In almost every book ever written, there are characters that bring out the differences of others. Whenever the author, rather than plainly stating the characteristics, uses other characters to imply the traits of another character, it is called a character foil. In “Much Ado About Nothing,” there are many people that act as foils of each other. In the book “Much Ado About Nothing” written by William Shakespeare, Beatrice is a foil to Hero because of their differing personalities, actions, and opinions. Beatrice and Hero are foils to each other because of their contrasting personalities.
William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, provides great foils for the main character, Romeo. Shakespeare includes many foils throughout his stories to make his character’s emotions, attitude, and characteristics more apparent. Romeo’s character traits, lovestruck, cowardness, and emotional are highlighted through his foils, best friend Mercutio, and enemy, Tybalt. Romeo’s foils help to make his character’s personality stronger and clear. One character trait that’s highlighted through Tybalt is Romeo’s complete awe and love for Juliet.
Some say that opposites attract; in some cases they do and in some they do not. A foil is a character who is opposite of another character in order to highlight certain characteristics in both characters. An example of foils in a play that Shakespeare wrote, Romeo and Juliet, including rambunctious Tybalt and the tranquil Benvolio. Another example is the obnoxious funny Mercutio and the lovey dovey Romeo. Romeo and Juliet was a Shakespearean play written 1595 by William Shakespeare.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet there are many examples of character foils. An example Is Romeo and his obnoxious friend Mercutio. These two characters are the complete opposite, and bring out the best and the worst of each other. Mercutio often makes fun of Romeo for falling in love so easily. When Romeo describes his love for Rosaline, Mercutio laughs and says “if love be rough with you, be rough with love; prick love for pricking you, and you best love down”(1.4.27-28).
These character have the same foil because the act the same and do the same hobbies. Romeo is very nice but in the story he ends up killing Tybalt calling him a fortunes fool (Shakespeare 429). Rome thinks he is a good lover when him and Juliet kiss and kills him self for Juliet (Shakespeare 394). When Romeo kills tybalt he is brave (Shakespeare 429). Helping him was is attitude when he ran away after killing tybalt.
Foils are used throughout this piece to help the audience see how different the protagonists Romeo and Juliet are from other teenagers. In the play Benvolio asks Romeo “What sadness
Opposites Attract Huntley and Jacobs, Tom and Jerry, Coke and Pepsi,and Batman and The Joker. These are all examples of a literary device called a foil. The tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare uses numerous examples of literary devices. Literary devices are used in this story to help understand the characters. If the characters are understood then the plots and feelings they go through will also become understandable.
In the most well known and the least read pieces of literature, narratives all have one key idea in common: the good guy and the bad guy. Whether the piece is about superheros, elves, or robots, the idea of these two opposing characters continues, the most common type of foil. A foil is two characters that contrast each other on many regards. The antagonist, or bad guy, often is a foil to the protagonist, or the good guy. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the antagonist, Creon is a foil to the protagonist, Antigone.
Throughout Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare Romeo is interacting with the other high class families, the Capulets and the Royal family. And though some people from other families disrespect Romeo for being a Montague, Romeo never does the same. He treats all the people the same, even if they are the enemy in the family feud. Shakespeare uses Tybalt, and Paris as foils for Romeo to show how he treats all people as equals. Tybalt of the Capulet family always resorts to violence when he sees a Montague, while Romeo of the Montagues only sees Tybalt as a person.
Literary devices help readers connect, relate and understand how the characters feeling. William Shakespeare, the writer of Romeo and Juliet used the foil technique multiple times to accentuate a character’s personality and emphasize. Shakespeare uses the foil technique to show how two characters differ. In the story, there is a family feud between the Capulets and Montagues, two wealthy and respected in Verona Italy during the 14th century, also known as the Renaissance. The families have had a feud for as long as anyone can remember and it continues to grow.
Dakotah Guzman Mr. John Blaszczak English IV: British Literature 1st Period December 2, 2014 Macbeth Motif: Final Foils as a motif in The Tragedy of Macbeth A foil, according to our textbook, is defined as “a minor character whose attitudes, beliefs, and behavior differ significantly from those of a main character.” (Glencoe Literature British Literature 319). The motive of a foil in a book is to bring attention to the imperfections of a main character and present an idea of the main character had they not had any of these flaws. Throughout William Shakespeare’s well-known tragic play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, the main character Macbeth was presented with many contrasting minor characters that serve the play as his foils.
Within the play, Much Ado About Nothing, there is a central theme of deceitfulness, as a way to solve a problem or an issue amongst the characters. Though this deception may be evil, it can often lead to positive endings after several conflicts. In the creation of this theme, Shakespeare uses both negative and positive examples to contribute to his lesson on ruses. Within this particular scene, all of the cons the various characters have put on are officially revealed to each other. This scene highlights that deception is not always evil, nor is it always moral, but is always solved.
Play Analysis – Essay 1 “Much Ado About Nothing “ Submitted by Noor Ul Ain Shaikh (BSMS 2A) What seems to be a comedy play for an audience who enjoys a theatre with good humor and romance, “Much Ado About Nothing” contains much more than just entertainment. If we dig in deep, William Shakespeare’s play has much more than a tragic story with happy ending; even that is debatable. The theme of this play revolves around deception, plotting against your own, personal gains and rejection.
Not all forms of deception are negative, although they are not all positive either. People have various reasons for deceiving others in real life, as well as in literature. William Shakespeare wrote many memorable plays during his time living. One of those plays was Much Ado About Nothing, which presented themes which are still relevant to our modern society. In Much Ado About Nothing, some of the protagonists, such as Don Pedro and Benedick, have good intentions when deceiving others, but others, like Don John, deceive others purely out of hatred.
Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, is a play about multiple relationships. Hero and Claudio are the first relationship, and Beatrice and Benedick are the other relationship. The play talks about the ideal traits of a couple in the Shakespearian time period. Times have changed, as couples have evolved and have generally become less “traditional”. Back in the day, the female would submit to the male.
