- Choose a quotation from Much Ado About Nothing or a scene, write it out or describe the scene and then tell how this quotation or scene is important to the development of the play.
- Write about the performance we went to of A Servant of Two Masters. Discuss various decisions the director or actors made for this performance and explain why the choice worked or why it didn't.
- As always, be creative, thoughtful, entertaining, and brilliant.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Oct 13 Much Ado About Nothing
Remember to write your full name and class period on the first line of your entry. If you did not write about A Servant of Two Masters last week, choose option 2. Otherwise, choose option 1. Write at least 15 sentences on one of the following options:
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Kate Matthews P3
ReplyDeleteI didn't write about A Servant of Two Masters last weekend, so I will now. If the production had gone the traditional route and stuck to its commedia dell'arte original humour then it would have been funny, and I would have laughed. But they appealed to the modern audience, and that's what made it even funnier. There were more genuine laughs than when I was at a traditional production of Love's Labour's Lost, a Shakespearean comedy, last year. The people that say you should stick to tradition might be right sometimes, but comedies are made for laughter. Tastes change, so the things specifically designed to make us laugh should reflect that. I genuinely had a good time, and that's why we go to the theatre, isn't it? True, the crudeness and swearing might not be for everyone, but I felt they were integral to the comedy. It's weird, the production was completely different from what it probably would have been in its originality, but somehow even with the modern jokes and swearing, the characters were so true to what we read them as. The characters were goofy and the actors seemed to have fun playing them. What a great job that must be.
Madison Sutton
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"The fault will be in the music, cousin, if you be not wooed in good time. If the Prince be too important, tell him there is measure in everything, and so dance out the answer. For hear me, Hero, measure, and a cinquepace. The first suit is hot and hasty like a Scotch jig, and full as fantastical; the wedding, mannerly modest as a measure, full of state and ancientry; and then comes repentance, and with his bad legs falls into the cinquepace faster and faster till he sink into his grave" (2.1.68-78). In this quote, Beatrice is speaking to Leonato about marriage. In "Much Ado About Nothing", the character Beatrice is considered to be Benedick's destined love but she is hesitant about jumping into a relationship. In her conversation with Leonato, she sums up her interpretation of marriage by using different types of dance. She begins by talking about the beginning of a relationship. Beatrice compares the beginning of a relationship to be "hasty like a Scotch jig" (2.1.72). A scotch jig is an exiting, up-beat, fast-paced dance. She continues on about the time in a relationship when a couple gets married and have a wedding. She describes the wedding like a measure (a slow dance) and anceintry (traditional). Beatrice describes being married as happy and healthy so far but she ends on a sour note when she describes the next stage in marriage, repentence. This, she says, is where you begin to question your decision of getting married and wind up regretting your choice in the matter. This is ironic of Beatrice to talk about. Since she has a choice about whether or not to love Benedick, she could be making a good choice or a bad choice, either way. Although she can come off as a sharp , tough woman, she is also very vulnerable about the situation.
While waiting for the performance, "A Servant of Two Masters" to begin, the first thing I noticed about the stage was there were no curtains or flats to block the sides of the stage off. Therefore, I could see directly into the backstage areas, on the sides of the stage. This was irritating for me because I would often find myself distracted from what was going on on-stage. There was equipment backstage and other actors, moving around and it made it hard to focus at times. I don't know if that is just me since I have ADD but it would have felt a little more professional, had their been some kind of curtains or flats, to block off all the unnecessary viewing of things. Once the play began, I also noticed that there was no real formal introduction. This didn't necessarily bother me or anything but it was just something I had observed. When the lights went down, I had expected a person to come out and introduce the theater, the play, and thank all of their sponsors. When the characters came out, I noticed everyone's costumes. The costumes were really unique for each character. This made it easy to identify and remember who certain characters were. The modern references helped lighten the mood of the performance and were tastefully thrown in here-and-there. The opera references were probably commonly appealing to the older crowd in the audience while the Macklemore references were mostly relevant to the younger crowd. These factors also made the play delightful to watch for all different ages. Overall, the play was extremely enjoyable. I found myself laughing and I thought the actors did a fantastic job of embracing their characters and truly making them come to life.
Andrew Park
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Prompt #5
After attending "A Servant of Two Masters" on Sunday, I found many things I didn't expect. However, some things stayed the same as the original play from the 18th century. One of things that I didn't expect was references to current events. In almost every stage appearance, the actor of Truffaldino used those references towards other characters and his lines. The actor's purpose for his references were to bring extreme humor for the audience. It was a success because it made the play more enjoyable than expected due to his jokes in his lines. However, there were times when the humor wasn't necessary. Some of the humor from jokes on current stuff made it hard to focus on the actual story. In all, the play was just too enjoyable. Despite everything that brought all the laughter from everywhere, the main thing I highly watching for was any changes of the plot. The actors maintained the same plot from the 18th century version. That decision was crucial to the audience's reactions. This decision kept the play in a comic fashion. It also kept the audience from finding the play difficult to understand as of trying to understand Shakespeare's language. Despite all the jokes on current stuff from Truffaldino, we were able to see the commedia dell'arte style we expected. Overall, I would give the actors and the play an A-.
Chris Root
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O Hero! What a Hero hadst thou been if half thy outward graces had been placed
about thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart! But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell thou pure impiety and impious purity. For thee I’ll lock up all the gates of love,and on my eyelids shall conjecture hang to turn all beauty into thoughts of harm, and never shall it more be gracious.
