The Dramatic Significance of Act four Scene One of William Shakespeare

The Dramatic Significance of Act four Scene One of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing Act 4 in the romantic comedy 'Much ado about nothing' is of great dramatic significance to the whole play, as it is in Scene 1 where Shakespeare brings out the different sides of the characters to illustrate the complexities of love and relationships. Act 4 Scene 1 is clustered with different incidents and in this essay, I will go through each event and describe its importance to the play as a whole. I will do this by showing how (with the use of language) Shakespeare expresses the feelings of his characters and uses theatrical stage actions to emphasize their emotions. The Scene begins with Claudio's accusation of Hero, who so far, throughout the play has been seen as an honest and honourable woman. However Claudio accuses Hero that she is not what he thought of her 'But you are more intemperate in your blood, Than Venus or those pampered animals that rage in savage sensuality. This is shocking and Shakespeare prepares its audience for a scene which represents a turning point for his characters lives through these remarkable personality changes, as Claudio has never acted like that towards Hero earlier in the play. However Claudia's is a gullible and innocent character. A reason for this previously in the play, Claudio is mislead by Don John. Don John tells him and swears that Don Pedro has enticed Hero, not for Claudia but himself: "à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I heard him swear his affection..." Borachio who had heard Don Pedro whilst he was smoking in the "à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦musty rooms..." also backs Don Pedro: ""à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦So did I, too, and he swore he would marry her tonigh... ... how they are both capable of love but were afraid of expressing their emotions. Since this play is a romantic comedy, Shakespeare is demonstrating how there are ups and downs in relationships and Act 1 Scene 4 is the dramatic scene where Don John's plot is successful and the lover's companionship has been broken. However, Shakespeare uses Beatrice and Benedick characters as a contrast to Claudio and Hero in the scene to make the audience optimistic about personal relationships. Their open admission to the love they share shows how they were hiding behind a mask of aloofness and wit before. In conclusion, this scene is extremely significant to the play as a whole as it is a turning point for the characters and Shakespeare adopts vivid use of language and imagery to emphasize the comedy behind romantic relationships.