Claudio & Benedick

Claudio and Benedick

These lines emphasises the importance of noting and also the subtle difference between simply looking (a quick glance) and paying close attention to detail (noting).

Key lines

CLAUDIO: Benedick, didst thou note the the daughter of Signor Leonato?
BENEDICK: I noted her not, but I looked on her.

Claudio

Claudio is a young soldier who, despite his prowess on the battlefield, is inexperienced in other affairs of the society in which he lives, including love and courtship.
He is keen to seek the approval and advice of his elder friends and colleagues.

The inferior sex

Significantly, he does not refer to Hero by her own name, rather she is “the daughter of Signor Leonato”.
The possessive language “of” represents how in Shakespearean times, women were seen as the inferior sex.

Patrilineal succession

Queen Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII was so desperate for a male heir that he broke away from the Roman Catholic Church to enable him to divorce his first wife (Catherine of Aragon) and marry Anne Boleyn.
It was only very recently (in 2011) that the laws of succession to the British monarchy were changed to grant royal daughters the same equal rights as sons.

Noting

Benedick’s response continues the motif of noting that is so important to the play and also highlights the subtle difference between simply looking (a quick glance) and paying close attention to detail (noting).

Act 4, Scene 1

Structurally, this foreshadows the Friar’s assertion of Hero’s innocence in Act 4, Scene 1:
“By noting of the lady. I have mark'd
A thousand blushing apparitions
To start into her face, a thousand innocent shames
In angel whiteness beat away those blushes”

1Key Terminology

1.1Key Terminology

1.1.1Key Terminology

1.1.2End of Topic Test - Key Terminology

2Structure & Form

2.1Structure

2.1.1Structure

2.1.2Acts 1 - 3

2.1.3Acts 4 - 5

2.2Form

2.2.1Tragicomedy

2.2.2End of Topic Test - Structure & Form

3Act 1: Plot Summary

3.1Act 1, Scene 1

3.1.1Summary

3.1.2Key Lines

3.1.3Key Lines 2

3.1.4End of Topic Test - Act 1, Scene 1

3.2Act 1, Scene 2

3.2.1Summary

3.2.2Key Lines

3.3Act 1, Scene 3

3.3.1Summary

3.3.2Key Lines

3.3.3End of Topic Test - Act 1, Scenes 2-3

4Act 2: Plot Summary

4.1Act 2, Scene 1

4.1.1Summary

4.1.2Key Lines

4.1.3Key Lines 2

4.1.4Key Lines 3

4.1.5End of Topic Test - Act 2, Scene 1

4.2Act 2, Scene 2

4.2.1Summary

4.3Act 2, Scene 3

4.3.1Summary

4.3.2Key Lines

4.3.3Key Lines 2

4.3.4End of Topic Test - Act 2, Scenes 2-3

5Act 3: Plot Summary

5.1Act 3, Scene 1

5.1.1Summary

5.1.2Key Lines

5.2Act 3, Scene 2

5.2.1Summary

5.2.2Key Lines

5.3Act 3, Scene 3

5.3.1Summary

5.4Act 3, Scene 4

5.4.1Summary

5.5Act 3, Scene 5

5.5.1Summary

5.5.2End of Topic Test - Act 3

6Act 4: Plot Summary

6.1Act 4, Scene 1 (Part 1)

6.1.1Summary

6.1.2Key Lines

6.1.3Key Lines 2

6.2Act 4, Scene 1 (Part 2)

6.2.1Summary

6.2.2Key Lines

6.2.3Key Lines 2

6.3Act 4, Scene 2

6.3.1Summary

6.3.2End of Topic Test - Act 4

7Act 5: Plot Summary

7.1Act 5, Scene 1

7.1.1Summary

7.2Act 5, Scene 2

7.2.1Summary

7.2.2Key Lines

7.3Act 5, Scene 3

7.3.1Summary

7.4Act 5, Scene 4

7.4.1Summary

7.4.2End of Topic Test - Act 5

8Key Themes

8.1Key Themes

8.1.1Love & Marriage

8.1.2Deception, Appearances & Noting

8.1.3Gender

8.1.4Reputation

8.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Themes

9Recap: Main Quotes

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