Claudio has just acknowledged Hero at their wedding ceremony, throwing her back to Leonato, her father. He believes that she has not only been unfaithful to him but has lost her virginity, and therefore her purity and innocence, to someone else before her marriage. Claudio’s belief is the result of Don John’s evil plot to deceive him and make him lose Don Pedro’s goodwill. For instance, “Hero” appears twice in the first line, changing meaning the second time. The first time, Claudio addresses his former beloved directly. The second time, Claudio compares “Hero” to an ideal conqueror of his heart, as classical heroes conquered and won great battles. Yet Hero has lost her heroic qualities. “Fare thee well most foul, most fair, farewell” plays with repetition and opposites: the sound of the word “fair” is repeated three times in the space of one line, underscoring Claudio’s despair at discovering that Hero’s outward beauty or fairness conceals a “foul” spirit, as he thinks.
Arthur Gulledge
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“Thus answer I in the name of Benedick, but hear these ill news with the ears of Claudio. ‘Tis certain so, the Prince woos for himself. Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love. Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues. Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent, for beauty is a witch against whose charms faith melteth into blood. This is an accident of hourly proof, which I mistrusted not. Farewell therefore, Hero” (2.1.170-180).
At the masquerade ball, Don John and Borachio are talking about how Don John’s brother is to wed Hero. They think the only one that will get in the way of their plans is Claudio. Don John asks Claudio, who has his mask on, if he is Benedick, and Claudio says he is. Don John tells him that Don Pedro loves Hero. They leave Claudio alone, and he takes off his mask. He then says he will stay disguised and pretend to be Benedick, but will hear the sad news of who is to marry whom as himself. Claudio thinks friendship is a universal thing, but knows it doesn’t exist in love. He says “all hearts in love use their own tongues” to say that people should say they love someone by themselves, and not anyone else .He then goes on to say that people should look on their lover themselves, as the beauty of a person should not be trusted by a representative, who will make the loyalty melt into a passion for themselves. He wraps up by saying that all of this is natural, but he didn’t expect any of this to happen to himself. His last line, “Farewell therefore, Hero” could be him saying that has no hope in seeing Hero again, because he knows Don Pedro will wed her. This part is important, as it sets up Claudio being in on the conspiracy of who is to wed Hero. This also tells us what kind of a character Claudio is, being sneaky and lying to find out the truth that is around him. This individual passage sheds light on the complexities on who loves who, and who thought they would be together, but now will be far apart. It also lets the audience know what’s going on in this new scheme that is to be unfolded soon.
Laney McFarland
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"O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease! He is sooner
caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs presently
mad. God help the noble Claudio! If he have caught the
Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere a be cured." (line 70)
Benedick and Beatrice are very nasty to each other. They take every chance they can to say something negative or hurtful to one another. I find this very ironic, because later in the book they fall in love. Crazy thought two enemies can fall in love! To make it even weirder and more confusing, nether of them really have feelings for each other in the beginning friends secretly plotted to get them together. They "secretly" talked in front of Beatrice, so she would fall in love with Benedict and vs. Not to long later they begin to fall for each other.
Elena Wagar
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"What should I do with him—dress him in my apparel and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him".
These lines constitute Beatrice’s witty explanation for why she must remain an unmarried woman and eventually an old maid: there is no man who would be a perfect match for her. Those who possess no facial hair are not manly enough to satisfy her desires, whereas those who do possess beards are not youthful enough for her. This conundrum is not particular to Beatrice. In Renaissance literature and culture, particularly in Shakespeare, youths on the cusp of manhood are often the most coveted objects of sexual desire.
Although Beatrice jokes that she would dress up a beardless youth as a woman, there is a hidden double meaning here: in Shakespeare’s time, the actor playing Beatrice would have been doing exactly that, since all female roles were played by prepubescent boys until the late seventeenth century. Indeed, the beardless adolescent had a special allure that provoked the desires of both men and woman on the Elizabethan stage. Beatrice’s desire for a man who is caught between youth and maturity was in fact the sexual ideal at the time. The plot of the play eventually toys with her paradoxical sentiments for a man both with and without a beard: during the course of the play, Benedick will shave his beard once he falls in love with her.
Noah Manns-Taylor
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I didn't write about the play last week so that's what I'll do this week. I really loved the play. A lot more than I thought I would. I thought the unscripted/improv parts were good and I loved that they added in modern day jokes, even some things as recent as the gov shut down. I thought that the play was brilliantly done and I hope the next few we see are as good as that one was. I can't really comment on the decisions because it seems like they mostly stuck to the script given by the book other than the improv.
Tristan Liebrock Per. 3
ReplyDelete"There Leonato, take her back again. Give not this rotten orange to your friend. She's but the sign and semblance of her honor." In this quote, Shakespeare put a lot in the play to build up to this moment so it would be a bigger deal then if he just said she was unfaithful. During this scene Claudio accuses Hero of being unfaithful. Right after Claudio leaves Beatrice tells Benedick that she wants him to kill Claudio and if he doesn't he doesn't love her. I would say that at that moment I would say is the turning point of the play. I say this because right after the wedding scene Don John is arrested for accusing Hero for being unfaithful.
