#much ado about nothing day

[bethanydelleman]

Both Pride & Prejudice and Much Ado About Nothing work so well as enemies to lovers because despite surface animosity, it's clear that both end couples really respect each other and for good reasons. I think you could even argue that with Beatrice, she spars with Benedick because she considers him a worthy opponent.

When Hero and Ursuala plot to make Beatrice fall in love, Hero instructs her to speak of Benedick and "praise him more than ever man did merit" and yet when Beatrice finally speaks, she doesn't disagree with their high praise, she says of Benedick:

For others say thou dost deserve, and I Believe it better than reportingly.

Benedick likewise after his eavesdropping on Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio's praise Beatrice says:

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.

Similarly in Pride & Prejudice, once the misunderstanding about Wickham is cleared away, Elizabeth is able to acknowledge to herself how much she respects and likes Darcy:

She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to the advantage of both: by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been softened, his manners improved; and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance.

Darcy also finds that he admires Elizabeth, after initially dismissing her:

But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.

All of these characters also hear and accept criticism of themselves. Both Benedick and Beatrice hear they are too proud to accept love, which they both overcome. Elizabeth learns that she judged Darcy without sufficient information and Darcy that his behaviour was not that of a gentleman. Their mutual acceptance of this criticism and their growth as people leads to their ultimate happiness.

Unfortunately, those who reproduce this trope often forget to build this foundation of respect and the acknowledgement, either personally or publically, that the characters have been wrong. Instead we get characters who mid argument begin ripping each other's clothes off. No growth, no understanding how they have been wrong, it just becomes "thin line between hatred and love" instead of "we grew towards each other".

[lisa-cuddys]

"I do suffer love indeed, for I love you against my will"

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

Tier list of David Tennant characters ranked by how much I want them carnally . Will not be accepting constructive criticism.

[david-tennant-in-chairs]

Permission to board, Captain?

[bethanydelleman]

Accurate.

actual footage of much ado about nothing, act 4 scene 1

[lovelyinspiration1463]

I'm somewhere between "How long do you have?" and "I don't know! Please, send help."

[thecandlewasters]

A cheeky lil celebration of 10 Years of NMTD

Nostalgic for early tumblr? Craving that Dracula Daily mineral? Perhaps obsessed with a certain enemies-to-lovers Shakespeare play?

Look no further, NMTD(Taylor's Version) is here!

Set in a New Zealand High School, told by teenage vloggers at the height of superwholock. It’s Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing for the nostalgic and curious.

Thee 2014 transmedia experience; with videos, tweets, insta and tumblr posts direct from the characters to your email inbox.

Emails arriving from 24 March - 5 November 2024.

https://thecandlewasters.substack.com/

[bethanydelleman]

This is amazing analysis!

I've been thinking of the idea that Jane Austen might have been partly inspired to create Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice by Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing.

@anghraine has posted repeatedly about how P&P can almost be read as a then-modernized retelling of Much Ado, like Clueless is to Emma. Not only because of the Beatrice and Benedick/Elizabeth and Darcy parallels, but other details and character parallels too.

If Austen really was inspired by Shakespeare in this case, then I think she deserves praise for one thing that isn't often mentioned: that in writing her Beatrice and Benedick-like couple, she also wrote counterparts of Hero and Claudio, but she handled them in a way that's much less... divisive (to put it nicely) than the always-difficult Hero/Claudio storyline. Namely by dividing Hero and Claudio's role in the plot between two couples: Jane/Bingley and Lydia/Wickham.

The parallel between Jane and Hero is more obvious, since Jane is Elizabeth's sweet, innocent, most beloved family member just like Hero is to Beatrice, and since like Hero, she temporarily loses the man she loves because he's led to misunderstand her, which makes Elizabeth, like Beatrice, beside herself with rage. (If she could, Elizabeth probably would eat Darcy's heart in the marketplace after she learns he convinced Bingley to leave.) But instead of being melodramatically tricked into thinking Jane is sleeping with another man, Bingley is only led to think she likes him as a casual acquaintance but no more, and instead of taking her to the altar only to publicly shame and reject her (which would be a ridiculous thing to do for the mere "crime" of not feeling romantic love), he just quietly leaves the neighborhood without proposing or confessing his love to her, and without realizing the pain it causes her. This makes it much easier to root for Bingley to reunite with Jane and finally marry her than it is to feel the same way about Claudio.

