The Science Of Laughter Analysis

First of all, a quick summary of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Anything. In the beginning of this story a respectable noblemen named Leonato, his daughter Hero, and his clever niece Beatrice are waiting on the arrival of friends from the war. The group of friends include prince Don Pedro, and two of his fellow soldiers; Claudio, who is an up and coming young nobleman, and Benedick a man known for his battle skills and witty jokes. Also within the group of friends are; Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother Don John and his entourage of two people. When the soldiers arrive at Leonato’s home, Claudio is very taken by Leonato’s daughter Hero. While Benedick and Beatrice continue a mutual hatred for each other through a confrontation of crude insults. Claudio and Hero shortly after meeting pledge
Carr and Greeves use a study done by animal behaviorists at the University of Plymouth, in which the behaviorists were observing smiling and laughter in baby chimps, to show how far we have come based off of evolutionary beliefs. Carr and Greeves claim that laughter evolved from a threat response or warning (Carr). Carr and Greeves show this through the story of the caveman and the mammoth; “at first the caveman is afraid he will crushed by the mammoth, then it falls on its back and the caveman begins to laugh due to relief (Carr).” An example of this within Much Ado About Anything is when Benedict learns that Beatrice loves him and also the moment Beatrice over hears that Benedick loves her. They both are seemingly afraid to come out with such feelings or suppress them because they believe the other despises them, but when they see that the threat is no more they begin to laugh as a form of