Gracie Legg
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"Good Margaret, run thee to the parlor.There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice proposing with the Prince and Claudio. Whisper her ear and tell her I and Ursula walk in the orchard, and our whole discoursse is all of her. Say that thou overheardst us, and bid her steal into the pleached bower where honeysuckles ripened by the sun forbid the sun to enter , like favorites made proud by princes, that advance their pride against that power that bred it. There will she hide her to listen to our propose. This is thy office. Bear thee well in it, and leave us alone." (83)
Hero is saying to Margaret to go get Margaret. She wants her to go get Margaret so that she can talk to her with Ursula. They want to talk about the Prince and Claudio. She wants to talk to her about Claudio and the Prince so that she can explain to her what is going on. And they all want to be on the same page. They want to know everything that is going on with Beatrice. Beatrice knows that Benedick still loves her. And she is trying to decide if she should return to his love. Beatrice is kind of arrogant and she is not sure what she should do. And that is why Hero wishes to speak to her. Hero wants to give her, her insight. Hero is Beatrice’s cousin so she wishes to help her. It is important for the family to know what is going on. Especially because Beatrice is so confused. So that is why Hero sends Margaret to go get Beatrice.
"if i see anything tonight why i should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where i should wed, there will i shame her." -Claudio
ReplyDeleteThis is when Don John shows Claudio that Hero is cheating on him, except its staged and fake. Claudio takes the bait and decides to reveal his findings in the wedding the following day, and shame Hero for her actions. This is an important scene because it is a major event leading to the climax. Its the part where the protagonist gets the wrong idea and starts causing drama in the story.
Maddy Nehme
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"Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, men were deceivers ever, one foot in sea and one on shore, to one thing constant never. Then sigh not so and let them go, and be you blithe and bonny."
This is when Balthasar is singing to Don Pedro. Don Pedro rudely asks Balthasar to sing for him, and Balthasar doesn't want to he thinks he has a horrible voice and he tells Don Pedro "you're like a suitor who courts a women insincerely, swearing that he loves her even though he really doesn't find her worthy." so then Balthasar sings a song relating to what he thinks of Don Pedro. In the song he sings about how ladies should stop trying to find the nice men because all of them are the same. He says all are somewhat loyal but at the same time they are unfaithful. He says men are never devoted to anything, and that women should just let them go. He says that if women didn't have men in their lives, they could live happily and freely. I do somewhat agree with him but I also thing there are some men out there that are worthy, and know how to properly treat a girl. Maybe things were just different back then. I know in our current society we have many issues with marriages and divorces and being honest, loyal, and faithful but I definitely think society has improved since the time of this book.
Danielle Knapik
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"The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it."
This quote is by Don John in Act 3 Scene 2 after the Prince is telling Claudio about Hero's unfaithfulness. They are trying to trick him into thinking Hero is a horrible person so that they would not marry. After they had been set to marry, just for fun, Don John and the Prince wanted to wreck havoc. This quote is of importance because it shows one of the main plot lines of the play. Besides Benedick and Beatrice falling in love, the love between Claudio and Hero is the main topic of the play. Soon after planning the marriage, the other guys try to sabotage their marriage by making Claudio think Hero is already being unfaithful. This quote shows the main topic of the play, and how they being to ruin the marriage.
Jessica Bruce
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"I never did think to marry. I must not seem proud. Happy are they that hear their detractions and can put them to mending. They say the lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I cannot reprove it. And wise, but for loving me; by my troth it is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in lover with her!" (77)
This is part of a monologue by Benedick. He just overheard a staged conversation between Claudio, Prince, and Leonato about Beatrice's love for Benedick. This is such an important scene because Benedick was convinced that he would die a bachelor before he heard the staged conversation. After hearing that Beatrice was desperately in love with him, he changed his mind and was tricked into loving her. In this passage you see a complete shift in thinking. Benedick says that he never thought he would marry and then a couple sentences later professes he is horribly in love with Beatrice and goes on later to talk about marrying her. This is also one of the comedic scenes of the play because the Prince, Leonato and Claudio completely overdo their explanation of Beatrice's love. Then there is Benedick who believes he is the one being sneaky and listening to a real conversation. He totally takes the bait, and believes the staged conversation. Later when Beatrice is rude and snappy to Benedick he still believes that it is her love that makes her so.
Chris Reed
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A servant of two masters was a grand play. I loved it with every bone in my body. I thought it was very clever that they incorporated pop culture references to an old play. It made it much more enjoyable to watch. I also liked that the actors were so flamboyant, and that the audience added to the fun. For our first play it was pretty awesome. I also liked that I was with my friends, and im looking forward to going to more plays and operas and such in the future.
Isabelle Carson
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One scene that I thought was very important to the development of the play was at the beginning of the play. In this scene, Clarice and Silvio are allowed to be married by Clarice’s father, Pantalone. Then, Truffladino comes in and claims that his master, Federigo, wishes to speak with Pantalone. All of the other characters are surprised because they had thought that Federigo had died in a duel. Pantalone becomes stressed out because he had promised his daughter to Federigo first. When “Federigo” enters Pantalone decides to give Clarice to him instead of Silvio. Brighella, a friend and local innkeeper of the Responi family, figures out that “Federigo” is actually his sister Beatrice disguised in order to get the dowry promised to her brother from Pantalone. Brighella promises that he will not give her away and then the nest scene begins. This scene introduced all of the major characters except for Florindo. And also gave the audience a taste of each of the characters personalities. It also shows the backgrounds of the characters. It was setup of the plot and the location. This shows that Beatrice has disguised herself as her brother because she intends to get money from marrying Clarice. This scene also begins to show the differences between the original story and this version. It setup the humor used.
Ashley Glinn
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"Thus answer I in name of Benedick. But hear these ill news with the ears of Claudio. 'Tis certain so, the Prince woos for himself. Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love. Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues. Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent, for beauty is a witch against whose charms faith melteth into blood. This is an accident of hourly proof, which I mistrusted not. Farewell therefore, Hero"-Claudio (Act 2, Scene 1, p. 47). This quote is important because Don John had just convinced Claudio that his friend Don Pedro, had wooed Hero for himself instead of Claudio. This was the beginning of the drama that Don John wanted to create and this would lead into a huge conflict later in the story. Claudio feels betrayed by his friend and is now wanting revenge on not only Don Pedro, but Hero as well. Soon after, chaos ensues.
