Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare
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Introduction
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To my dear actors and actresses:
We are here to put on a theatrical production of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, perhaps one of the greatest comedies that renowned playwright would ever set down in words. As you know from my extended involvement in film and stage versions of many of Shakespeare’s plays, I hold the utmost respect toward Mr. Shakespeare and his work. I believe it to be our noble duty to perform his words with integrity. Yet, as an actor, I cannot deny that one of the most exciting aspects of performing a play is deciding how to portray a character’s personality and role in a storyline. It is in this decision that our creativity and passion for theatre can flourish; this is where we can bring together talent and original ideas and show the audience a certain side of each personality on stage. That’s the fun of it; there are so many options and so many directions in which to go. Each affects the meaning of individual lines, delivers a particular message to the audience, and gives a different feeling to the show overall. It may sound obvious, but you, the actors, are essential to this message and feeling and to the level and type of comedy we present, therefore determining our success as performers and in bringing Shakespeare’s words to life.
I have read many of Shakespeare’s plays over the years, ranging the romances, comedies, tragedies and histories, and I have consistently been struck by the ambiguity of words and phrases. An annotated version of the play might list the meaning of a word as one thing, but another version might have translated it to something completely different. Between Quarto and Folio versions, huge discrepancies are sometimes very obvious when texts are compared, causing major changes in the plot, character relationships, or personalities. Other times discrepancies are not so drastically significant, yet they are there; a phrase might imply one meaning in one version and something entirely different because of the change of a single word in the other. But it isn’t only these tangible reasons that cause the meaning of a phrase to change. The thespians who bring the words to life, those words that present the meaning, determine how that meaning is shown or at what angle that meaning is brought to light. It could be sincere and direct, it could be satirical, it could be ironic or have a double-meaning…the list goes on. As actors, we can bring out certain themes that run through the plotline, playing them up and making them more obvious by the way we act out our parts. Discrepancies may play a part in changing meaning, but it is the human element that truly determines how words are brought to and interpreted by an audience.
It is not difficult to find examples of the many ways one can play and therefore interpret certain lines or scenes throughout all of Shakespeare’s plays, and Much Ado is not excused. While the theory can be applied to any and likely all of the various couples and relationships of this story, that of Benedick and Beatrice is particularly useful in presenting an example. Before delving into that exploration, however, I feel it is important to give you a brief background on this well-loved Shakespearean couple.
For centuries, readers and audience members have been captivated by the story of Benedick and Beatrice. Clearly they are meant to be; their names tell it all. Benedick’s name derives from “benedict,” meaning, most relevantly to this play, “blessed, benign, salutary,” or “one who is blessed” (OED, Miola). Beatrice, conversely, means “one who blesses” - quite fitting to the situation, as she both blesses Benedick in marriage and also blesses nearly every conversation with some form of humory (Miola). It seems, in fact, that Shakespeare originally intended for the complicated relationship between Benedick and Beatrice to be the center of the plot, not that of Hero and Claudio, whose story is essential to the movement of the play but is arguably just a side tale to the more enjoyable or even more intriguing story of the anti-marriage, witty Benedick and Beatrice. Evidence shows that the play may have been known as Benedick and Beatrice to some, as it is referenced by that name in a 1640 edition of the sonnets published after Shakespeare’s death. King Charles I of England’s bound book copy actually has the words “Benedick and Beatrice” penciled in on its cover with the original title crossed out! Even the opera version of Much Ado, by Hector Berlioz, is titled Béatrice et Bénédict (Mowat). The story of these stubborn lovers has captured hearts for hundreds of years, leaving its mark on audiences and writers alike; one can find their influence in many a novel or film (keep an eye out and I promise you you’ll find them more and more often) (Mowat).
Now that you’re more acquainted with this pair’s importance historically, let us discuss their relevance to my theory of ambiguity of word and meaning. The most important aspect to understanding the relationship of these lovers, I believe, is the way they interact publicly versus privately. When seen alone, either individually or as a pair, the audience gets a snippet of what each character truly feels for the other at different points in the story. In public, however, for much of the play the audience sees them both throwing clever insults back and forth when together, providing amusement for and certainly catching the attention of those around them, or making fun of the other behind his or her back to friends when the other is not present. However, there are many options for how this seemingly obvious relationship can progress and be portrayed. As actors, we decide how we will portray the characters themselves: the way they seem to think, how they interact with others, and with what sentiment they say their assigned lines. Again, this is where your creativity comes into play, and I have decided that I will not direct traditionally in this respect for the start of our rehearsal period. I want to give you the opportunity to decide how you want your character to be seen by the audience, to decide what themes should be emphasized throughout the show, and to decide what kind of comedy we, as a cast, want to put on (be it slapstick, innocent, satirical, ironic…). After this period of original ideas, we’ll decide what we feel works best. To both jumpstart your imaginations and prove to you how many options you truly have, I am going to share a few past successes in the various ways characters have been played to change the story in slight yet noticeable ways. For the purpose of a clear example, let us stay with the private versus public image of the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice.
