Act 1, Scene 1
10. The military situation at the beginning means that the war has ended and those unamed men were not important11. Three ways in which Beatrice insults Benedick before he even appears was firstly she made mock of his name calling him ‘Signior Mountanto’ instead of Signior Benedick. Secondly, she made fun of his fighting skills saying that he cant even win Cupid to a battle and thirdly she made fun of his independence by commenting that he would depend on Claudio for everything (hang upon him like a disease).
The aspect of Benedick’s character that these insults affect was the aspect of Benedick’s right to be called a man.
12. Two specific ways in the opening scene that Don Pedro shows closeness or royal favor for Leonato was the fact that he hugged Leonato upon arrival and when Leonato invited them to supper he requested Leonato’s hand so that they could walk together.
13. Benedick’s first remark in the play would be considered inappropriate because it was rude for him to ask Leonato if he asked Hero’s mother if Hero belong to him when Hero was in fact standing right there. Leonato’s response to this remark was a comic put-down of Benedick because Leonato was trying to tell Benedick to mind his business in a smart way.
14. Benedick insulted Beatrice by saying that Hero has a male appeal of looked like a man and he didn’t say Hero belonged to Leonato he said ‘if’ she was his.
15. The only thing Beatrice and Benedick agreed upon in the first scene was that Beatrice was a parrot teacher. This put them at odds with society because they were the only couple who constantly argue with each other.
16. The ‘jade’s trick’ in line 140, was when Benedick dissed Beatrice and didn’t allow her to speak or make a come back so in the end it would have looked like he won the argument.
17. From my perspective I think Claudio was in his late teens or early twenties because he had to ask older men such as Benedick and Don Pedro for advice about a young lady (Hero) relationship wise.
18. Benedick’s single most important reason not to marry was that because he loved no woman and would not put his trust in any.
19. In a Shakespearean play, the significance of a character’s declaration when he says “never” is to prepare the reader for that “never” situation to come to past. We were prepared for Benedick to get married because in Shakespearean plays when someone says never they end up doing the self same thing.
20. The form of the language changed after Benedick leaves the stage in the first scene because before, Benedick and Beatrice were arguing so the atmosphere was full of hate and fury so after he left Claudio and Don Pedro were speaking about Hero, so that signified love.
21. The first question Claudio asked Don Pedro about Leonato and Hero was that if Leonato had any son. This tells us that the male child must be married first in the Elizabethan period.
22. Don Pedro offered to win Hero’s love for Claudio because Claudio have no knowledge of how to go about doing this. This suggested that Don Pedro wanted to see the best for his men and it also suggested that he was a father figure to Claudio and also a man of passion. This also portrays Claudio as being afraid or lacking the knowledge of love and how to love someone.
Act 1, Scene 2:
Act 1, Scene 3
24. A “melancholic” is a person who has a mental disorder characterized by extreme depression of spirits, brooding, and gloominess. Don John was described as being “melancholic” because he was always sad, and full of hatred for his brother so he always wanted to see or waited patiently for the day his brother would fall.25. Two places where Don John expressed hostility to Pedro and his friends firstly was when they were at Leonato’s house and Leonato invited them for supper Don John was upset and didn’t wanted to go with them so Leonato had to openly invite him again. Secondly when Don John devised the plan to ruin the relationship between his brother and Claudio. Don John acted in such manner because he hated his brother maybe because his brother was a leader and held a higher position than him.
26. The name Borachio is a nick name used to call someone a ‘drunkard’. He misheard Pedro’s intention in regards to Hero because he overheard Don Pedro’s plan to woo Hero so he thought that Don Pedro was the one who wanted Hero.