Lily Kristjanson
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“Thou wilt be like a lover presently and tire the hearer with a book of words. If thou dost love fair hero, cherish it, and I will break with her and with her father, and thou shalt have her. Was’t not to this end that thou began’st to twist so fine a story?”(1.1.301-301). In this scene Don Pedro, also know as the Prince of Aragon is speaking with Claudio. Both had just arrived to Messina from Pedro’s war. Count Claudio was the hero of the battle. Leonato, the Governor of Messina, was the one who welcomed both Don Pedro and Claudio to Messina. Upon arrival, Count Claudio fell in love with the daughter of Leonato, Hero. Claudio expresses to Don Pedro his deep feelings for Hero. After this Don Pedro becomes determined to win Hero for Claudio. In this quote, Don Pedro is informing Claudio of his intentions. He tells Claudio that if his love is true for Hero, then he shall have no fear. Hero will become his. Don Pedro will convince both Hero and her father to approve of Claudio. Don Pedro believes his plan is so fine and on target, that there will be no chance of error. Claudio becomes so pleased with Don Pedro’s promise. The importance of this quote is that it lays out the somewhat secret conversation between Don Pedro and Claudio.
Alison Mowry
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Last week I wrote about A Servant of Two Masters, so this week I will be discussing Much Ado About Nothing. "They say the lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them witness. And virtuous; 'tis so, I cannot reprove it. And wise, but for loving me; by my troth, it is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her!" In this scene, Benedick has just over heard Leonato, Claudio, and Don Pedro discussing Beatrice's fabricated love for him. Alone, Benedick takes in what he has just heard. He also decides what is best for him to do. He concludes that he should return the love; "for I will be horribly in love with her." This line also has a comical effect. It is bizarre to say that a person will fall "horribly in love" with someone after they have just weighed their moral virtues. However, Benedick can't just reciprocate Beatrice's passions.It seems that throughout the play there is an element of competition between the two characters. Therefore, Benedick has to outdo her in some way in order to win the ongoing competition between the two. This quotation is very important to the development of the play because it is where Benedick realizes that Beatrice's love isn't true.
Mack Ohnemus
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"Come, you shake the head at so long a breathing, but I warrant thee, Claudio, the time shall not go dully by us. I will in the interim undertake one of Hercules' labors, which is to bring Signor Benedick and the Lady Beatice into a mountain of affection, th' one with th' other. I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not but to fashion it, if you three will but minister such assistance as I shall give you direction." (2.2.353-361)
This line is spoken by the prince to Claudio. This is when Leonato, Claudio, and Hero decide to trick Benedick and Beatrice to fall in love with each other. To do this, they will have Benedick overhear them talking about how much Beatrice loves him, but won't say anything. When doing this, Benedick will go from thinking he would die a bachelor to being wed. They do the same trickery with Beatrice. They have her overhear a conversation about how much Benedick is in love with Beatrice. After Beatice overhears the conversation, she decides that she should love Benedick back. This quote sparks a series of comedic scenes. Leonato, Hero, and Claudio completley overdo their explanations of Beatrice's and Benedick's love for each other, yet both Benedick and Beatrice believe the act and decide that they should love the other in return.
Julia McMichael
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“The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it. Wonder not till further warrant. Go but with me tonight, you shall see her chamber window entered, even the night before her wedding day. If you love her then, tomorrow wed her. But it would better fit your honor to change your mind”(3.1.97).
In this scene Don John wants to speak to the Prince and Count Claudio in private about Hero. Don John wants to break the characters Claudio and Hero up, so he tells Claudio that she has been unfaithful to him. Don John says that he has seen men coming into her room at night. Claudio and the Prince very quickly believe Don John’s horrible lie about Hero. This scene is important because this information from Don John’s quote shapes the plot because now Claudio and the Prince want to shame Hero on their wedding day. This scene is what changes many dynamics between the characters further on in the story.
Joey Keating
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MESSENGER
Much deserv'd on his part, and equally rememb'red by Don
Pedro. He hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing
in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion. He hath indeed
better bett'red expectation than you must expect of me to tell
you how. (1.1.12)
Claudio isn’t just praised for being a great soldier, it’s of particular importance that one so young has proven himself on the battlefield. This qualification will be important throughout the play. Though Claudio will have adult feelings, he’s still young. While he has experience in battle, he has no such experience yet with love, which sheds light on his immature behavior towards Hero. I don't believe that he is such a great soldier due to his age. He is so young that he hasn't had time to prove himself. If he doesn't prove himself then he may not have a future. They say that he is like a lamb not a lion. He may not know that others know he isn't some big bad soldier. He needs to prove himself before people start to suspect things about him. This is an important scene because it shows his possible future. Also, they talk about how he was born into some pretty big shoes. People assume that he is a great soldier. This is due to his family.
Ashley Barnett
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"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. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go comfort your cousin. I must say she is dead, and so farewell." (4.2. 145)
In this scene we see that Benedick is really in love with Beatrice. He is willing to go and fight his good friend to please her. This is significant because two main characters set this romance up so even though they didn't really love each other by their own choice but had the idea planted into their heads. This shows the power of suggestion between the characters. I'm interested to see what happens between Benedick, Beatrice, and Claudio. I also think this is interesting if Benedick and Beatrice are in love with each other now or just being in love with each other because it was suggested to them in secret conversations. Also does this quote show that Benedick is favoring Beatrice over Claudio even though he swore he hated her and would never marry.
