Hero In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

Hero is an example of the perfect woman as described by Benedick. She is “fair,” “wise,” “virtuous,” “mild,” “noble,” and “of good discourse” (2.3.23-29), all qualities needed to tempt a man into marriage. Count Claudio is so ensnared by “soft and delicate desires” (1.1.249) for young Hero that he falls in love with her at first sight. When a marriage proposal is brought before Hero’s father, Leonato, he decides to “acquaint [his] daughter withal, [so] that she may be the/ better prepared for an answer” (1.2.18-19). Leonato allows his only child to be

Shakespeare proves that honor is imperative multiple times throughout the play with symbolism. For example, clothing alludes to social status; however, clothing also relates to the characters’ love lives and connections to one another. Such as at the end, after everything had fallen apart, Beatrice had stuck by her cousin, and her loyalty shows through their identical gowns and veils. The reader is yet more entirely in love with this complete adornment with Hero (Jameson). When Beatrice claims that Benedick “wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block” to reason her belief that he has a new best friend

On the other hand, the infrequent dialogue between Hero and Claudio could be seen as less interesting in terms of language. Hero doesn’t speak much – in fact she only speaks one line in the opening scene where she is present throughout- “My cousin (Beatrice) means Signor Benedick of Padua” (1.1.35) - this is to help the messenger understand what Beatrice has just said. It is also significant due to the fact that Hero only speaks in relation to Beatrice and Benedick, as can be seen by the quotation above.. Although it can be argued that the silence creates interest in the couple and that Hero’s silence is typical of traditional Elizabethan courtly love, this can be seen as unoriginal and stereotypical. Another part of the play that shows this is in Act Four, during her wedding. The number of lines she speaks is minimal, and where she does it is mysterious and can be seen in many ways. “One Hero died defiled, but I do live, and surely as I live, I am a maid.” (5.4.63).This

Claudio and Hero are the idealised Elizabethan couple in the book because of the patriarchal society that the story is based on. This is because Hero is shown as a weak and powerless young woman while Claudio is described as a powerful and honourable man. In the wedding Claudio decides to shame her and says ‘There, Leonato, take her back again Give not this rotten orange to your friend’. Even when Hero is being insulted and accused of being a prostitute she does not defend herself and says ‘Is my lord well, that he doth speak so wide?’ Instead of defending herself she asks if Claudio is alright which displays a sign of weakness in her.

In Shakespeare’s comedic play “Much Ado about Nothing” there are many unique characters but the character Beatrice sticks out for many reasons. Beatrice is not like the other characters in “Much Ado about Nothing.” She “rebels” against the idea of conformity and humility that was prevalent during that time period for women; therefore, she fit the archetype of

Beatrice’s vulnerability is an important point of comparison with Hero, as she is also vulnerable, as we see later in the play.

Hero is quite, kind, respectful and modest while Beatrice is witty, independent and fierce. Beatrice is a powerful woman and is not afraid to question the validity of a man’s honour. Beatrice has strong beliefs about what a real man is and should be. Beatrice: What should I do with him—dress him in my apparel and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him. (2.1.128–132). In these lines Beatrice explains why she must remain unmarried, according to her there is no man who would be the perfect match for her. According to Beatrice a man who has no facial hair is not manly enough and a man who has facial hair is not young enough. Beatrice is untraditional and has her own opinions. Beatrice is not an accepting character like

When Hero has been humiliated by Claudio, her father instantly says, "Do not live, Hero; do not ope thine eyes"(4.1.121). He would rather she were dead that have this kind of shame brought on the family. He doesn't even consider once, until the friar speaks up, that Hero could be innocent of Claudio's charges. And then if this isn't enough, she (as her cousin) has the audacity to take Claudio back after he has publicly humiliated her just because her father tells her to. This is another example of how tightly women were trapped under their father's rule.

In Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare uses Claudio and Hero to showcase the original ways of marriage and uses Benedick and Beatrice in order to show and untraditional way of love and marriage.

In Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare depicts both Benedick and Beatrice as characters with one major flaw: both are full of pride. With the use of the masquerade scene, as well as the orchard scenes, Shakespeare allows the characters to realize their awry characteristic. By realizing their erroneous pride, Benedick and Beatrice are able to correct this and not only become better citizens, but fall in love.

In this Shakespearean comedy ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ two similarly obstinate characters of Beatrice and Benedick are presented between the rather normal relationship of characters Hero and Claudio. Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Benedick’s obstinacy towards the rather obligatory act of marriage and also their particularly similar personalities that cause reason for their familiar act of squabbling; he does this whilst also presenting two characters that are completely interested in marriage and who are hardly intellectually capable of squabbling in a similar manner. As the play unfolds both characters remain combative with one another but as love becomes the better of them, they begin to reveal that somewhat secretive sensitivity

In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Hero foil each other. Unlike many character foils where one character is clearly villanos and the other heroic, Beatrice and Hero’s moralities aren’t opposite, but rather their personalities. Where Hero is polite, quiet, innocent, and passive, Beatrice is independent, witty, outspoken, and cynical. These differences in their personalities help highlight their traits and make the play more enjoyable.

Shakespeare portrays Claudio and Hero as a pair of conventional lovers who go through an unadventurous and predictive courtship. Through this relationship he shows the modern audience how women were largely dominated by men. As Claudio metaphorically asks, ‘can the world buy such a jewel' Hero is portrayed as an object and someone to possess and

One of the most intriguing characters from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing must be Beatrice. An intelligent, well-spoken (and, perhaps more interesting, outspoken) young woman, she is an almost exact opposite of her cousin, Hero. What makes Beatrice so different than what one expects of a woman during Shakespeare’s time? Why did Shakespeare decide to make her such a strong female character? It begs the question of what women were actually like in the Tudor era, and if she was really so radical a character.

Much Ado about Nothing predominately revolves around the endeavours of two couples, the younger of which in more distinction; Claudio and Hero. As many could say that another element of Shakespearean comedies could be love, it would seem a more defined term is the love between two younger people, this young couple in particular then faces hindrances that are thrown their way, eventually working through them. Whereas there is still Beatrice and Benedick who work to overcome their egomaniacal ways and eventually initiate a romance, it would seem Claudio and Hero’s complications seem to have more significance to the storyline of the play. This is also due to the fact that the elements of comedy and key plot points are in relation to their complications, such as being the younger couple and facing the mistaken identity ordeal. Nevertheless, Hero and Claudio, being the young couple, face a string of tribulations in which define them as a couple, the majority of these, come from Don John’s