Perhaps one reason audiences seem to love the story of Benedick and Beatrice is that their ‘fairytale love story’ has a bit of reality tied in. They are not a Romeo-and-Juliet love at first sight, nor are they ever truly mindless in love; their witty banter is practically always present and their love isn’t entirely developed where the audience can see them interacting one on one together, but rather individually and generally privately. Benedick soliloquizes more often than Beatrice does, and the audience is able to see his thought process in action as he speaks it aloud. As any actor would know, these soliloquies offer the perfect creative opportunity, yet that creativity comes with responsibility and consequence. Because this is where Benedick’s thought process is shown outright, his soliloquies are key to his character development within the show. Therefore, as in one 2002 performance, if Benedick is played as a complete fool or even a total drunk, his private moments of thought processing aloud will serve as comedic relief as the audience watches this foolish man babble on and go from one opinion to the other incredibly quickly (to marry or not to marry, that is his constant question!) (Young). In public among his friends, it is again easy to turn him into a laughing stock; while his lines appear cocky and arrogant when read on the page, if a drunken Benedick were to present them live on the stage they would instantly be taken less seriously – especially all his claims of never marrying, which I see as only foreshadowing to his later ‘doom’ – and he would truly play into the comedy of this comedy. Of course, a drunken fool is only one option; as I mentioned, one can easily play Benedick’s lines up to their cocky and arrogant nature and show him for what he honestly seems to be on paper. Here he would be sassy and conceited, particularly in public, yet when alone with Beatrice, he would take on a softer, more loving edge with his kinder words and sweet names, such as “Fair Beatrice” (II.iii.232) and “sweet Beatrice” (IV.i.288). Also visibly unique to Benedick’s character is his verbal repetition of important words or ideas, almost as if he needs to reinforce his belief in them by hearing himself say them aloud, such as his strong will to stay an unmarried bachelor forever early on in Act II, Scene iii or his later repetition of “I protest I love thee” three times to Beatrice in Act IV, Scene i when the two finally share their love. There is much to work with in choosing the personality traits that go along with Benedick’s character, and these are just a few options to trigger your own ideas.
Of course, in speaking of the relationship between these two lovers, we cannot neglect to speak of the personage of Beatrice. In past performances, the young woman has been played using her witty retorts and sarcastic remarks to cover up her fear of dying an old maid, though rather than remaining hidden behind her remarks, the insecurity still peaks through for the audience and even some of the other characters to see (Kellaway). Yet in many other performances, such as my 1993 film version, Beatrice is portrayed as an intelligent and humorous woman who holds true to her beliefs, yet does (or must) harbor a fear of never marrying deep within, as is evident from her various conversations in Act III at the masquerade. In the end, as we know, she will choose to “bless” a man in marriage, and whether that is out of self-flattery, a true hidden love, or because it is expected of a woman and would be embarrassing to be unwanted, or perhaps even for social gain is up to the actress choosing how she will be played. Again, much like Benedick, there are many personalities to give Beatrice as she reaches her final conclusion to marry.
What’s more, one can use these various personalities as paired with the endless possible personalities of Benedick to bring out, as I have mentioned, particular themes hidden within Shakespeare’s words. For instance, as one critic, Katherine Jacobs, points out, a recurring theme found within the various relationships in Much Ado is marrying for social benefit. It is quite clear that the marriage of Hero and Claudio is based as much on monetary and proprietary gain as it is on love, and that love itself is even based on looks and very few words. Marriage within this group of friends and colleagues seems to revolve around social standing and cementing one’s place within the social circle of important persons such as the prince, Don Pedro, and a wealthy aristocrat, Leonato. Such an idea even stands true between Benedick and Beatrice, should one look closely enough; they each claim to detest the idea of marriage yet they both give into it fairly easily in the end. The theme of socialization is one that can be played up in performing the play, therefore commenting in a slightly satirical manner on the true reason - a rather unromantic one - behind marriage. While this show is a comedy and the ‘romance’ between these two stubborn characters seems to have been designed to be amusing, it’s not hard to see how a troupe of actors can play their roles to put this idea in front of the audience and make what appears to be a lighthearted comedy on the surface a somewhat unnerving commentary on the entire idea of marriage.
The pairing of various Benedick personalities with different Beatrice personalities, whether to bring out certain themes or not, will bring this relationship to life and have an immense impact on how this comedy comes across to our audience. The development of the connection between these two characters is a key story within Much Ado’s plotline and will likely determine many an audience member’s impression of this particular work of Shakespearean art. I want to make that clear to each and every one of you; the way every single character is portrayed contributes to the whole goal, the whole point of our performance. I cannot wait to see the creative ideas you’ve come up with. Until then, I leave you with the following marked-up scene that shows one private interaction between Benedick and Beatrice that can be interpreted and portrayed so as to evoke varying sentiments toward Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship. After that, a few closing remarks. I look forward to working with you in bringing this brilliant story to life in the coming months!
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