Much Ado About Nothing Patriarchal Analysis

Stories about cheating wives, defiable men and women, and tricky brothers were all brought together in the play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. The play had a variety of characters and witty dialogue that made the comedy quite intriguing. In the book, Hero is told by her father to marry Claudio. She is then accused of being cheated on, but is later found innocent and marries Claudio. Beatrice, who throughout the book hated a man named Benedick ironically marries him.

In William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado about Nothing, Hero is a shy protagonist who is wronged by a trick conducted by Don John. Don John makes it appear as if Hero is cheating on Claudio, and Claudio believes it to be the case and embarrasses Hero by deriding her in front of the crowd at their wedding before marching off. Need not fear, after faking her own death, Claudio apologizes and successfully persuades Hero to marry him. What would Christine De Pizan say about this toxic masculinity? Claudio acted as if Hero was property, saying, “There, Leonato, take her back again.

When thinking about the well known comedy Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare the audience is quick to focus on the wit and comedy that the play has to offer, rather than the understated villain who easily disappears in the background. While reading the play, one can posit that Don John is not the typical villain who acts with a specific motive in mind, rather, he is acting out of an obligation he feels to serve as an antagonist considering his position as a bastard. This is demonstrated in his dialogue, which reveals his inner turmoil on being chained to the villainous role and his willingness to act on any malicious opportunity that presents itself to him. This is significant in that, it provides another layer to our villain and causes the audience to think beyond the first layer that is easily presented, and into the true inner motives of the character.

sons are my brethren, and, truly, I hold it a sin to match a kindred"

In Much Ado About Nothing, at the masked party, Claudio believes Don Pedro has wooed Hero for himself, and Claudio says, “...Let every eye negotiate for itself, and trust no agent; for beauty is a witch against whose charms faith melteth into blood this is an accident of hourly proof, which I mistrusted not. Farewell, therefore, Hero” (Shakespeare 23). Don John’s first attempt of mischief almost succeeded and could have foiled Claudio’s plan to woo Hero. This was a close call, and if Claudio had just left in anger or sadness, this problem would not have been resolved. However, Don John and his lackeys try again. Just as Claudio and Hero are about to get married, Claudio says, “But fare thee well, most foul, most fair; farewell thou impiety and impious purity. For thee I’ll lock up all the gates of love, and on my eyelids shall conjecture hang to turn all beauty into thoughts of harm, and never shall it be more gracious” (Shakespeare 68). Claudio believes Hero is being unfaithful when it is all a trick. At this point, the wedding is ruined and the conflict of the story has been set in motion. Don John has succeeded, and this has dramatically influenced the conflict in the

How does Shakespeare challenge the conventional role of women within the patriarchal society of 'Much Ado About Nothing.' 'Much Ado About Nothing' is set in a patriarchal society in the late 16th century. In a patriarchal society, men are the dominating sex and women are the oppressed ones. The play takes place over a course of three days. As so much happens during these three days, the events take place rapidly and can create confusion and misunderstanding. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is a play of wit, deception, and slander. It is full of darkness just as much as it is full of light. Beatrice constantly tries to oppose the views of her society with which she does not agree. The treatment of gender issues in 'Much Ado About Nothing' would have

There are many perspectives on how Much Ado About Nothing can be read. The uncertainty is common in all of Shakespeare’s plays, however, it is different compared to ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. It is fair to say that Much Ado About Nothing is a sexist play. The mistreatment of women seems to be a common problem and is present in the arranged marriage between Hero and Claudio, Margaret not knowing what Borachio intended, and the idea becoming unsexed by Beatrice. The misinterpretation of Shakespeare’s liking to focus mostly on male characters must be thought carefully.

destroy him and his marriage. In Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio is viewed as a victim

Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a play about individuals seeking love. But, the character I will analyze has nothing to do with love, unless it is the love for chaos. This character is Don John, an illegitimate prince, forever be in his betters shadows, seeking to rise from the darkness into the stage of power. Don John, the reincarnation of anti-hero in the most classical aspect of petty and vindictive. Shakespeare introduced Don John in a quiet and cloudy manner, the most mysterious of the crowd, because he introduced himself as " I am not of many words." then only showed up in scenes of scheming and dissension. Such as, "Come, come, let us thither: this may prove food to my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow: if I can cross him any way, I bless myself every

The Shakespearean play, Much Ado About Nothing, has a unique and an interesting way of presenting the idea of gender, especially for female characters. The play demonstrates two contradictory characters, Hero and Beatrice; one being the “ideal” women during this era and the other being the complete opposite from the “ideal” women. The play challenges as well as reinforces the gender roles during this era with the comparison between the two female characters as well as the attitude of men towards women.

Hero’s appearance and beauty are obviously her greatest asset, as they are what attract Claudio. He falls in love with her at first sight, based solely on her exterior. Only after looking her over does he make inquiries about her character. Determined to have her as his bride, he sets about getting Don Pedro to ask her father to marry him.(line 301, page 256) Hero accepts what her father wants, which declares much about Hero’s character as a submissive

Hero, the unfortunate damsel in distress, sacrificing her own marriage and pretending to perish in order to ameliorate the reputation of her family, compelled to work upon the words of other’, Hero is actually a hero according to the denotation of the word “hero” in “Much Ado About Nothing.” Born into royalty, Hero endures a traumatic incident, but eventually achieves her destiny. One of Shakespeare’s major themes is deception regarding gender roles. With his use of characteristic archetypes, he evokes that deception is what lies between perception and reality, which in this case drives Claudio to misconstrue the reality. A man’s superiority towards a woman is prominent throughout the play and Shakespeare recognizes that a woman’s place in society is much more than standing inferior to men. By portraying Hero’s death, he shows the immense guilt Claudio suffers form and merely suggests that Hero is more than just an object. She is a hero, who, with her sacrificial death, cleanses her family’s reputation and marries the man of her drema. Overcoming the abominable deception imprinted upon Hero, she proclaims herself a hero by fulfilling her goals and through her role, Shakespeare portrays the role of women via society’s views on gender roles.

This essay is an exploration of the play Much Ado About Nothing, and the gender roles involved in the deceit and trickery that transpire and develop throughout the story. As gender is one of the main themes in the plot, identifying the expected gender roles of the characters, and how the contrast between characters highlights these expected roles. In Shakespeare 's time, known as the Elizabethan Era, men and women’s roles and expectations were starkly different. Elizabethan women, no matter what social class, were inferior to men. A female’s role in the family was to get married so they could increase their family 's wealth and power and to produce heirs. Men, on the other hand, had all of the power within a household. Males were expected

The patriarchal society is a setting of ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ that shows male domination and women suppression. Men like Don Pedro, Benedick and Claudio returns with victory from the battle. It implies the boasted male ego. Male honor serves as a crucial importance to men in the play. Leonato questions the messager that ‘How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?’ It hints that physical strength is a definition of manhood. With Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick rise of power as a soldier with victory, they hold great power as a upper social class. In Act 1, the exposition of the play emphasize on men’s talk, only the outspoken Beatrice can have a word or two, but the men still dominate the

His hatred exists on several layers with many different motifs. (Hamblock, pg. 259) Before the reader is ever given a clue about the identity of Othello, there are only the images of animals and beasts contributed by Iago. “I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs” (I.i.114-115) This is also relevant because it