Mimi Gerhardt, Period 4
ReplyDelete"O Hero, what a Hero hadst thou been
If half thy outward graces had been placed
About thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart!
But fare thee well, most foul, most fair. Farewell,
Thou pure impiety and impious purity.
For thee I'll lock up all the gates of love
And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang,
To turn all beauty into thoughts of harm,
And never shall it be more gracious." (IV.i.105-113)
In this scene where this except is from, Claudio is openly humiliating Hero at their own wedding. Claudio supposedly saw Hero with another man, or so he thought. Not only does he believe she was unfaithful, but also that Hero lost her virginity to someone else before the marriage. This makes her impure and not as innocent as she was thought out to be. Don John's plan has worked, and everything is going wrong for Hero, and most importantly, Leonato. However, the Friar believes in Hero's innocence, and persuades Leonato to announce that she died due to this embarrassment. The Friar's hopes are to make Claudio remember his love for her, despite what he thinks he saw. This is very important to the play's development as it completely ruin's what Claudio thought to be a perfect relationship. Slander is thrown left and right towards Hero and her lack of innocence. John the Bastard's work there is done, and he flees so no blame can be put on him.
Abbey Folsom
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“Leonato: By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it, but that she loves him with an enraged affection, it is past the infinite of thought.” (2.3.107-109)
“Ursula: But are you sure that Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely? Hero: So says the Prince and my new-trothéd lord.” (3.1.38-40)
Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro are setting Benedick up to make him think he is in love with Beatrice. During this they make it seem like Beatrice is madly so madly in love with Benedick that she won’t say anything about it. This is setting up the plot of Benedick and Beatrice finally falling in love with each other and admitting it. Later Hero and her maidservant are talking in the garden and have Beatrice overhear them talking about how Benedick loves her. They both are so against wanting to be married that their friends and family think they are perfect for each other. Both sets of friends just want to see them happy and with that they push them together in the hopes that their scheming will result in something good between them. This relationship that Beatrice and Benedick have is one of “disdain” for each other and they always make fun of the other which is probably why their friends thought it would be a good idea to set them up. These scenes develop another “love story” in the play. To trick both of them to fall in love with each other requires quite a lot of planning just to make sure they don’t find out the real truth which could result in a serious backfire on their friends and families part. So far in the play Beatrice and Benedick has told each other how they think they feel for each other. Beatrice has asked Benedick to prove himself to her by killing his friend, Claudio, for humiliating her cousin. The true test of his love will be if he can actually follow through to prove if he truly does love Beatrice which will be the test to see if their plan worked.
Jace Brandmeier
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Beatrice: He wears his faith but as fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block (1.1.15). I choose this quote simply because it was the first quote I saw when I opened the book. But it is not just any random quote. It happens to have a significant meaning as well. In act 1, Beatrice talks to the Messenger and Leonato. The messenger brings news about the returning soldiers. When Beatrice hears of the returning soldiers, she asks the messenger if he has heard anything about Benedick. He talks about Benedick who has just returned from war and is doing well. Beatrice is very eager to listen and is glad to find out that Benedick is alright. Beatrice and Benedick have been friends for a long time. They constantly fight with each other. But deep down they both like each other. Before Benedick arrives, Beatrice questions, who his new companion is. This is where the quote comes in, when Beatrice says “He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block”. She is stating that he changes friends as often as he changes hat, more often than not.
Sean Rankin
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My quote is from the start of the play in act one scene one. It is a conversation after Claudio and Benedick return from war.
Claudio: That i love her ,I feel. Prince: That she is worthy, I know. Benedick: That I neither feel how she should be loved nor know how she should be worthy is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me. I will die in it at the stake (1.1 p19). Benedick speaking with claudio and prince tells them of his enmity or hate for love. He does not like people based on what they look like but what they know. He prefers someone smart rather than someone with looks. He likes the fact that he can argue with someone like Beatrice which starts on page 13. I chose this quote because we knew at the start of the play that people are going to get married at the end. From this quote we know that Benedick is picky and Beatrice is the perfect fit for him. So we could infer that at the end at least they will marry. Its important to the play because foreshadowing an event that may happen.
Grace Nelson
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“What should I do with him—dress him in my apparel and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.” (II.i.28–32). I really like this quote from Beatrice, mostly because it reminds me of Duck Dynasty because of all the talk of the beards, but that’s just a side note. In this quote, Beatrice confesses that there is no one man that is suitable for her. She shows that she is a women who has standards. I feel like women still make similar statements about men to this very day as Beatrice did. Men who have no facial hair are not manly enough to satisfy her desires, whereas those who don’t have beards are not youthful enough for her. It’s kind of funny that Beatrice joked about dressing up a beardless youth as a women. This is because in Shakespeare’s original plays the beardless youth would dress up as women anyways because there were no women actors allowed to perform on stage (except for in the movie, Shakespeare in Love). I feel like back in Shakespearean times men were either mature or still a youth because Beatrice is making it seem like there is no man right dab in the middle. I’m not sure how significant this quote is to the play, but I was really intrigued by it. We’ll have to see if Beatrice finds her perfect man and whether or not he has a beard.
Madison Ferris
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Don John: "The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it. Wonder not till further warrant. Go but with me tonight, you shall see her chamber window entered, even the night before her wedding day. If you love her then, tomorrow wed her. But it would better fit your honor to change your mind". (Act 3, Scene 2 Page 97).
