William Shakespeare (baptized April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre- eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon." His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more of- ten than those of any other playwright.
Act I: Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is an Elizabethan comedy. Two couples: smart and witty, Beatrice and Benedick fire insults at each other and vow, each of them, that they will never marry—and then they fall madly in love. Claudio, a returning soldier, doesn’t even put up a fight but loses his heart to sweet Hero—until he hears a rumor that she has another lover, when he rejects her out of hand. Without even asking any questions! Dogberry, the constable (and one of
Malapropism n. The ludicrous mis- use of words, es- pecially through confusion caused by resemblance in sound.
Shakespeare’s clowns), who is a master of malapropisms, discovers— through no cleverness of his own—the malicious trickery of the villain, Don John, who has tripped these two couples up. In the end, Don John is captured and everyone joins in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples.
Shakespeare and...Technology?!
With the click of a button, relationships and reputations can be forever altered. Despite taking place online, these actions are deeply rooted in real life, because cyberlife IS real life. —The Ophelia Project Think about modern examples of the story of Claudio and Hero. We all know (and love!) stories about lies and rumors and revenge.
- How could text messaging/blogging and social networking be used in a modern adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing"?
- In "Much Ado About Nothing," Hero’s character is compromised through rumors and slander. How does this affect her? Does she deal with the pain of slander and false rumors? Would her response be different in a modern adaptation of the story?
- With the means of modern technology, what would Hero’s friends do to save her reputation? In the long run would this make things better or worse?
- Find the characters of Benedick, Beatrice, Claudio, Hero, Ned Lowenscroft and Queen Elizabeth through OHA’s Facebook page. "Like" them and become part of the conversation! The NYCbased actors will be posting and you are encouraged to join in and add your insights. Help us bring these characters into the world of 2011.
“Comedy,” in Elizabethan times, had a very different meaning from modern comedy. A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending. It often involves marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that are more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays.
Two (and a half) characters from Opera House Arts' original production of Shake- speare's "Measure for Measure," directed by Jeffrey Frace in summer 2010.
PHOTO BY KAREN GALELLA
In the Opera House Arts' production of "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Stonington Opera House
Listen for...
- Two uses of malapropism by Dogberry. What words should he have used? What do they mean?
- The unscripted moments What could Hero say to Claudio to defend herself after she is accused of being impure? What words could she use to express her feelings?
- An apology from Claudio Is there one?
- Create a short dialogue between Hero and Claudio after Hero’s honor has been restored. What would Hero say to Claudio? Is she angry?
Repertory n. The per- formance of vari- ous plays, operas, or ballets by a resident company at regular short intervals.
Be Prepared for...
- Themes of love, betrayal, and conflict
- Deception among the characters
- Multiple intertwining plots
- Appearance vs. reality—or all being not what it seems.
- A happy ending
shakeStonington: www.shakestonington. blogspot.com, visiting scholars, community reads
by Alicia Anstead
Opera House Arts' Critic-in-Residence
"I love Shakespeare!" and "I don't understand Shakespeare!" are among the most frequent comments I hear about the Bard. Opposite though they are, these two sentiments drive our annual Library Reads and Guest Scholar programs for Shake- speare in Stonington. The beauty of the Library Reads is that "citizens actors" from all walks come together to "perform" the plays in a friendly, fun environment. We take turns read- ing, we ask questions, we pause to ponder language and mean- ing, and often we find ourselves peering through the plays as mirrors to our own community. Our Guest Scholars— whether they appear on our shakeStonington blog or join a post-show conversation—open the plays in yet another way by putting the performance and story into a larger tradition. With both outreach programs, our goal—for the experienced and the tentative—is the same: Make Shakespeare Rock in Stonington. — Alicia Anstead is an acclaimed national cul- tural journalist and adjunct professor at Harvard University.
Opera House Arts' critic-in-residence Alicia Anstead, left, reads "Measure for Measure" with Deer Isle-Stonington High School student Abby Bray and others at the Ston- ington Public Library in 2010. PHOTO BY LINDA NELSON
Shakespeare in Stonington 2011
Timothy Findley, Canadian, was born October 30, 1930 and died June 21, 2002. He pursued a career in the arts, studying dance and acting, and had significant success as an actor before turning to writing. Though Findley declared his homosexuality as a teenager, he married actress/photographer Janet Reid in 1959. But the union lasted only three months and was dissolved two years later. Eventually he became the domestic partner of writ- er William Whitehead. Find- ley's novels and plays were awarded Governor Gen- eral's Awards, the Canadian Authors Association Award, an ACTRA Award, the Order of Ontario, the Ontario Trilli- um Award, and in 1985 Find- ley was appointed an Offi- cer of the Order of Canada.
Act II: Elizabeth Rex
Elizabeth Rex is a play by Timothy Findley.
