Much Ado vs Romeo and Julliet

730 Words3 Pages
Explore the ways the shakespeare presents strong feeling to interest the reader/audience in romeo and Juliet and much ado about nothing. Both “Romeo and Juliet” and “Much Ado about Nothing” were written by William Shakespeare, during the same period; Elizabethan England and both set in the Italy area. Although the plays have very different genres, (“Romeo and Juliet” being a Tragedy and “Much Ado About Nothing” being a Dark-Comedy) they have many similar aspects, both exploring the relationships between daughters and fathers and two young lovers. Shakespeare’s references to family grudges and noting and seeming causes the main plot for both plays which creates strong feelings, which interests the audience due to the use of dramatic irony. In both “Romeo and Juliet” and “Much Ado About Nothing” the fathers and daughters begin with a very strong bond. Through the use of imagery and language Shakespeare shows how important and special each child is too their father. In Act 1, Scene 2 Lord Capulet uses personification to suggest that she is his only child which has survived and his last hope. He says ‘Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she, she is the hopeful lady of my earth’ This also shows the pride and confidence in his daughter. He personificates the earth, giving the term of swallowing and engulfing something – a reference to death as we turn into earth after we die . Although at the beginning of Much Ado About Nothing Leonato does not openly express his feelings for Hero, he does later say ‘why ever wast thou lovely in my eyes’ after she has disobeyed his, showing that before (at the beginning of the play) she was always lovely to him. Shakespeare infers the way he saw and thought of her was pleasant. This could also be seen as her appearance, she always looked lovely, a common way women were seen during the Elizabethan era; a patriarchal society.
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