado About Nothing Story journal last sections

Our summary of Act 1: Scene 2 in words
Shames   Confrontation   Misconstrued  Humiliation  Dramatic  Slander  Deciete Power Jilted Revenge Tension  Guilt   Tragedy  Betrayal Ashamed Love.

Quotes that summarise Act 1: Scene 2
'Do not live, Hero, do not open thine eyes'
'Kill Claudio'

 The quote 'Kill Claudio' is the turning point when Beatrice changes in the story as she has always joked all the way through the play and it is a very strong and powerful phrase. It changes from a comedy into a tragedy or dramatic play. We discussed that if Kill Claudio was the title of the play this would change the readers' perspective of Claudio. Claudio is not the main character, as Beatrice and Benedick are. But it could work because with all Shakespeare's play he uses a primary story and a second one that run along side each other, this could highlight the secondary story. I think that it would be good if it was called the Two Dons or Don John.

Story plot continued.
Dogberry and the other policemen, Verges and Sexton and the Watch have captured Borachio and Comrad, Don John has fled.
Leonato and Antonio talk about the grief that Leonato is feeling for Hero, the plan of her death is taking place. Leonato angrily tells Claudio and Don Pedro that they have killed Hero. They feel no sympathy.
Benedick confronts Claudio and challenges him to a fight.
All Dogberry, Verges, Watch and Comrade and Borachio are brought against Claudio and Don Pedro. Claudio realises what he has done and feels really bad.
In the evening they all mourn Hero by her tomb.
Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro meet in the morning. Claudio is made to agree to marry Antonio's daughter that is an exact copy of Hero, as a punishment!? Claudio is fickle, he does not love Hero fully.
They get married the next day and Hero is revealed. Benedick and Beatrice get together.

Much Ado About Nothing part 3

Dogberry, Verges, the First and Second Watchman- policemen discussing who is to keep Leonato's house safe for the night.
Conrade and Borachio are overheard talking about the crime Borachio has commited for Don John. The First and Second Watchmen arrest them.
The Wedding day of Hero and Claudio
Dogberry and his men come to meet Leonato. They talk about capturing a criminal but never say that it is Don John, Dogberry is stupid and mixes his words so never says what he is meant to say, this is comical. This could change the whole plot from this point on.
Claudio jilts Hero at the alter. He has a planned speech, that is written in verse. He says this to have the biggest impact he can and shame Hero in front of everyone. Why has he not thought to question whether Hero might be innocent or where she was last night? He trusts Don John. He uses language that is romantic and speaks from the heart.Hero does not say anything to defend herself and faints.Why does she not argue?
All the men have believed the visual that they saw. No-one has checked. Hero cannot say anything against the men, she has no power because she is a woman. Why has Claudio chosen to make a big statement instead of just asking her? What is their relationship really like- they have only met about a week ago, she is a possession for him, appearances are key and power play. Surely Claudio would not believe that Hero would sin? The men leave.
Leonato is ashamed and says that it is best if Hero is dead to restore her innocence again. Why does he not question Hero? She has brought shame on the family and herself. Friar sees sense- he believes Hero is innocent, the only man possibly who does. He comes up with the idea to pretend Hero is dead to redeem her reputation and make Claudio feel bad. Link between Romeo and Juliet- the friar comes up with the plan for them to pretend to be dead. Why the friar he is not suspected, he is respected and his idea agreed to. From tragedy comes love with Beatrice and Benedick as they announce their love for each other, Beatrice uses Benedick, that if he loves her he will kill Claudio. The comedy has gone.

Much Ado About Nothing - Reading Journal Part 2

Why is Don John so bitter?
He is easy to understand but not to the people in the play. He is a strong character but not the main character, how far can he go to become the main character, does this change?
Why does Beatrice hate Benedick?
How the love is definitive in Shakespeare's plays, how love develops between Beatrice and Benedick.
The interest in Don John- who he is? why is he a bastard?
The characters with authority, how shown in the play
How does the play conclude, how it happens,  the structure, change?
Why do the characters not show their true identity- why use a mask?
Atmosphere- playful banter, will this change?
Why is the play called Much Ado about Nothing?
Why is Don Pedro so into getting Claudio and Hero together?
Confusion- could this be deliberate, the readers work the story out before the characters do. Dramatic irony.
Standard characters- the villain, the hero, prince and princess.
Beatrice and Hero, why are they such different characters- to show that how strong minded Beatrice is compared to Hero, who rarely speaks. Lacks a voice.
Powerful role of women in the play.
 Hero and Claudio are the typical lovers, courting,  but Beatrice and Benedick are put together instead.
Hero- an object to the men. She is so quiet, what is she thinking about getting married to Claudio? does she have a secret?
There are no mother figures, Beatrice is a mother to Hero.
Through the others Benedick and Beatrice are set up.
Don John has just told Don Pedro and Claudio of Hero being unfaithful on the night before their wedding. Claudio is horrified, IF she has been then he will jilt her at the alter.

