Name ______Period ______Date ______

PowerPoint Notes: Shakespeare’s Comedies

1.  Definition of Comedy ______

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2.  Comic Characters ______

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3.  Comic Plots ______

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4.  Classic Roots ______

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5.  Types of Comedy______

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6.  Comic Endings ______

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Shakespeare’s Comedies

Merchant of Venice / A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Taming of the Shrew / The Tempest
As You Like It / The Comedy of Errors / Twelfth Night / Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Kenneth Branagh

The hot Italian sun beats down on a beautiful villa set in the idyllic Tuscan countryside. Leonato, governor of Messina, and the women of his household sprawl on the hillside relishing the summer heat. Suddenly, Don Pedro, Prince of Arragon, and his victorious army are seen approaching in the distance, returning from the wars. As the horses gallop towards the country estate, the women rush back to the house, and pandemonium reigns as they excitedly get themselves ready to meet the returning heroes. The men are warmly welcomed as they emerge through the archways of the villa, and seductive glances are exchanged. The wars are over. All can now devote themselves to a period of rest, revelry and match-making.

Don Pedro’s two close companions are the two lords Claudio and Benedict. Both men find themselves drawn into romance during their stay in Leonato’s household. Benedict is a proud and confirmed bachelor, famously engaged in a constant war of wits with Leonato’s niece, the strong-willed Beatrice. But their spirited parrying of words and vigorous skirmishes of wit hide a deeper attraction. Leonato’s daughter, the lovely and innocent Hero, is wooed by the young lord Claudio, only to experience despair when Claudio is deceived into thinking she has betrayed him on the very eve of their wedding.

At the heart of the mayhem is the evil Don John, Don Pedro’s bastard brother, who creates the intrigue because of his jealously of Don Pedro. The villainous plot is eventually uncovered by a chance meeting between one of Don John’s drunken conspirators and the local watch, a comic collection of miscreants led by the inept and exceptionally inarticulate constable Dogberry.

Meanwhile, we watch the amusing progress of the unlikely romance between Beatrice and Benedict, created by the affectionate manipulation of their friends.

Who’s Who – take notes on each characters looks, actions and words.

Leonato – Governor
Richard Briers
Don Pedro – Prince
Denzel Washington
Don John – Brother
Keanu Reeves
Borachio & Conrade
Followers of John
Claudio – Young Lord
Robert Sean Leonard
Hero –Leonato’s Daughter
Kate Beckinsale
Beatrice – Niece of Leonato
Emma Thompson
Benedict – Young Lord
Kenneth Branagh
Dogberry – constable
Michael Keaton
Antonio – Father to Beatrice
Brian Blessed
Margaret – servant
Imelda Staunton

Answer these questions as you view the movie.

ACT I

1.  Why is it significant that Don Pedro and his men are returning from the wars?

2.  Why does Beatrice ask about Benedick? What is the "real" reason?

3.  Beatrice and Benedick say that lovers are fools, and they want nothing to do with love. Why do you think they say this?

4.  How does Benedick react to Claudio's declaration that Hero is "the sweetest lady that ever I looked on"?

5.  Why does Claudio send Don Pedro as his emissary to Hero to declare his love?

6.  Why does Don John want to cause trouble? Why is he so morose?

ACT II

1.  What are Beatrice's reasons for not wanting to have anything to do with men?

2.  What are Leonato's instruction to his daughter, Hero, and what do these show about traditional attitudes?

3.  According to the stage directions for the dance, Don John is not masked during the revels? Why?

4.  Do you think Beatrice and Benedick know each other when they speak behind their masks? Why? Why not?

5.  Why does Don John pretend that he does not recognize Claudio?

6.  How does Benedick feel about his conversation with Beatrice?

7.  What does Beatrice mean when she says, "once before he [Benedick] won it [my heart] of me with false dice"?

8.  Why is Claudio unable to speak when Don Pedro tells him that the Lady Hero is his?

9.  Why does Don Pedro's plan work so well?

10.  How does Benedick rationalize himself into loving Beatrice?

ACT III

1.  Why do the women praise Benedick so highly when they describe how he loves Beatrice?

2.  Why does Hero say that she will not tell Beatrice about Benedick's love?

3.  How fair are the women in their description of Beatrice's behavior? Is she too hard on men? (Think back to her description of Don John.) Why are they devoting so much time to her reputation for "disdain"?

4.  What is Beatrice's reaction to the women's speech?

5.  Why do the men make fun of Benedick?

6.  How does Don John plan to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro?

7.  Why does the Watch arrest Borachio and Conrade?

ACT IV

1.  How does Claudio judge Hero's behavior when he accuses her?

2.  How do the rest of the company react? How can you explain in relationship to their other behavior in the play Leonato's denunciation, Benedick's confusion, and Beatrice's conviction that Hero has been slandered?

3.  How does the Friar propose to judge the situation?

4.  What does the Friar hope will happen as a result of his plan to have it published that Hero is dead? What kind of change does he think will come about in Claudio?

5.  What happens between Benedick and Beatrice?

6.  Why does Beatrice want to kill Claudio?

7.  How does the confusion in the speech of Dogberry fit the theme of appearance versus reality?

ACT V

1.  What does Antonio say that gets Leonato to think again about his passionate denunciation of Hero?

2.  Does Leonato think Hero is guilty of being unvirtuous? Why? Why not?

3.  Do you think Claudio makes a move to draw his sword against Leonato? Why or why not?

4.  What is the purpose of this scene in which Leonato and his brother Antonio challenge Claudio for slandering Hero?

5.  What is Claudio's attitude? What does this show about his character? Does it fit with your sense of his character?

6.  How does Don Pedro act when Benedick meets them? What is your reaction to the exchange of the three men? Why do

7.  you think they are acting as they do?