In this Scene, Don John is trying to separate Claudio& Hero. Claudio is told that Hero has been unfaithful to him. Don John had been telling Claudio that other men had been coming over to Hero's window at her place. Don John is just trying to stir up trouble, so that Claudio& Hero wouldn't last. And Claudio believes it right away. This quote is extremely important to the development of the play. It's important, because it is one of the key plots in Much Ado About Nothing. It sets a lot of the story up.
Spencer Read
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"Much deserved on his part, and equally remembered by Don Pedro. He hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion. He hath indeed better bettered expectation than you must expect of me to tell you how."(1.1.7).
In this scene, a messenger is speaking with Leonato. Leonato is the governor of Messina, and the messenger is from the army of Don Pedro. He is telling Leonato the significance of a young soldier named Claudio. He is mainly doing this through symbolism. For example, he says that he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age. The promise of his age is referring to the expectations that would be placed upon Claudio's age group, and to say that he has borne himself beyond this is saying that he acts beyond his age. He does things that not a young man would do, but a grown man. He does extrodrinary things. This is also implied by the saying that he does in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion. That is also to say, that he is only a young man, like a small gentle lamb, but his actions are that of a powerful beast, a lion. This is implying that Claudio is a hero. Though his actions are not specifically stated, it is clearly implied. It is because of this speaking of Claudio that i found this scene interesting. When one thinks about it, this scene does a lot for the story. It tells us about the Army of Don Pedro, it helps us meet Leonato and the messenger, and it gives us some base to the story line. Though, as it does all of this, it introduces who is to be a very significant character in the story. It introduces a hero, and now we have been given a name to remember and know, just in the first page of the story.
Austin Stenberg
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Borachio: "Go then, find me a meet hour to draw Don Pedro and the Count Claudio alone. Tell then that you know that Hero loves me, intend a kind of zeal both to the Prince and Claudio, as in love of your brothers honor, who hath made this match, and his friends reputation, who is thus like to be cozened with the semblance of a maid, that you have discovered thus. They will scarcely believe this without trial. Offer them instances, which shall bear no lesslikelihood than to see me at her chamber window, hear me call Margaret "Hero," hear Margaret term me "Claudio," and bring them to see this the very night before the intended wedding, for in the meantime I will so fashion the matter that Hero shall be absent, and there shall appear such seeming truth of Hero's disloyalty that jealously shall be called assurance and all preparation overthrown." (2,2,p.61) This is going over their plan to destroy Hero's wedding and trying to get Hero to become Borachio's lover. This whole scheme has been planned out by Don John trying to get back at Margaret.
Mark Gibbons
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This week I'm going to write about the play. This was my first play I went too so I was nervous if I was going to like it or not. However, I thought the play was really funny. I was surprised because I thought the play was just going to be people singing. The best parts of the play was when they incorporated modern events into it. That surprised me because the play is old so I didn't think they where going to do anything new. I liked how they talked about the government shutdown in a joking way. Turning off the lights was genius. Based off of this first play and how much I enjoyed it, I think that I am going to like the other plays. I'm excited to see what the other plays bring.
Byron Murray
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Claudio: "if I see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her”. This quote is important to the story because it is after Don John has tricked Claudio into believing that Hero has been unfaithful to him. Don John tricked Claudio into believing that Hero was unfaithful to him by showing Claudio. In this quote Claudio is basically saying that at the wedding he is going to denounce her in front of everyone present at the wedding for her unfaithfulness and spoil the entire event. However Claudio does not know that the event that he witnessed was actually faked and was not real so he would be ruining the marriage he so desperately wanted. Another reason why it was important was because it shows that Don John’s plan of ruining the marriage between Claudio and Hero is starting to happen because he wanted revenge against Don Pedro. Don John wants revenge against Don Pedro because in the war that just ended Don John was on the losing side. Don Pedro was also the hero of the war, which made Don John very bitter and wants to seek revenge against him in some way. Don John decided to reap this revenge by planning to ruin Claudio and Hero’s marriage. Also Claudio is Don Pedro’s right hand man and closest friend and is doing Claudio a favor by deciding to help him woo Hero by doing it for him. So by Don John messing with the marriage and convincing Claudio that Hero was unfaithful to him he is ruining everything that Don Pedro has done to help Claudio. So essentially Don John is killing two birds with one stone and getting vengeance on two people he dislikes the most. This scene also is the beginning of the climax of the play so it is priming the audience for the big events yet to come in the play which is very important.
Campbell Gunnell
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i would like to start off by saying the third bullet point is deceptive, you put it there like it is a question that we can respond to but than you read it and you realize it's not. and sense you did that i think i should right an entire post about being "creative, thoughtful, entertaining, and brilliant". so i shall some how tie "much ado about nothing" in to this blog at some point. i will start with being "creative", the war between Don Pedro and Don John was a bloody affair after ell. it began with a woman, she was very attractive and both man had a thing for her but she wouldn't choose a bastard even though he was a much cooler guy, so Don John raised an army of bastards to fight an army of legitimate sons. i think i will skip "thoughtful" not sure how i would tie that in so i will continue on to "entertaining". the battle was fought long and hard for 13 days and 13 nights until it was obvious that neither side would win, so Pedro challenged john to single combat to decide the outcome of the war. the fight was long and hard and after both had cut each other to ribbons Don Pedro submitted. Proving that legitimate sons were the dominate sons. i think the story as a whole was pretty "brilliant" so that was taken care of. so for future blogs please do not include a bullet point before messages, it confuses me and makes me do stuff like this.
Maiah Swigert
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"The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it."
