A Much Ado About Nothing Character Analysis

marriage women should be innocent, pure and faithful. Don John's plan to make Claudio think hero is unfaithful is a success which then Claudio, Don Pedro and Don John perceives Hero is unclean and impure.

The first use of trickery in Hero and Claudio's relationship is when Claudio's friend, Don Pedro, pretends to be

Benedick and Beatrice within the plot are both individuals with similar headstrong egos, while Hero and Claudio are both a duo of mesmerized partners towards each other’s passions and love. Benedick is an arrogant and dense-minded gentleman towards any object or task which proves his nobility to his pride by denying the theory that Beatrice is in love with him. Accordingly, an example of this is represented directly from him towards Beatrice, “Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none.” (Act 1, Scene 1) Beatrice is the perceptive one in the pair, while showing the similar traits of inflexibility as Benedick. Another Hero response for the previous quote can be used as an illustration of her ego, “A dear happiness to women! They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor.

To begin, the infatuation seen between Hero and Claudio is shallow. Claudio had been similar to Benedick before seeing Hero. He was unappreciative of love and wrote off marriage; however, when Benedick asks if Claudio would marry, Claudio answers, “I would scarce trust myself, though I had sworn the contrary, if Hero would be my wife” (I. i. 175-176). Without a second thought, upon viewing Hero’s beauty, Claudio is ensared. He develops new feelings for this woman based on nothing more than lust based upon appearances. Later, Claudio admits to admiring Hero before: “But now I am return'd and that war-thoughts Have left their places vacant,

The fact that Benedick has feelings for Beatrice becomes clearer as the play progresses, despite his assertions to Claudio that he is 'a professed tyrant to their sex'. Benedick keeps this point of view while speaking to Don Pedro, making quite clear that he will never marry:

Needless to say, Benedick and Beatrice are the antithesis of each other, for Beatrice is reasonable which means she is always trying to come up with a reason for what somebody has done or for what she is going to do, but Benedick is irrational which means he never needs a reason for what he does. Beatrice is crying because her cousin, Hero has just been slandered and killed by Claudio. Which is why she is asking Benedick to kill Claudio. Benedick laughs it off like it´s a joke the first time she asks. But, then he realizes that she is serious. ¨ As I have a thought”, “That’s enough for me”, “I’ll challenge him”, “I’ll kiss your hand”. This impacts the

Earlier in the play, a scene was described where Borachio and Don John plan to trick Claudio into thinking that Hero is diwsloyal because of a man in her chamber the night prior to her wedding. After the stated quote, the intent is to try and trick Claudio and show that Hero is disloyal when she is actually not. This quote presents significance by describing the overall trait of the entire act and scene which is the trickery and sabotage of Borachio and Don John upon the hapiness of all of the other characters in the play. Overall, the previouly described scene, in part with an already confused Claudio, makes this quote important to the wedding of Claudio and

Beatrice and Benedick, however, in much contrast to Hero and Claudio are the ideal couple who are both equal in the relationship. Beatrice is an opinionated and stubborn woman who will have no one if she doesn't have the one she wants, which she makes clear throughout the play by refusing to marry lightly and by the conversation in Act One between her and Pedro. She chooses

Benedick is a character in this play who, although very smart, is also deceived. Toward the beginning of the play, there is a masquerade. Benedick and Beatrice dance together. Benedick pretends to not be himself and Beatrice pretends to not know who he is:

In celebration of the soldiers return, Leonato hosts a masked dance where Don Pedro woes Hero for Claudio. Don John tries tells Claudio his brother is wooing Hero for himself, but Don Pedro clarifies the matter and tells Claudio that he has kept his promise. The others decide amongst themselves that during the week that Hero and Claudio wait to be wed, they shall play a game in order to make Beatrice and Benedick fall in love.

