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Lesson 2: Love & Marriage

Shakespeare's Perspectives on Love and Marriage

  • Ideas about Love:
    • Questions posed to the audience about personal beliefs regarding love:
    • Love at first sight vs. knowing a person before love.
    • The inevitability of falling in love.

The Code of Courtly Love

  • Concept Overview:
    • A chivalrous knight shows devotion to a noble lady by performing heroic deeds to honor her.
    • The lady is idealized:
    • Portrayed as beautiful, unattainable, and goddess-like.
    • The relationship's purity tests the knight's self-discipline.
    • Physical desire seen as a threat to the idealized romance.

The Code of Chivalry

  • Key Principles:
    • Knights are expected to serve their king, protect the Church, and be chivalrous towards women.
    • These codes influenced the romantic tropes in Shakespeare's time.

Courtly Love Conventions

  • Characteristics of Love (Elizabethan Era):
    • The man should love a woman of equal or higher social class.
    • Women must reject advances to preserve their honor.
    • Coldness heightens a man’s passion.
    • Man suffers from jealousy and obsession, often inspired to create poetry.

Much Ado About Nothing: Different Couples

  • Couples Analyzed:
    • Hero and Claudio: Love at first sight.
    • Beatrice and Benedick: Initially in conflict, showcasing the evolution of love.
  • Key Themes:
    • Overcoming obstacles to achieve true love.
    • Transformation from conflict to romance.

The Concept of a Foil

  • Definition:
    • A character contrasting another, usually to highlight particular traits.
  • Example: Sherlock Holmes and Watson showcase Holmes’ intelligence.

Benedick's Attitude Towards Marriage

  • Marriage as a Yoke:
    • Benedick’s metaphor indicates a burdening view of marriage.
    • His reluctance to marry shows disdain for traditional gender roles.

Benedick's Views on Women

  • Quotes and Attitudes:
    • Acknowledges his mother and shows gratitude, yet dismisses women: “I will live a bachelor.”
    • His proclamation of being a “professed tyrant to their sex” indicates a negative view of women and marriage.

Claudio's Perception of Hero

  • Claudio’s Remarks:
    • Describes Hero as “the sweetest lady,” indicating superficial admiration.
    • Contextualizes marriage in terms of social status and inheritance (concern for property through marriage).

Key Vocabulary Definitions

  • Subvert: To undermine power or authority of an established system.
  • Conform: To behave according to societal standards or norms.
  • Patriarchy: System where men hold power and dominate women.
  • Superficial: Lacking depth, appearing true only at surface level.
  • Genuine: Authentic, real.
  • Satirise: To criticize through humor or exaggeration.

Foil Comparison: Claudio and Benedick

  • Character Traits:
    • Identify three adjectives to describe Claudio and Benedick's differences.
    • Analyze how Claudio serves as a foil to Benedick, highlighting each character’s conformity to patriarchal norms.