But of course Hero's public shaming does more than break her heart: it also threatens to ruin her reputation forever, and her family's too. Austen also places her heroine's family in this type of danger, and just like Shakespeare did with Benedick, she has Darcy's efforts to set things right be the final stroke that brings the two formerly-battling love interests together as a couple. But thankfully, instead of tainting Jane and Bingley's sweet little romance by having them be the source of the near-disgrace, she has Lydia run off with Wickham. Effectively, her solution is "What if Beatrice and Hero had another young female relative, and instead of tricking Claudio, Don John straight-up seduced the third girl and that was the cause of the family's shame?" And instead of challenging Wickham to a duel, a la Benedick with Claudio, Darcy simply pays him off to marry Lydia: a choice that's telling about the difference in time, place, and genre between Austen's realistic, satirical portrayal of Georgian England and Shakespeare's portrayal of Renaissance Italy. (Austen furthers this point when Mrs. Bennet convinces herself that Mr. Bennet will duel with Wickham over Lydia's honor and panics at the thought, only to seem disappointed when he doesn't.)

I don't know if Austen consciously drew inspiration from Much Ado when she wrote Pride and Prejudice or not, but if she did, she made some clever character changes that suit the differences between a slice-of-life Georgian novel and a Shakespearean stage comedy.

[mostlyblues]

In honour of his birthday, I'm going to rant about some of my favourite roles of the global treasure (yes, I'm promoting him from the ‘national’ status), David Tennant. Feel free to add your own.💙

Fourteen Doctor: This might seem like an odd choice to start with when there are popular choices like the Tenth Doctor and Crowley, but this character holds a very special place in my heart. I've been a fan of DT for about 6 years now and it started with Doctor Who. I love Ten but Fourteen is just more dear to me. Mostly because he made me excited again for one of my favourite TV shows. As a character, he has all the trademark qualities of the Doctor - the genius level intellect, endless compassion, and love for new adventures. But he is somehow more mature and softer, and I loved this development. Also, that blue coat and that (1) button - you know what I'm talking about.

Phileas Fogg: Such an underrated TV show. The chemistry of the trio, the adventures, the title sequence music - there's so much to love about this. And Fogg is such a real character. So far from perfect, this man will often appear as aloof, vain, self-absorbed and even a coward. But I think Phileas is one of the best roles ever played by Tennant. Yes, he's flawed but he's also intelligent, so incredibly kind, and yes, even brave. If you haven't watched this show, I highly recommend it.

Alec Hardy: So different from most other charming roles of DT, Hardy is a sad wet cat. He's grumpy, not nice, and just really tired of the world (who can't relate though?). His reluctant friendship with Ellie is one of the best parts of the grim show. And the fanfic lover in me can't stop screaming about how whumpable he is.

Crowley: I was going for the top three kind of ranking but the thin dark duke slithered his way over. And how can you not love Anthony J. Crowley? From this pure delightful joy while creating stars and nebulae (I can't get over David's face and the happy noises he makes in this scene) to his reluctant and vast love for his Angel and the earth, Crowley is very easy to fall in love with (take notes, Aziraphale. I know you love him but please use your words. Crowley, at least, tried). 

I wanted to add more characters, especially the Shakespearean ones (I love Hamlet, but Benedick has my heart), but the list won't simply ever end then. So, I'm just going to say name all the ones I love and end it here - Simon Yates (There She Goes), Dave Tyler (Single Father), Campbell Bain (Takin' over the Asylum), Harry Watling aka The Sexy Vicar (Inside Man, this show was so freaking stressful but I loved David's character), every single Shakespearean character he ever played (even the ones I haven't or probably won't ever get the chance to see - cries in Macbeth), and, of course, Scrooge McDuck (DuckTales).