Act 3 Scene 2- Don Jon is trying to persuade Claudio that Hero is a terrible person so that he wouldno longer marry her. Don Jon was tellind Claudio that Hero was seeing other men in the night to make him think that she really doesn't love him. And that their marriage wouldn't last long. And of course Claudio believes it. This quote plays a big role in Much Ado About Nothing because it is a hug piece of the plot that sets up for the rest of the story.
Jordan bister period 4
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed 'a servant of two masters' the actors and actresses made great choices as far as how to get the characters across as they intended. Another part that I enjoyed was that the director put in some more recent and modern jokes instead of keeping the older ones. It mad the play more gripping to the audience. However during the play something that bothered me was that fro. Where I was sitting I could see off stage a little bit and I saw the actors break character a lot. Being an actress I can say that the number one rule in theatre is that you keep in character until you are absolutey positive that they cannot see you.
Bryia Madison
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"The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it. Wonder not till further warrant. Go but with me tonight, you shall see her chamber window entered, even the night before her wedding day. If you love her then, tomorrow wed her. But it would better fit your honor to change your mind" --Don Jon
This quote is important to the play because it adds one of the major twists to the plot. Don Jon is upset with Don Pedro and Count Claudio over being defeated in the war and is trying to get revenge. Count Claudio being Don Pedro's right hand man, is just the person to mess with to ensure a snowball effect. By catching Hero being 'unfaithful', it will undoubtedly ensue rage in Claudio and therefor upset Don Pedro. Don Jon speaks of Claudio's honor in the quote, something very important to men of this era, and he exclaims that marrying the girl that Claudio loves would be dishonorable. The whole quote is full of manipulating phrases to get Claudio to believe the nonsense that Don Jon spews. All in all, it is important because it plants the seed of Hero's unfaithfulness and attempts to thwart the. marriage
Joshua Scheck
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“Come, come, let us thither. This may prove food to my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow. If I can cross him anyway, I bless myself every way. You are both sure, and will assist me?” (1.3.63-67). In this quote, Don John was talking to his closest followers about trying to get in the way of Claudio’s marriage. The reasoning behind this was because Don John was recently defeated by Don Pedro in a war and he wanted to get revenge on him. This whole scene is basically about Don John telling his followers his plan on how to stop the wedding and he also asks for the commitment of the two followers. This quote is monumental to the whole play because it’s the exact turning point in the story. Meaning that this is the point of the play where the conflict is being introduced. This very complex act of revenge really sets up the story for a really confusing turn of events. It basically allows the play to take the sharp plot twist. I feel as if this integral part of the play is very significant because this whole predicament confuses both parties. And by that they undergo various complications in order to reach the same goal. And these series of complications make the story unique, at least in my opinion. Without an introduction of conflict, a story isn’t very interesting. So of course the play must introduce conflict in order to be unique and interesting.
Sophea Thach
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"She knows the heat of a luxurious bed. Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty." Act 4. sc. 1 41-42.
In this quote Claudio is talking about how Hero is guilty of cheating on him. Because Don John set up a time at night for Claudio to go to so it seems like a guy is sneaking into hero's room but it's not her. Borachio and Conrade are arrested because they were there. Dogberry and Verges, who were set to night watch told men to watch for activity around Leonato's house tried to tell Leonato about the arrest. But Leonato doesn't listen. So then at the wedding, Claudio says that Hero is a cheater and Don Pedro plus Don John support him. Hero then faints and people think that she died. But the Friar believes that Hero is innocent. And so he says that in the news, it should say Hero is dead. And when Claudio sees it, his love for her will come back. With this scene, it led up to how there's a plan for Hero to be innocent again in this case. It will also lead up to Claudio feeling his love for her. And then lastly, it will most likely figure out how Hero was set up to look like she cheated on Claudio.
Riley Schroeder
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One of the vital scenes in Much Ado About Nothing is when Benedick comes and he is clean shaven and well groomed and Claudio, Don John, and Don Pedro have an important conversation.When this happens the other guys make fun of him for it. Benedick was against the idea of marriage in the start of the story, but now he is changing and falling in love, and it shows in the way he has begun presenting himself. He shows up to the other guys and is made fun of, but he doesn't care because of his feelings and i found this particular scene to stand out in it's humor becuase it is so easy to picture. It's one thing when a guy has changed a minor detail, but Benedick has made a total overhaul in his appearance and view on women, and the perfume he wears seemed particularly funny to me. Also in this scene when Don John is alone with Don Pedro and Claudio he gets the chance to talk to them about an important matter. Here Don John tells the two how Hero is unfaithful, and their plans move forward. The plan to have prince see a man walk into Hero's bedroom is being introduced to them during this conversation and is coming together. I just found this scene to stand out because of it's humor and it pushed the story forward.
John Ross
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O Hero! What a Hero hadst thou been if half thy outward graces had been placed
about thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart! But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell thou pure impiety and impious purity. For thee I’ll lock up all the gates of love,and on my eyelids shall conjecture hang to turn all beauty into thoughts of harm, and never shall it more be gracious.
Claudio has just acknowledged Hero at their wedding ceremony, throwing her back to Leonato, her father. He believes that she has not only been unfaithful to him but has lost her virginity, and therefore her purity and innocence, to someone else before her marriage. Claudio’s belief is the result of Don John’s evil plot to deceive him and make him lose Don Pedro’s goodwill. For instance, “Hero” appears twice in the first line, changing meaning the second time. The first time, Claudio addresses his former beloved directly. The second time, Claudio compares “Hero” to an ideal conqueror of his heart, as classical heroes conquered and won great battles. Yet Hero has lost her heroic qualities. “Fare thee well most foul, most fair, farewell” plays with repetition and opposites: the sound of the word “fair” is repeated three times in the space of one line, underscoring Claudio’s despair at discovering that Hero’s outward beauty or fairness conceals a “foul” spirit, as he thinks.