Much Ado About Nothing- Reading journal part 1

The play starts with the men returning from war.
A hierarchy between the Prince and the anonymuous messenger, Comrad:'My Lord' power play.
The conflict, banter- Benedick and Beatrice mutual dislike- why?
Stock character stereotypes- the bastard Don John- he is disadvantaged and jealous. Issue that Don John does not get the wealth that Don Pedro(his half brother) will get.  He is an outcast and he thinks he is too even though he is accepted within the group. Why is he so upset, he doesn't have much to be sad about. His speech written in blank verse-' I' repeated shows arrogant, he does not care that he is a bastard he'd rather be bad then in his brothers' shadow. Only has two followers
Don Pedro sense of verse.
The war may be over but there is a war of wit and spite- Beatrice and Benedick
Narrative pace- the change.
Wearing masks- to cover true selves apart from Don John, he does not care who he is and causes trouble.
Don Pedro has wooed Hero for Claudio- very happy, love is in the air. A marriage on the way.
Beatrice and Benedick were together they had a history,Beatrice makes light of how he treated her badly- with the jest. Possibly cheated.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin evaluation.

Browning tells the story of the poem with rhyming to make it seem child friendly  as it is 'A child's story'. This makes it easy to read and fun. This poem is very different from all of Browning's other poems because they are all dramatic monologues, whereas this poem is about the moral of the story, to which you should keep your promises.
Browning uses very vivid imagery by using very strong, powerful words such as ' fought, bit, ate, licked' so that it is easy to imagine. These words are actions so you can picture someone doing this in your mind. This is effective because your understanding of the poem increases within understanding what the poem is saying through pictures.
The poem is structured in stanzas. This is as if they are each a chapter in a story, this adds to the storytelling affect that it is being read to you be someone else, and this engages the reader because you become emotionally connected.
Browning uses the council, as represented by animalism words and the repetition of vermin, which is not actually said to be a rat until later could show Browning's  views on the difference between the rich and poor and his views on authority. He just covers them up well so that a younger audience will be still interested in the story. It is surprising that this story is written for children, but not so as all his poems are about showing that what culture was like in the past and the difference of society today and the irony of what really happened but possibly not what was known happened, children are innocent compared to before so this could be still aimed at children, but from a different era.

Comparing Robert Browning's Poems

Throughout all the poems there is a mention of God. In Porphyria's Lover at the end Browning says ' And yet God has not said a word' . He expects God to judge him for killing his lover, but as God has not said anything he assures himself that he has done nothing wrong, so it was right for him to keep her in purity safe for himself and preserve her in the way, in body she is. Also in Fra Lippo Lippi this occurs again, Fra Lippo Lippi has grown up in a church as a monk, but this time disagrees with the ideas of the church because he is their painter and wants to paint people in the 'flesh' instead of in the soul. He contradicts Porphyria's lover as shown with the quote 'They with their Latin? So I  swallow my rage'. He totally disagrees with the church as he doesn't believe in the church and he wants to see people as in life. Again in The Laboratory Browning  'Empty church, to pray God in, for them!- I am here.' shows that the female voice of the poem believes in God as she prays to have her man and that by doing so the poisoning of the girlfriend, she prays that all will go well for her. Lastly My Last Duchess lots of religious words are used such as ' passion' 'joy'.

All of Brownings Poems are dramatic monologues and generally about death in some way whether it is The Patriot, about someone who has sinned, in the eyes of others and is sentenced to death, or Porphyria's Lover, where her lover kills her, or the Laboratory, where someone is poisoned to death. However my last duchess is about a man's last lovers, that could have died but I think that they have just been and gone, so to speak.

Also throughout Browning's poems he covers the themes that would not happen at the time that these poems were set. He does this to show how society has changed or possibly small parts of society that were not accepted but to show that these things did happen.