It premiered in Canada in 2000 at the Stratford Festival of Canada. The plot involves a meeting between Queen Elizabeth I and an actor from Shakespeare's troupe, the Lord Chamberlain’s men. In the Elizabethan Era (the period named for Queen Elizabeth, who reigned from 1558–1603 during what is often considered to be the golden age in English history) only men were allowed to be actors even while plays contained many female roles. The Lord Chamber- lain's men, therefore, contained many actors who specialized in playing the roles of women–which became known as the skirt roles. In "Elizabeth Rex," the Queen summons the troupe to perform "Much Ado About Nothing" to distract her from the execution she has ordered of a man she loves, the Earl of Essex. He is accused of treason. She struggles with her feelings, know- ing that her whole life she has had to act like a
Protagonist n.
the principle character in a literary work
man—having to reject her passionate side—in order to govern. At the same time, one of the acting troupe, Ned Lowenscroft, has had to act like a woman in order to succeed in his profession as an actor. It is implied that he is gay and therefore his love forbidden—and illegal. He is currently mourning a soldier whom he loved, but who also gave him the dreaded but then common disease, syphilis. The Queen rejects the idea that she should mourn the pending death of her love, while Ned very much wishes to mourn and have his sorrow acknowledged. One of the play's central themes is challenging the conventional no- tions of gender which confine each of these characters. In a key piece of dialogue in the play, Queen Elizabeth says to Ned Low- enscroft, "If you will teach me how to be a woman, I will teach you how to be a man."
Marriage Laws and the Role of Women in Elizabethan times
In Elizabethan England, marriage was legal for girls at the age of 12 and boys at 14, and many girls were already spoken for at this young age. Marriages were arranged. Elizabethan women were expected to marry to increase the wealth and position of the family and then to produce children—preferably male heirs. There were no careers for women and there were no schools for girls, so the majority of women were illiterate. It had become popular, however, among the nobility to educate daughters, and Elizabeth herself received an impressive education. She studied with many famous scholars and it is said she could speak five languages fluently. Here's a quote from British law that expresses the restricted circumstances in which most women found themselves: "At the seventh year of her age, her father shall have aid of his tenants to marry her. At nine years of age, she is able to deserve and have dower. At Twelve years to consent to marriage. At fourteen to be hors de guard (outside wardship). At Sixteen to be past the Lord’s tender of a husband. At twenty one to be able to make a feoffement (land grant). And per Ingelton therein the end of the case. A woman married at twelve cannot disagree afterward. But if she be married younger, she may dissent till she be fourteen." (Law’s 33)
Think about Sex and Gender in Elizabeth Rex
- Why the playwright used "Rex" for Elizabeth’s title.
- What it means for a woman vs. a man to mourn the death of a lover. How are these roles flipped in "Elizabeth Rex"?
- Queen Elizabeth defied the norm in many ways. How did she adjust for this in her interactions with her subjects?
- Do you think it was easier to be a man in Elizabethan times? What about now?
- Queen Elizabeth was a powerful woman. She also claimed that she was a "man" or "masculine." Could she be one without being the other? Does a woman have to be masculine to be powerful? Why or why not? Can a feminine man be powerful?
- Can you think of other successful "masculine" women/men? What about successful "feminine" women/men?
- In Elizabethan times, men and boys played the roles of women on stage. The men were proud of playing women’s roles and it took a certain kind of skill set. Find some dialogue in "Elizabeth Rex" that supports this idea.
- How would it make you feel to play a character of the opposite sex? Do you think you could do it convincingly?
OHA uses very small casts for Shakespeare's large plays and thus always double-casts actors in multiple cross-sex roles. Can you find the female actors in this photo of the "rude mechanicals" in 2009's "A Mid- summer Night's Dream"?PHOTO BY CAROLYN CALDWELL
Sex or Gender? Sex, n. refers to the biological and physiological charac- teristics that define men and women. Aspects of sex will not vary substantially between different human societies.
Gender, n. refers to the social- ly constructed roles, behav- iours, activities, and attributes that a given society consid- ers appropriate for men and women. Aspects of gender may vary greatly between dif- ferent human societies.
"Male" and "female" are sex categories, while "masculine" and "feminine" are gender categories.
More Curious Than Ever?
Learn More from these Other Resources
Shakespearean Language
www.bathcsd.org/webpages/edepartment/shakespearean_terms.cfm
60 second Shakespeare
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/60secondshakespeare/themes_muchado.shtml
The Folger Library Curriculum
Elizabethan Marriage Laws
http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam041/2003048481.pdf
An Adaptation by Jeff Ives of “Much Ado About Nothing”
http://www.weeklyreader.com/sites/default/files/RDS14.pdf
Check out the Facebook version of “Much Ado about Nothing”
