Malevolency, thy name is Don John

In Act IV.i, Leonato repudiates his daughter's virtue. Why? Defend the claim that this announcement (legitimate or not) is a return to the status quo, the so-called "normal" of the action.

Leonato repudiates his daughter's virtue because he believes that she actually was the one that was caught in the act, which was the reason Claudio refused the marriage. Since there was no marriage, Hero would not be married into a family of wealth, which is what Leonato expected. It essentially is a return to normalcy because it seemed like things were going too well; Beatrice and Benedick were starting a relationship, Don Pedro was successfully making his matches, and it all seemed as if it were going according to plan. Too bad life doesn't always go the way we want it to, and Shakespeare shows that by making this perfect couple, who seemed too good to be true, fall apart due to a malevolent framed act established by Don John.

My vernacular...aka my own words

In your vernacular, paraphrase the speaker's argument in either sonnet II or sonnet VIII


When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.


After you go through forty years, and you get wrinkly and tired looking, you'll look back on the wardrobes of your youth and see that it's nothing more than a worthless, tattered hand-me-down.


When you're asked "where did your beauty go? What happened to all the good times from your lusty days?", it'll show in your tired, worn eyes that you'll think it was practically worthless all along.


What's the point of staying so superficially beautiful when you can tell people "my beauty will pass down to my son, and he'll be the same way I was"? He'll prove your beauty by being beautiful himself


When you get old, you'll find your old beauty fresh within your son, and you'll get that warm & fuzzy feeling inside when you're all mopey and glum

Claudio and Hero Inamorato

Why does Claudio fall in love with Hero? How do you know?

Claudio falls in love with hero because he sees her with his eyes, which is the main theme of Claudio, and falls for her beauty. Hero is also soft spoken and reserved, which is the opposite of Beatrice. He gets upset when he hears that the Prince is looking to get with Hero, and thats how we know

Masquerade Pros: Bringing Creepers to a Whole New Level

Masquerades hide identities, so that people could get really creepy and tell others that they're someone, when they're really not. A person incognito could make up anything they want and spoon-feed it to whoever is willing to listen, and the best part is that the listeners may never really know the true identity of the speaker.

P.S. I stumbled upon this video and thought it was pretty relevant to the topic of our class

Ye Olde Title: "Much Ado about Nothing"

I see the title as an indication that the story is full of simple situations that get blown out of proportion and become overcomplicated. Someone in class used the term "making a mountain out of a molehill", and from my own preconceived thoughts, I could definitely agree with that phrase. If the title were pronounced "noting" like in the days of old, it could change the whole interpretation. Its possible that "Much Ado about Noting" could be about paying attention/disregarding the details of communication, and the events that develop because of those misunderstandings

Beatrice's Line, I.i.129 (in my book edition)

"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me."

Beatrice seems like she's overplaying the hatred of Benedick and she's so worried that people would think she likes him, but its really all a facade. She could've had bad relationships in the past that give reason to this mindset, or she could just be acting like an immature girl in junior high