8.  To what extent is the punishment Leonato places on Claudio fitting? Why does he want Claudio to believe that he has killed Hero?

9.  Why do Beatrice and Benedick talk about loving each other only according to "reason"? How do they really feel about each other?

Assignment – Movie Promotion Poster

Choose one of the other Shakespeare comedies and design a movie promotion poster. Your poster should:

·  1. Attention – jump out from the wall.

If there’s one simple sales formula that everyone in a performance-based position should know, it’s AIDA. The four-step formula – attention, interest, desire, and action – has been used as the basis of thousands of successful movie advertising campaigns. The first step, and the one most important for designers, is attention – grabbing the attention of passers-by and encouraging them to look. This doesn’t have to be achieved with provocative pictures or flashy graphics, although given their advantage at grabbing attention, it’s no wonder Hollywood’s turned to them en masse. By using the film’s characters or a major plot point, designers can establish some level of plot while still gaining the attention of anyone that views the poster. Check out The Hangover posters above for a classic example. None are particularly beautiful, nor are they real iconic designs, but they’re very effective at getting people to look. The flashy gradient background, head-and-shoulders character pictures (which can improve response rate,) and bright lighting make it difficult not to stare at one of these posters.

2. Iconography – showing without telling.

The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the film without resorting to flat out saying what it’s about. They use imagery, whether a close-up of a character or item that’s a major plot point, or a simple graphic, to establish the film’s plot. Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create interest at once. The Jennifer’s Body poster is a classic example of this, albeit one that borrows quite heavily from True Blood. It uses tactics honed in on by advertisers over the decades – sex appeal, contrast, and spacing – to grab your attention. At the same time, it also gives a glimpse into what the film is about. This allows it to market to casual observers and horror fans at once, all through imagery.

3. Interest – create an incentive to see the film.

When using icons and more abstract imagery doesn’t work with your film – say, for example, it’s a serious drama or a thriller that can’t be explained with iconography – using an image that provides viewers with an idea of the story is a great idea. Many of the best modern film posters use pictures that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, creating tension and a major incentive. The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation, the person looking at the poster needs to see the film and find out what happens. The Inception poster uses this strategy – it puts viewers in the middle of a scene from the film that can only be explained by seeing what occurs before and after it. As a result, the curiosity created by the poster translates into on-the-spot ticket sales. This type of design strategy tends to work best with films that cover unrealistic, fantasy-type events, particularly those that deal with the supernatural or psychological. Since it’s hard to offer insight for this type of story using icons and simple colors, a still from the film can work wonders.

4. Appeal – create desire with fans and non-fans alike.

With film studios cranking out comic book adaptations at a rapid pace, it’s the ‘true fans’ that end up last in the marketing line. Studios can rely on them to see their new releases regardless of its review coverage or promotional materials, since chances are fairly strong they’re already aware of it. Great film posters, particularly those for adaptations, use this dual appeal to enhance their advertising. Look at the Inglourious Basterds poster. It’s made by one of the world’s most celebrated and well-known film directors, yet it barely states his involvement on its promotional poster. The reason is that Quentin Tarantino fans are probably already aware of the film itself – it’d spend several years in production before finally being released – while newer fans are less interested in its history.

Compare this type of promotional poster to the marketing materials used for films that draw appeal from the involvement of a certain actor. Since fans’ ties with actors are generally weaker than those with directors or producers, their names usually appear in large print to grab attention. The stronger the audience’s bond, the less important it becomes to highlight features that appeal to current fans.

5. Style – a look that’s consistent with the film.

Whether you’re marketing an art film or a blockbuster, style matters. Some of the most memorable film posters out there have used bold, unique artistic styles to their advantage.

What separates these posters from their ineffective art-for-art’s-sake rivals is that they’re consistent with style, in both the movie’s promotional materials and throughout the film itself. The poster for Watchmen is a classic example of this technique succeeding. Since it uses an instantly recognizable comic book style, it grabs the attention of fans of the book.

It’s accurate too, using the same type of stylized imagery as the film itself. This consistency means that it isn’t just a great theater-based marketing tool, but a recognizable image for DVD and other releases.

6. Lasting Appeal – a look that suits other formats.

Here’s the danger in getting too ‘arty’ and delicate with your film poster: it’s eventually, after release and theater shows, going to be shrunk to a fraction of its original size for the DVD release. While a growing number of films now use different designs for their DVD cover than their in-theater promo posters, most of the classics and high-budget blockbusters still use the same poster for both.

This means that your imagery, your titles, and your major points of interest need to be just as visible on a small DVD case as they are on a giant movie poster. The Jurassic Park poster above really gets this feature, using imagery that’s just as visible and clear when it’s small as when its gargantuan. For your poster to work for the long-term, it needs to have scalable, clear, and lasting design appeal.

7. Recognizability – if it’s a sequel, make it obvious.

From time to time, the entire box office seems to be made up of sequels.

There’s a good reason for it too – some of the most financially dependable films are sequels to successful franchises. From films that dominated both the commercial world and the awards scene to purely commercial releases, few films can guarantee studios income like a good sequel. That’s why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas and instantly recognizable imagery throughout it.

The Godfather and the two sequels in the franchise are a great example – all three use the same style and design, using the critical and commercial success of the previous films in the franchise to draw in would-be viewers.

From webdesignerdepot.com 11/1/11