However, upon hearing of Beatrice’s love for him he is suddenly perplexed and it does not take him long to decide that he will give that affection back in return.  How easily persuaded Benedick is.  This may come from the way Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato (Benedick’s associates) depict Beatrice as the most wonderful woman in Messina.  They talk of Beatrice as if she were the most magnificent woman so that Benedick will do exactly what he does indeed do.  When Benedick hears of this he must be thinking of what he has said before about his desire for the perfect woman.  In his speech he says that “the lady is fair . . . / . . . And virtuous. . . / . . . And wise[,]” which is exactly what Benedick demands in the woman that he will choose to be his wife.  However, Benedick only believes these things about Beatrice because of what Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato have said about her.  They only said them to convince Benedick that Beatrice was deserving of him and that she loved him with all her heart.  They told Benedick just what he wanted to hear.  It is a scheme made of lies, but it works because Benedick is persuaded and begins to agree with what they have said.  By doing this he is already influencing himself to follow the opposite path from the one that he has adhered to for years.  Here he is already starting to fool himself into believing Beatrice is the one for him

Beatrice and Benedick’s love, on the other hand, is based on mutual respect, love and true admiration but Shakespeare uses the idea of a “merry war” as a cover for their romance due to the profound use of wit. I believe the characters partake in excessive use of conflict, as they are both similar, which has been done purely to amuse the audience. In the beginning of the play, there is nothing short of obvious attraction between Beatrice and Benedick but is hidden by ironic remarks such as “I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody marks you”, interrupting Benedick which is ironic in the sense as she was obviously listening to the conversation in order for her to say that. As Beatrice begins this “merry war” we are left feeling a sense of pathos towards Benedick, as this remark was unprovoked. Shakespeare was able to intertwine the plot of the “merry way” by tricking both of these characters into believing that they are both in love with each other. Shakespeare also uses this convention in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ where the character of Puck, incorrectly used a love potion, leading to both Demetrius and Lysander being in love with Helena. This mistake from Puck opposed the original love relations between Lysander, Demetrius and Hermia. The purpose of Shakespeare extensively using the theme of conflict between characters throughout the play and the convention of intertwining plots, allows the characters to change and develop dramatically

Like many of Shakespeare's other heroes, Benedick has a comic and serious side. I think he combines everything Shakespeare seems to like in a character; he is amusing (his witty banter with Beatrice is where most of the humour in this play revolves around) and he is also able to laugh at himself- he takes in good humour like the teasing of his friends about his cynicism about matrimony. He is loving too, (an example of this is his poem to Beatrice) and also deadly serious is his love for her- he renounces his male comradeship to "kill Claudio" as she demands- he is prepared to give up his current, enjoyable way of life for her. He is also loyal to the prince, in that he despises Don John, but he is most loyal to the one he loves, something the majority of Shakespearean heroes personify (even those who go astray eventually return to their love- Romeo never wavers from his purpose in loving Juliet). His relationship with Beatrice is another ideal held up to us by the playwright. Beatrice chooses Benedick, she pleases herself, not her family, and as a result, their relationship is much more equal and evenly balanced. It is this relationship, and not the other, quite stereotypical romance, which Shakespeare makes the main thread of this drama.

Shakespeare uses the literary device, motif with the image of the masked characters and with the masked language of Benedick and Beatrice. In each instance that a masked character or masked language is used, deception intensifies. In Act I, Scene 1, Claudio says about Hero, “That I love her, I feel” (Shakespeare 1.1.205). Bear in mind, Claudio just arrived in Messina and laid eyes on Hero for the first time. Thus, his declaration of love seems impulsive and uncertain. Claudio knows little about Hero, so his desire to have her must rest on her appearance alone. Still, Don Pedro offers to help unite Claudio with Hero. He initiates a matchmaking scheme. He says, “I will assume thy part in some disguise / And tell fair Hero I am

Claudio only saw Hero for a brief moment upon returning from the war, and immediately desires her. Don Pedro agrees to woo the beautiful woman in Claudio's name at the upcoming celebration. He succeeds and summons Claudio who proposes to Hero immediately. As soon as Don John hears of the engagement between Hero and Claudio the audience learns of his desire for Hero. In deep resent of his brother and Claudio, Don John accepts Borrachio's plan of deceiving Claudio into thinking that Hero is promiscuous for the dual purpose of shaming one of his prestigious brother's followers and preventing Claudio and Hero's marriage. Borrachio's plan included having an amorous encounter with