An Understanding Evil in Shakespeare´s Much Ado About Nothing

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

Don John is a believable villain because he is a bastard which means that in Elizabethan times Don John would have been seen as evil. Don John’s legitimate brother on the other hand is wealthy and well respected by everyone. Don John hates Claudio because Claudio has taken his position as Don Pedro’s right hand man. Don John even acknowledges his own evil and he also shows no mercy. Don John’s character doesn’t alter throughout the play, meaning he is only there to cause trouble.

How ironic that Claudio’s quick decision to shame Hero at the alter shows his extreme lack of honor and virtue.  Rather than stand by his fiancée’s side, he chooses to believe a rumor and instantly disowns her.

Based on an anonymous quote, “you can’t love someone you don’t know”, relates too many people in today’s world. This is the same case for the relationship between Hero and Claudio, who although knew little about the other, are more realistic to modern day relationships. The obstacles the couple went through, throughout the play were very similar to the ones many people go through nowadays. Some examples are how, they fell for each others appearance, the couple did not establish trust within each other and how they returned to those who had hurt them. This case shows how many relationships are created and how there are many events to go through before getting into a relationship. Overall, Hero and Claudio’s relationship is most realistic to the modern day relationship.

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

First, the characters in Much Ado about Nothing deal with pressures of their time that do not totally match up to societal norms of today. However, the concept of the desire to fit the standard is the same today as it was in Shakespeare’s time. One interesting ideology

Claudio falls in love with Hero upon his return to Messina. His unfortunately suspicious nature makes him quick to believe evil rumors and hasty to despair and take revenge.

He notes Hero’s feedback to the custody of disloyalty and is thus influenced of the reality. He “plays God” by positioning for her passing, and Claudio resurrects her over his expense of espousing Hero’s cousin.

Towards the beginning of the play, Claudio’s hope to woe Hero deems successful due to Don Pedro’s courteous actions to do the tough work for him. She loves him as he loves her. Nothing seemed to go wrong with this happy couple until

Characters in this play have experience love in different ways; starting with Claudio that falls in love with Hero from the first time he sees her, and decided to get married. “In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on,” (1,1,168) it would seem that the love Claudio has for Hero is a result of first attraction on looks, however, Claudio’s character seems to be immature and inexperienced. Later in the play, when Claudio is suspicious of her, he instantly forgets the love he had for her, and that love turned to a full of hatred. On the other hand, Hero’s willingness to forgive Claudio is just as disturbing as Claudio’s rejection of her. She does not fight for her pride after what Claudio did to her but instead marries him willingly. “And when I lived, I was your other wife, And when you loved, you were my other husband,” (62, 5, 4) this line shows how forgiving and innocent Hero is as a character.

After finishing a war, Don Pedro and his group of soldiers decide to stop at an old friend of Don Pedro house, in Messina. Claudio soon realizes that he truly loves Hero after seeing her again when at Leonato’s house and he wants to marry her that day. When Claudio is confessing his love to Don Pedro, he and Don Pedro plan to have Don Pedro get her consent, of marriage, then he will give her to Claudio, but while this is happening, one of Don John men is listening in on the conversation. Don John quickly learns about this new news of his brother’s soon to be marriage and wants to stop it, for revenge. When at the party Don Pedro asks Hero for her consen’s to marry Claudio, which she agree to so they plan their wedding for the next Monday.

Shakespeare has demonstrated the ramifications of human nature that have arisen through the misunderstandings of the characters. Shakespeare does this by effectively conveying the dramatic technique reversal. The purpose of the technique is to show the reader the complexities of human nature by demonstrating that even a common example of misunderstanding could change the direction of one's life, and the perception of an object. This is evident through the quote “That I love her, I feel” in Act 1 scene 1, said by Claudio about Hero, which is later contradicted with the quote “There, Leonato, take her back again. Give not this rotten orange to your friend”, who is referencing Claudio’s betrayal. Claudio believed that the person Borachio was making love to was Hero instead of Margaret, due to the succession of Don John’s master plan. During this scene, Claudio displays a sense of misunderstanding by falsely concluding that his fiancée had been ‘unfaithful’ to him. Reversal is shown when Claudio is enraged by the fictitious actions of Hero when he abandons her at the day of their wedding. Shakespeare has demonstrated misunderstanding through the dramatic technique, reversal to explore the complexities of human nature.

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.

Don John's malevolent plan to ruin Claudio and Hero's wedding was to take effect the night before they were to wed. The malicious Don John constructed, or rather misconstructed, the scheme that insinuated Claudio's belief in Hero's faithlessness. It is Don John who reports to Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero is having an affair, and he who stage-manages an elaborate charade featuring his own henchman Borachio and an unwitting stand-in for Hero to lend credence to this fiction. Perhaps the most significant thing to be noted in connection with this deception is that the spectator does not witness the crucial scene in which Claudio overhears the counterfeit exchanges between Margaret and Borachio that persuade him of Hero's guilt. We learn of this episode only at second hand, when Borachio boasts of his exploit (Lucking).

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