Abstract
This paper examines William Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing" and in particular, analyzes Shakespeare's portrayal of the theme of love. It covers ideas about heroism and heroines, the shrew and the beautiful Venetian lady and ideals of real and superficial love in reference to the characters, particularly, Claudio, Hero, Benedick and Beatrice. Tools such as foreshadowing, exposition and mirroring are also discussed.

From the Paper
"While Shakespeare is disagreeing with the social ideals of his time in terms of courtship and romance, he is promoting the concept of real love. Shakespeare shows the audience the "true love" of Benedick and Beatrice in a positive light, highly trusting of one another, and loyal to the end "Enough, I am engaged; I will challenge him". Though their relationship started on bad terms, perhaps with a previous courtship that failed "he lent it (his heart) me a while, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice", with the couple snarling and sneering at one another. Scratching could not make it worse an "twere such a face as yours were", and brought together by comic deception "to bring Signor Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into a mountain of affection the one with the other", they end up with a love that far exceeds that of Hero and Claudio's."

Tags:claudi, hero, benedick, beatrice

Abstract
This paper discusses how William Shakespeare's "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" is the timeless revenge tragedy of young Hamlet trying to avenge his murdered father. It looks at how many other subplots or hinted subplots are mentioned throughout the text and how one of these involves Gertrude, the mother of Hamlet, and her role in the elder Hamlet's death. It examines how some say that Gertrude's only faults in the play are marrying too quickly and too incestuously, while others argue that she had some or all of the knowledge of her husband's death. It attempts to show how, throughout the play, Gertrude seems very suspicious and how she does, indeed, have some knowledge of her late husband's murder.

From the Paper
"From the beginning of the play, the reader becomes aware that something is not right with Gertrude's emotions. Clearly, she seemed to have loved the elder Hamlet before his death. Shakespeare even describes young Hamlet saying that Gertrude "would hang on [elder Hamlet] as if increase of appetite had grown by what it fed on" (1.2.144-146). In this passage, Gertrude seems as if she could not live without the man. Yet she marries her brother-in-law Claudius within a month of elder Hamlet's death. The question of her love for her dead husband has to be brought up when she marries his own brother! Also within months of elder Hamlet's death, she remarks about the death coldly, "all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity"(1.2.72-73)."

Tags:betrayal, claudis, ghost, king, murder