"Catching the Wind and Catching shadows", also known as "Nothing To Do", is a rather playful and cheerful comedy, which is estimated to have been completed between 1598 and 1599, and was loved by the audience as soon as it came out, belonging to the mature period of Shakespeare's writing.
Stills from "Catching the Wind and Catching the Shadows"
Characters:
Rionato: (Governor of Messina)
Anthony: (Brother of Liao Nato)
Xi Luo: (Liao Nato's daughter)
Betrice: (Anthony's daughter, Niece of Rionato)
Margaret and Oshura: (Hilo's maid)
Don Pietro: (Prince of Aragon)
Benedi and Claudius: (Young nobleman, a close associate of the Prince of Aragon)
Batasher: (Attendant of the Prince of Aragon)
Don John: (Brother-in-law of the Prince of Aragon)
Brachu and KangRad (Don John's retinue)
Dubrey: (Officer)
Foggiji: (Police)
Father Francis, church clerk, messenger, inspector, child, attendant, etc
The young aristocrat Benedictine and the girl Beatrice both practiced non-marriage, and the two of them were born a pair of wrongdoers, spitting out fragrance every time they met, and degrading each other to the point of uselessness before they would give up. But Beatrice's sister Xi luo (uncle's daughter) is a quiet and sweet girl full of fantasies about love.
When the Prince of Aragon, Don Petroban, passed through Messina on the occasion of his triumph, first, he was in a happy mood after winning the victory, and second, he saw his cronies and the daughter of the governor of Messina, Lang Cai, determined to complete a family affair, and the story happened.
The prince acted as a matchmaker, and married Claud and Xiluo, and just as the wedding was about to take place, the younger brother Don John, out of jealousy and dissatisfaction with his brother, designed to frame Xiluo, in order to mess up the wedding, sent his henchmen to flirt with the maid in front of Xiluo's window late at night, and took the opportunity to take them to watch the performance. Claudius and the prince, unaware of their plans, were indignant and accused Xi Luo of treachery and disobedience at the wedding the next day, and cancelled the wedding. Xi Luo faced such a sunny thunderbolt and passed out.
In the face of this accusation, Xi Luo's father is both angry and ashamed, while his uncle and sister believe that Xi Luo has been framed, and the good heart father at the wedding also advises their family, hoping to return her justice.
Don John slipped away after the drug plan succeeded, but brachu, the retinue who did it, once uttered a wild speech to shake the matter out, just in time to be caught by the patrolling officer.
Knowing the ins and outs of the matter, the Prince and Claudius went to the Governor's Palace to intercede and atone for their sins, and after being forgiven, the couple married again, this time with the happy rivals Beatrice and Benedict.
Claudius and XiLuo in the movie "Nothing To Be Wrong" (Catching the Wind and Catching shadows).
Comedic elements:
First, the play spends a considerable amount of space to write the scene of Betrice and Benedi fighting each other on different occasions, the content is funny, and the two people do not leave a trace of love for each other, especially Betrice, a crazy girl with no heart and no lungs.
In order to pick up the joyous couple together, the prince, the governor, and the Claudius went out of their way to create a deception, and they deliberately set a trap for the man and woman to hear what they had compiled. Both sides hear each other's praise and appreciation for themselves, shaking the stereotypes they just started about each other. It turned out that although their mouths were so tough, their hearts had long been warmed by each other.
Third, the patrol officer and the police adjutant on how to patrol and what to do when there is a problem in the patrol is quite funny, and i would like to copy a paragraph as follows:
Fergis: If you hear any doll crying at night, you go and wake up the wet nurse and tell her to stop the doll.
Inspector Ding B: That wet nurse only cares about sleeping with her sleep, can't we wake up?
Dubury: Well, then you obediently go away and let the doll wake her up crying—since the ewe can't even hear the cry of the lamb next to her, how could she have agreed to the cry of a calf?
Foggis: That makes sense.
Fourth, the reunion at the end, Hilo and Claudy become a couple; Betrice and Benedict become husband and wife, and even the bad prince brother-in-law is caught and punished.
Catching the Wind and Shadows explores the issue of fidelity in love and marriage, while emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and sincerity in the relationship between men and women. Betrice dares to love and hate, pursues equality, and values the quality of friendship to show the image of a new era of women.