Katie Daniels
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The production of A Servant of Two Masters helped me understand the play after reading it in class, however it was much different than I had expected. I did not expect so many crude gestures and comments, but I guess that was to appeal to the different audience members. Some moments I felt they went a little overboard, like when Pantalone was pretty much humping the pole. In my opinion the two funniest actors were the ones playing Silvio and Florindo. Silvio totally reminded me of the kid from the movie Up, which I thought was pretty funny. Florindo was funny because he was just very over the top and fun the whole way through. I also thought that Truffaldino did a fantastic job playing the servant of two masters. I felt like he was doing the most improve out of anybody. Although I think he did a lot of improve, I also think he handled his other lines very well because we all know he had a lot of lines to memorize. I believe the most annoying character of the play was Clarice because she was making a weird anime face the whole time. Also, she hardly had any lines, she just made a whole lot of weird noises. That may be true to an original comedia del arte performer though, I’m not quite sure. I also wasn’t expecting as many cool stage effects, the stars for example, I thought that was quite cool. I did like how the performance was true to a comedia del arte, however I wished that some of the jokes would’ve been related more to the events that occurred during the time the play was written but a lot of the current humor was funny. Im looking forward to the future gatherings.
Evyn Anderson
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"Confirmed, confirmed! O, that is stronger made / Which was before barred up with ribs of iron! Would the two princes lie and Claudio lie, who loved her so that, speaking of her foulness, Washed it with tears? Hence from her. Let her die!" (IV.i.159-163)
In this line/part of the scene Leonato is publicly accusing Hero of adultery. They are at the wedding ceremony, and Hero has fainted after Claudio speaks of her unfaithfulness. This scene is crucial to the story because it is an important moment between Hero and Claudio who are supposed to be in love.
"They say the lady is fair. ‘Tis a truth, I can bear them witness. And virtuous—’tis so, I cannot reprove it. And wise, but for loving me. By my troth, it is no addition to her wit—nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her." Benedick overhears Claudio, leonato and don Pedro talking about the made up love for him. Benedick later says that he will fall horribly in love with her. Hes constantly going through the pros and cons of loving her." The only way to lover her is to surpass her, even in love.
ReplyDeleteClaire Kennedy
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"The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it."
In act 3 scene 2, Don Jon Says this after Claudio is told about Hero's unfaithfulness. The Prince is trying to convince Claudio that Hero is not a good person. Him and Don Jon wanted to cause trouble after they had decided to get married. This explains one of the most important plot lines. Claudio and Hero's love is one of the most prominent parts of the play. The marriage is planned and The Prince and Don Jon try to convince Claudio that Hero is a terrible person.
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ReplyDeleteTaggert Rose
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For this weeks blog i chose to talk about various decisions made by the actor's and director during the performance. My favorite aspect of the play was the comedy. I found myself frequently laughing and thought it was interesting how they tied in modern culture like Macklemore into the jokes. I'm glad the director chose to use adult humor otherwise i would have felt as if i were at a kids play. One thing i didn't like about the play was that the characters were very silly and animated. Sure it was funny at first but it grew to be annoying and made me hate all the characters. One last thing i thought worked out quite well in the play was the characters. My favorite character was the chubby asian prince and related him to someone i know in real life which made it that much more funny. In my opinion they couldn't have picked better actors for the roles.
Desirae Lopes
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The servent of two masters was a comedia del arte play. I enjoyed laughing at all the pop culture jokes as well as the classical ones. The directors choices brought the play to life in a way that reading it alone could not do. I esspecially enjoyed the dinner scene where the chef and Truffeldeno were setting the table.The aspects I didn't like about the play were when they over dramaticly played people falling down or doing anything else over the top. I found that the more exagerated scenes bored me rather then making be laugh. After discussing this with my peers, I realized I was not the only one. Maybe it's just our generation or what pop culture has taught us, but we seen to gravitate toward sutble humor rather than obvious humor. Also, I thought the play was long. It seemed that if it ended at intermission, that would be ok. Overall I did enjoy this play but I found it was not my favorite or of my taste.
Amin A.
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So I didn’t do my blog about the play that we went to last week that is why I’m writing it today.
This was the first play that I went to, and I really enjoyed it. I think the director really did a good job because the play was funny. One of the things that I noticed in the play was when Truffeldeno turned off the light, and started to talk about the government shutdown. It was off topic but it was just the right fit, because they changed the stage and it was surprising how it looked when the lights were back on. Which character did I like? Truffeldeno. He was very funny, everything that he did seemed to be better than the book because I got more idea of the characters. Serving dinner to the two masters at once was pretty confusing. I think that showed how difficult it’s to serve two masters at once. I guess all he really cared about was double pay from his masters. Whenever the characters showed up on stage, they had dramatic entrances, such as when Beatrice kept stomping her feet. I think that gained the audiences’ attention. I like how the two masters were trying to kill themselves in one room and all of a sudden they noticed each other’s presence and it ended when they all got married.
Arezu Abdollmohammadi, Period 4
ReplyDelete"If i see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her." (3.3.116)
Don Jon is discussing with Claudio that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio. What Claudio does not realize that this was a step up and that Hero has not actually been unfaithful to Claudio. But Claudio ends up falling for it which leads to the climax of the story. Claudio plans on shaming her at the wedding tomorrow because of what he has heard she has done.