Act 2, Scene 1
27. Beatrice was probably living with her uncle because she hated the fact that she had brothers. This made her attitude to love more unusual because she is around ladies all the time so she never got to experience how men operated. She proved that she would never love a man because she cant stand a man with beard however she still cant see herself with a man without beard so either way she would end up with no man at all. Beatrice reason for opposing marriage was that she acknowledge men as her brethren because they are Adam’s sons so she wont marry them whereas Benedick just didn’t trust women.28. The folklore behind Beatrice’s remark about leading apes into hell was that it was believed that men evolved from apes so when she said she will leads apes to hell she was referring to men themselves.
29. The personal opinion in Shakespeare’s work was
30. Both Leonato and Antonio wants Hero to accept the Prince (Don Pedro) if he proposes. On the other hand, her cousin Beatrice wants her to wait and check the fault in the music and if the timing is right then she should say yes but if not she should hold her answer.
31. Gentlemen wore mask at a dance so that the ladies wont be able to identify them.
32. Pedro tried to impress Hero when they danced by asking her to dance with him and proposing on behalf of Claudio, to which her reply was yes for both of them.
33. Ursula recognized her partner Antonio by the waggling of his head. She tried to make him feel better by commenting on his ‘excellent width’.
34. The interchange between Benedick and Beatrice differ from that of other couples because other couples were dancing and having a good time and they both just stood there speaking. Two ways in which she insulted him was by calling him a fool and said that nobody laughed at his jokes. The insult that hurt him the most was that she called him a fool because he went on bickering about the whole situation.
35. Claudio pretended to be Benedick when approached by Don John because Don John thought he was Benedick so he didn’t want to correct him plus I thought he wanted to hear what Don John was saying. After listening to Don John Claudio believed that Don Pedro was wooing Hero for himself. Benedick thought that Claudio was upset because he believed Don Pedro betrayed him. The signifance of the willow
36. A hyperbole is an extravagant exaggeration…
37. Benedick’s reference to Hercules having to “turn spit” and chop up his club…
38. Benedick three journeys were to go to the Antipodes the worlds end, fetch a tooth-picker from the furthest inch of Asia, bring a length of Prester John’s foot and fetch a hair off the Great Cham’s beard he did this all to get out of the presence of Beatrice.
39. With reference to being put down Beatrice is trying to say that she is not interested in Benedick.
40. Don Pedro appear to propose marriage to Beatrice because he asked her to marry him. It might be serious or a jest to see what Beatrice reply would have been. The connection might be to see if Beatrice actually loved Benedick or she really hated him.
Act 2, Scene 2
41. Don John and Borachio are aware of the possible consequences of their planned deception because they did what they did in secrecy.Act 2 Scene 3
42. In the first 15 lines of his opening soliloquy three ways Benedick believes love has changed Claudio’s behavior were the facts that before time he liked to hear jumpy music now he prefers sorrowful ones, before he would be up and going but now he would just lie there meditating and before time he would be quiet but now he speaks and writes a lot.43. Eight “graces” which Benedick believes a hypothetical woman must have before he would consider marrying her are
She must be wise
She must be virtuous
She must be rich
She must be noble
An excellent musician
She must be mild and
She must be of good discourse
44. Benedick hid when Claudio and company came because he didn’t want them to be aware of his presence.
45. One element of the “gulling scene” seemed to convince Benedick that it is no trick was the fact that Leonato was in it too. The effect that Beatrice’s attempts of suicide made Benedick think that she really loved him and made him change his mind of Beatrice and take into consideration her said love for him.
46. Three different ways that Benedick’s friends questioned his personal character between lines 180 -19547. The sexual meaning of “die” in Shakespeare’s plays was to have a sexual desire for someone.
48. Two ways in which Benedick justifies his sudden change of heart in his soliloquy at lines 217 – 242 is by firstly changing his mind towards Beatrice’s appearance, before he described her as having a scratched face but now he thinks that she is fair and saying that she is wise and virtuous and things of that sought.
49. Beatrice’s meaning in the message she delivers to Benedick between lines 243 – 252 is that she didn’t wanted to call him for supper she was forced, she didn’t do it of her own free will. Benedick thought she did it out of love but she was just hiding her feelings.