So, thank you DT for gifting the world with some of the best, most adorable, wholesome, gender-enviable characters to ever exist. (Except for the creeps, freaks, and ruthless murderers, which we kind of love as well). Happy Birthday! 💙

[bethanydelleman]

BENEDICK: I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; and moreover I will go with thee to thy uncle's.

Why this is a perfect love confession:

It has poetry, it has the promise of loving for eternity, it has passion, but then it ends with a practical and immediate offer of service. Benedick doesn't just promise to love Beatrice, he is there for her now.

[jackelated]

Media I've checked off the DT roles list in order:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, all three HTTYDs, The Pirates!, Bad Samaritan, Good Omens, Doctor Who, Around the World in 80 Days, Broadchurch, Inside Man, Gracepoint, Single Father, Jude, Jessica Jones, Danger in the Manger, Fright Night, Mad to Be Normal, Staged, St. Trinian's, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Clone High, Des, Deadwater Fell, Blackpool, Ahsoka, 3 short films, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, Spies of Warsaw, Much Ado About Nothing, The Recovery, Learners, The Escape Artist, Litvinenko, The Politician's Husband, Criminal: UK, LA without a Map, Hamlet, The Decoy Bride, Takin' Over the Asylum, Casanova, Secret Smile, Einstein & Eddington, Camping, You Me & Him, Sarah Jane Adventures, There She Goes, DuckTales, United, and Glorious 39 (also started playing COD:WWII again because I played as his character before realizing it was DT in Nazi Zombies)

[benevientowoes]

small details/ things I ADORE in much ado about nothing, more specifically about beatrice and benedick because im insane abt them:

Beatrice and benedicks first interaction being basically her telling him to shut up

Beatrice telling benedick it's a great happiness to women that benedick won't love anyone cuz women won't have to deal with him as a husband 😭 I also like the irony in this considering that she's the one who marries him

benedick telling Don pedro not to talk about beatrice despite him being the one who went on a massive rant about her and then proceeds to talk about her more

also the fact that in that speech he says 'I would not marry her' but the conversation had nothing to do with marriage like I think ur the only one thinking of marrying her buddy

the way that act 2 scene 3 starts with benedick saying that he will never change his mind about hating love and then 5 minutes when he thinks beatrice has a crush on him he's like 😍😍😍😍

Beatrice wanting to eat claudio's heart in the market place like yes girl go insane

benedick asking how beatrice is after asking her how her cousin is, I just think it's cute how he cares about her

benedick saying that he loves beatrice against his will cuz like hmmm idk u seemed pretty willing earlier buddy

THE FACT THAT THEIR BACK AND FORTH BANTER DOESN'T STOP!!! like it could've just been that after they confess they're just completely lovey dovey but they continue playfully insulting eachother and I think that's important!!!

like they don't lose their sense of identity because they're in love

how benedick is like after hero and claudio have their reunited moment and benedick is like idgaf about that where is beatrice, they're like two animals at the shelter that say do not separate

also the fact that Beatrice's name means the one who blesses and benedick's means the one who is blessed 😢❤️ she's his blessing that's so cute

the way that benedick was married for a whole 5 seconds and was already like to Don Pedro if ur sad just get a wife they're great

Beatrice just casually denying Don Pedro in marriage that's so slay of her

the cupid imagery used throughout is also so cool to me

claudio is just a worse romeo and that's just funny to me he's just a little bitch

[distance-does-not-matter]

study abroad/London is turning into “this is my first time living this life and I am trying my best” vibes REAL fast

[fanaticforlife]

A tribute to David Tennant

This makes me so utterly happy! Watch at your pleasure <3

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

David Tennant's Filmography As Vines

Macbeth does NOT kill people he promises he does NOT SLAY

[david-tennant-in-chairs]

See ya, sailor!