Published
1989.
NB: Read in tandem with the Branagh, Whedon and
BBC’s versions. This review draws extensively from my reading of the three
movies, as well as from my re-reading of the play.
Let’s get this out of the way first. “Much Ado
about Nothing” is one of my favourite Shakespeare’s plays.
Each time I re-read it, I always feel Shakespeare
uses it as part of the macho banter in the male-dominated culture of this
soldier band of brothers, but it also has a serious side in creating a sense of
male insecurity and mistrust of women.
The entire play is underlaid with mistrust of
women- Benedick's first line is, "were
you in doubt, sir, that you asked her?" Leonato's jest lightly plays
with the stereotype of the unfaithful wife and the masculine fear of raising
another man's son and Benedick immediately takes him up on it. I think
Shakespeare is creating a cast of men who are very much in a male only world
and struggle to trust women on any level. It's notable that Don John is a known
quantity and yet both Claudio and Don Pedro are quick to believe their eyes and
fall for his trap, even though they themselves have just set a similar trap for
Benedick and Beatrice and might be expected to stop and think how easily such a
thing could be faked. Leonato immediately believes his daughter is corrupt,
though only a second's reflection should make him realize that he (and
Beatrice) could not have been unaware of a "thousand" midnight
meetings between Hero and her imagined swain.
Nothing is a very important word in Shakespeare
and full of different meanings. It is very impressive the “Nothing” from Cordelia, a simple word that contains everything. It
contains all love she feels for her father, King Lear. It contains her complete
disagreement for the empty and false words of her sisters Goneril and Regan.
And besides it’s the key that opens the main door of the tragedy.
But what does Shakespeare mean by “Nothing” in the title of the play “Much
Ado about Nothing”? Is it a big fuss about nothing? Or it could also be
referred to the heated bantering between Benedick and Beatrice. Many words and
witticisms only to end up married accordingly to tradition and helplessly in
love. Marriage would equal “Nothing” in this case scenario. Might Shakespeare
have presented those characters ironically to mock human being's inconsistent
resolutions and the pressure of society to shackle its denizens to convention?
Or, if one remembers that Shakespeare's
Globe was situated at the south side of the Thames in London in the
neighborhood of sailors and prostitutes you may think about the slang
Shakespeare was used to. The "Thing"
is the genital of a man. Because women are in these times considered as a
"Weaker vessel", a defective form of a man, women were considered to
have a "no Thing". The central character is called Hero; her nothing.
The action centres on the honour of a woman; a character with “no thing”.
In this sense, the play is much about Hero’s
virginity.
As a total side note, I think it's interesting
that in both of the films (Kenneth’s and Whedon’s) Margaret is shown having sex
with Borachio, but in the play itself he ultimately claims that he's always
known her to be virtuous and they are only described as talking at the window.
The films make Claudio's rage a bit more understandable while the play itself
makes it sound as though he only saw a man talking to her and is willing to
humiliate her unto death for that betrayal.
Lastly, one of the memorable lines that has come
up in the discussions is Beatrice's when she says that Benedick plays a
"Jade's trick" and that she knows him of old. In my understanding,
that's basically saying, "a whore's trick," which again brings up the
image of promiscuity and infidelity. In Kenneth Branagh's version Conrade was
portrayed as a man, but in Whedon's version Conrade was portrayed as a woman. It
seemed to me most of the lines spoken by Conrade worked well whether Conrade is
a man or a woman. But when others addressed Conrade... Not so...
I also noticed that Dogberry addressed both
Conrade and Borachio as "these men" when they were brought to the
Prince and Claudio (around 1 hour 25 min mark). A few minutes later, Dogberry
called Conrade as "this plaintiff" (not gender specific word), then
Leonate called both Conrade and Borachio as "these fellows".
I have a feeling that Whedon wanted to be as
faithful as possible to the original play written by Shakespeare, and I can
sense that no disrespect was ever intended. This is more of my personal wish
that because Whedon made an interesting choice to come up with a female
Conrade, I just hope he and the script writers also took the trouble of tweaking
the script a little to accurately indicate Conrade the woman's gender.
If Conrade is the "intimate
associate" of Don John's... the word "intimate" can be
translated in many ways, and a woman could work as well. Even in Branagh's
version, Don John was getting a massage from Conrade. If Don John and Conrade
were THAT close, Conrade could be a woman, I thought, but this might not have
been very authentic.
Another thing. Don John was an illegitimate
half-brother of Don Pedro's. While Don Pedro had the respect from the
community, Don John received very little respect. He had a sad disposition. And
his unhappiness was remedied only by the unhappiness of others. With these
personality traits, for him to have a female confidant who is expected to
completely fulfill his needs and wants makes him even less likable.
Inauthentic, very much so...
To aim for the theatrical effect to make Don
John less likable: Yes, very effective...
If I were a director, I would have changed the
name of this character possibly to "Conrada"....
On the other hand, It's a little awkward, but I
think it's somewhat covered by the fact that Dogberry is such an ass and uses
the wrong words ALL the time. For instance, Conrade is not a 'plaintiff' but an
accused. Notice how annoyed the father, Leonato, gets with him all the time
because he can never figure out what he's saying. It is not beyond the bounds
of possibility that Dogberry would mix up his words and call a woman a fellow
or a man. I think Whedon didn't want to change anything and so decided that
coming from Dogberry, not making sense kind of makes sense.
