Much Ado About Nothing - "Big Ideas"

In Shakespeare’s time, some of the qualities that people aspired to were:

• Moderation

• Balance/harmony

• order

• restraint

• pragmatism / relative morality

Why were intellect and reason valued?

Civilised people were those who used their ==intellects and reason==, while those who gave into their passions were often looked down upon. This is because ==reason is one of the characteristics that distinguishes humans from other animals==, while impulsive, ==emotional behaviour is something we have in common with other mammals.==

In Shakespeare’s time, some of the qualities that were avoided were:

• Extreme views

• emotional outbursts

• chaos

• impulsive behaviour

• perfectinism / absolute morality

What is the purpose of the two marriages at the end of the play?

The end of the play (with its two marriages) arguably signifies ==order being restored== where previously there was chaos. Characters have also ==learnt the value of comproise, forgiveness and tolerance,== all Christian virtues that support balance and harmony.

What is the purpose of marriage in most of Shakespeare’s play?

Shakespeare’s play often seem to have messages that promote ==marriage as a way of reconcilling and moderating baser human instincts.== Moreover, Male and Female were seen as ==binary opposite==s, so their ==union brings about harmony/balance.==

Honour, Loyalty and reputation

Honour and reputation feature heavily in Shakespeare plays and he often seems to suggest that the ideas associated with these concepts are often ==problematic==. In Much Ado we see both the ==fragility of female reputation== adn ==the misguided faith in male honour==.