Much Ado about Nothing and Lysistrata both depict societies of the past that were quite different than our own society. Still, these works remain popular today and are widely read and performed. The reason for this is that even in their age, the stories bear similarities to the present time. In Much Ado about Nothing, the relationships between characters are very comparable to relationships between people today. In Lysistrata, certain characters act like some people do today, as well.
In Much Ado about Nothing, the reader can see that the relationships between characters are much like many people in the world today. There are two particular relationships that Shakespeare focuses on. These are between Claudio and Hero and between Benedick and Beatrice. These are both relationships of love, but they are quite different from one another, just as relationships are different from each other now. Parallels can be drawn between present day relationships and those in this play.
English: Aubrey Beardsley: Aristophanes Lysistrata...
20120826 Beatrice 028
20120826 Beatrice 013Claudio and Hero had a type of "high school" love. It was based primarily on physical attraction, and all they thought about was getting married without even getting to know one another first. They spoke lovingly to each other and allowed themselves to become infatuated. However, Claudio's remark, "In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that I ever looked on" shows that the love between them did not have much depth to it. Also, when Claudio first saw Hero he said "That I love her, I feel." A love based on first sight cannot be one of great strength. Very often in today's adolescent world, there are confessions of love made in this manner, only to be thrown away after a short while. Another similarity this relationship bears to those in high school is the way it was...