On a side note, Emma Thompson is one great
actress; she does not portray her characters being:
Not harpy
Not snarky
Not shrew
Nor mean
She enunciates, every word clearly expressed. Every
facial and bodily gesture has relevance, and significance to an attentive and
receptive audience. She’s able to capture beautifully the way Beatrice hides
her vulnerability beneath a protective shell of lightning quick banter. “I know you of old” indicates her hurt
at an earlier liaison with Benedick, the “jade's trick” his way of always
slipping out of things, including (it seems) commitment. Beatrice has made her
choice in a world and period of time when marriage defined who a woman was. She
has opted for the relative freedom of publicly setting her face against
marriage but this comes at an emotional price - her suppressed love for
Benedick. We see this in the gulling scene by how quickly she is won over at
the thought that Benedick really does love her, something she hardly dared
believe.
What about the BBC version? Robert Lindsay and Cherie Lunghi played a
wonderfully Benedick and Beatrice respectively. Of the BBC versions I’ve
watched recently, this is definitely the best so far, being “Romeo and Juliet”
the worst. I don’t quite understand why one of Benedick’s replies was omitted:
when Claudio says of Hero, "Can the
world buy such a jewel?", someone “forgot” to include Benedick's
reply, "Yea, and a case to put it
into!", which is quite important line as it, among other things, antecipates
Hero's apparent death and thus her placement in a coffin (= casket = case).
To end this review in
high style (I say), I’ve built a little Javascript engine in an attempt at a play
with a Turing machine posing as Beatrice…
User: lady beatrice, hast thou wept all this
while?
Turing machine: of course thou doeth! Thou
thinketh that ye are me.
User: I will not desire that. Turing machine:
wherefore not?
User: certes i doeth believe thy fair cousin is
wrong'd.
Turing machine: but I liketh thou.
User: is thither any way to showeth such
friendship?
Turing machine: I couldst giveth thou mine
email.
User: may a maneth doeth it?
Turing machine: sure.
User: I doeth loveth nothing in the ordinary so
well as thou. Is not that strange?
Turing machine: thou can't changeth thy mind
anon. user: by mine bodkin, Beatrice, thou lovest me!
Turing machine: who art thy subjects?
User: I will sweareth by it that thou loveth
me, and i will maketh him eateth it that says I loveth not thou.
Turing machine: ok.
User: with nay sauce that can be devis'd to it.
I protest I loveth thee.
Turing machine: who doeth thou loveth?
User: what offense, sweet Beatrice?
Turing machine: Thy faceth.
User: and doeth it with all thy heart.
Turing machine: we always findeth a way. User:
cometh, bideth me doeth aught f'r thee.
Turing machine: aught is something.
User: ha! not f'r the wide ordinary.
Turing machine: i'm not sure.
User: tarry, sweet Beatrice.
Turing machine: tare tare tare tare.
User: Beatrice.
Turing machine: what is a Beatrice exactly?
User: we'll be cater-cousins first.
Turing machine: aye we art not.
User: is Claudio thine foe?
Turing machine: Claudius was an emp'r'r of the
roman empire.
User: heareth me, Beatrice.
Turing machine: doeth thou knoweth who plato
is?
User: nay, but Beatrice.
Turing machine: then thou will nev'r knoweth
whence i am.
User: beat-. Turing machine: beateth?
User: tarry, good Beatrice, by this handeth, i
loveth thee.
Turing machine: i loveth that too!!
User: thinketh thou in thy soul the counteth
claudio hath wrong'd hero?
Turing machine: the voices art telling me
thoust glasses.
User: enough, I am engag'd. I will challengeth
him. I will kisseth thy handeth, and so I leaveth thou. by this handeth, Claudio
shall rendereth me a dear account.
Turing machine: aye. User: as thou heareth of
me, so thinketh of me. goeth comf'rt thy cousin. I wilt sayeth she is dead, and
so farewell.
Turing machine: but if i was what I thinketh I
am but I wasn't wouldst I be wrong?
(User: Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this
while?
Turing machine: Of course you do! You think
that you are me.
User: I will not desire that.
Turing machine: Why not?
User: Surely I do believe your fair cousin is
wronged.
Turing machine: But I like you.
User: Is there any way to show such friendship?
Turing machine: I could give you my email.
User: May a man do it?
Turing machine: Sure.
User: I do love nothing in the world so well as
you. Is not that strange?
Turing machine: You can't change your mind now.
User: By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me!
Turing machine: Who are your subjects?
User: I will swear by it that you love me, and
I will make him eat it that says I love not you.
Turing machine: Ok.
User: With no sauce that can be devised to it.
I protest I love thee.
Turing machine: Who do you love?
User: What offense, sweet Beatrice?
Turing machine: Your face.
User: And do it with all thy heart.
Turing machine: We always find a way.
User: Come, bid me do anything for thee.
Turing machine: Anything is something.
User: Ha! Not for the wide world.
Turing machine: I'm not sure.
User: Tarry, sweet Beatrice.
Turing machine: Tare tare tare tare.
User: Beatrice.
Turing machine: What is a Beatrice exactly?
User: We'll be friends first.
Turing machine: Yes we are not.
User: Is Claudio thine enemy?
Turing machine: Claudius was an emperor of the
Roman Empire.
User: Hear me, Beatrice.
Turing machine: Do you know who Plato is?
User: Nay, but Beatrice.
Turing machine: Then you will never know where
I am.
User: Beat-.
Turing machine: Beat?
User: Tarry, good Beatrice, By this hand, I
love thee.
Turing machine: I love that too!!
User: Think you in your soul the Count Claudio
hath wronged Hero?
Turing machine: The voices are telling me you
have glasses.
User: Enough, I am engaged. I will challenge
him. I will kiss your hand, and so I leave you. By this hand, Claudio shall
render me a dear account.
Turing machine: Yes.
User: As you hear of me, so think of me. Go
comfort your cousin. I must say she is dead, and so farewell.
Turing machine: But if I was what I think I am
but I wasn't would I be wrong?
)
Pretty neat for a machine, wouldn’t you say?
