Obtaining and maintaining a good name is an age old art. Some are born with a good name while others must earn it. Regardless of how people acquire an honorable standing in society the loss of such a position can be costly. Although a person’s name has always been of great value, the characters in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing live in a time when one’s reputation determines a majority of one’s life. Who a person marries, where one lives, and the company he or she keeps are all affected by the quality of his or her name. Also, the loss of one’s name could come from a far lesser offense than one might expect today. Hero loses her good standing simply because of an accusation against her. At the end of act three scene four when Claudio …show more content…
Webster defines metonymy as “a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated”. Although Fleck’s concept of metonymy agrees with Webster, he begins his argument by presenting a 16th century definition of the word from George Puttenham (18). Puttenham’s definition gives insight into the slipperiness of metonymy and how its use can conjure up many different meanings in one listening to the speaker. Staying true to one of the plays major themes, Claudio speaks figuratively about Hero and allows those attending the wedding to supply their own belief after overhearing what he says (Fleck 17). Claudio accuses Hero not of the act itself but of something related to the act of infidelity (Fleck 18). Suggesting that she is not a virgin, Claudio claims that Hero “knows the heat of a luxurious bed” (4.1.40). Figuratively linking Hero to a sexual act allows those at the wedding to make their own harsh judgments, thus increasing the shame heaped upon …show more content…
Both authors point to the writings of Juan Luis Vives to make their case (Chamberlain 4; Fleck 19). In his warning to Christian women about the fragile nature of their honor, Vives created a relic of the misogynist culture represented in Much Ado About Nothing (Fleck 21). The societal belief at the time Shakespeare is writing his play is that women are not to be trusted when it comes to sexual desires. With this ideology consuming the majority it is easy to see how Hero’s own father quickly loses faith in his daughter. Fleck claims the metonymy in Claudio’s statement paired with the misogynistic view of society allows Leonato and most others in attendance at the wedding to convince themselves that Hero’s shame is valid
Homer first utilizes hyperboles to express the hazard of the situation that Odysseus and his men face. One of Odysseus’ men Eurylochus is the first one to face Circe’s wrath as when one of the men manages to escape her lair. He then recounts the perilous adventure to the rest of the men, demonstrating the precariousness of the situation but his prevailing wit to stay back and not be seduced by Circe’s advances. This riskiness of the situation is first demonstrated Eurylochus comes back to the men on the ship in tears-- “numbing sorrow had stunned [him] to silence--tears welled in his eyes, his heart possessed by grief” (272-273). Homer uses alliteration in “sorrow” “stunned” and “silence” that demonstrates the strong desolation and overall emotional pain that Eurylochus felt, after
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.
Shakespeare uses both Claudio and Leonato to represent the males of the time and the honor code they were held to. Claudio is in no way held to the same pre-marital expectations as Hero, which, at the time, was the case for all men. For instance, when Hero is accused of being with a man prior to her marriage, no one questions what man and, quite frankly, no one cares what man. Shakespeare also shows how men are judged and given honor based on how their women act. When Leonato learns of the accusations his daughter receives on her wedding day he scolds her and says,
Novelist and poet, Rainer Maria Rilke once said, “The only journey is the one within”(Rainer Maria Rilke Quotes). Meaning, what makes a journey important is how one changes and learns from the experience. The claims made in this quote are well proven in relatively new literature and even one of the oldest poems still studied today. The Odyssey is a famous, well known epic poem. It was written by the renowned poet, Homer, in ancient greek times. The Odyssey follows a man known as Odysseus, he just left fighting in the Trojan war after years. Odysseus has quite the adventure due to the gods’ and goddesses’ constant manipulation, all in the hope of reaching his homeland, Ithaca, and beloved family. Quite the opposite, much younger and shorter “The Journey” is a poem written by Mary Oliver in the 1900s. This poem relays what a journey really is and the purpose of going on journeys. Despite the differences between The Odyssey and “The Journey”, the two both use figurative language to convey a very similar message. People embark on journeys to fill an empty void and learn what they appreciate in life.
Claudio also says that Hero has known a “luxurious bed”, a shocking accusation which implies that she has slept with another man just the night before their wedding; something extraordinarily shameful for Hero as women at that time were valued for being a virgin up to the time they got married. Claudio then refers to Hero explicitly as an “approved wanton” in line 41 provides extra shock as his rage is now very high. Calling her a proven whore in front of every one at the wedding is very mean and at the same time scandalous.
Hero does not get a chance to mull over the idea of Claudio as a husband. Even the audience knows little about her going into the now famous “shaming scene.” Details about Hero’s virtues and personality are purposely left out, partially to satisfy the dominant male perspective in the play, but also to give more clout to the heinous claim that Claudio makes during the wedding. The reactions of Hero’s father and others indicate that a woman’s virtues are only as good as a man says they are.
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
Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain largely an allusion to Homer’s The Odyssey through the character's traits and hero’s journey. Although the characters have similar elements, the ending of each story is different.
The Odyssey by Homer is an age old tale, which tells the fate of Odysseus, who is a Greek warrior from Ithaca.
The Odyssey is a story about a man named Odysseus and his difficult journey back home from the Trojan War. Throughout the Odyssey, the main character Odysseus, faces numerous obstacles such as fighting Polyphemus the Cyclops, Scylla a six-headed monster and Charybdis, a whirlpool. During these trials, the author Homer uses diction to create a tragic and mournful tone.
Much Ado About Nothing raises many important issues concerning the institution of marriage. Perhaps Shakespeare's purpose in writing this play was to question the existing approach to relationships and marriage. Shakespeare reveals the faults of the process through the characters of Hero and Claudio and also Hero's father, Leonato. Shakespeare also may be suggesting an alternative approach to marriage and relationships through the characters of Beatrice and Benedick.
Throughout The Odyssey, the author, Homer, recounts upon tales told to him by elders. The Odyssey explains the journeys Odysseus and his crew go through in order to get back to their homeland, Ithaca, after fighting a ten year battle in Troy. Homer consistently uses forlorn diction to create a desperate tone. In The Odyssey, Odysseus overcomes the call of the sirens.
In the Odyssey, specifically in the short story “Sailing from Troy,” Odysseus and his men are blown to the shore of Cicones due to a gust of wind created by Zeus. Once landed on the coast they began killing the men, and enslaving the women of Cicones. After the raid of their goods, Odysseus’ men had disobeyed Odysseus by slaughtering sheep and caused two prisoners to escape. Which consequently led to the prisoners bringing the Cicones’ army to attack Odysseus and his men. This caused many men to be killed.
In the play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, Antonio challenges Claudio to a fight/duel to avenge Hero’s “death.” Shakespeare uses epistrophe and hyperbole to demonstrate that in Elizabethan times, a man of words was not as respected as a man of action.
Shakespeare shows a fair amount of feminism throughout the play. He exploits the ways in which the men treat and think of women in order to show the audience that in fact it is wrong. He does this most prominently in the wedding scene. As we have already become attached to the character Hero, we feel sorry for her when she is shamed in front of everyone. In this scene, we can see how that all the men believe Claudio straight away making the audience frustrated