Shakespeare's Influences

“The course of true love never did run smooth” spoke Shakespeare. Throughout Claudio and Hero’s relationship this quote was outlined in their story. Claudio and Hero went off to a good start, but then their relationship was interrupted by Don John, who wanted to destroy their love. He set Claudio up to make it seem like Hero was cheating on him. This made Claudio furious, so at their wedding, Claudio was horrible to Hero. He abandoned Hero at their wedding. Of course Hero had no idea why she was being so awful, as she didn’t have anything to do with it. A couple of days passed, and Claudio found out she was innocent, he was devastated, and because Claudio thought Hero was dead he was willing to marry “Leonatos niece”. Claudio went through with

In the primal Elizabethan era, the lack of any form of paternity test led to the men’s irrational fear of infidelity and the victimization of even the most ideal products of their society. The inheritance of wealth held high importance during this time period and thus heightened the insecurities of upper-class males who worried constantly about the unfaithfulness of women leading to an impure child receiving unrightful wealth. When Claudio first lays eyes on Hero, amongst his initial comments, he asks “Is she not a modest young lady?” (1.1.158). By immediately questioning her purity while paying no attention to wit or personality, he indirectly suggests that her worthiness of marriage relied solely on her docility and innocence. The sexuality of a woman was to be the pride and possession of her husband therefore when Claudio is tricked into believing her adultery he fears a loss of control or diminish of dominance over her. He states, “For thee I'll lock up all the gates of love And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang, To turn all beauty

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.

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,

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.

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

This theme of appearance versus reality is common throughout the play in the number of times deception is used among the characters. Deceit, and misinterpretation of the events causes tension among Claudio and Don Pedro (Act 3 Scene iv). After Claudio fell in love with Leonato's daughter Hero, Don Pedro woos the young lady for him. As Don Pedro does this jealousy arises in Claudio thinking his love is being taken away by the Prince.

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.

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.

Claudio had been tricked into believing he was going to marry “Antonio’s daughter”, who is really Hero. Claudio is easily tricked, but not always for bad causes.

The humiliation caused to Hero in the event would be inconceivable to an audience at the time, being accused of adultery would no doubt ruin a woman’s reputation and therefore create difficulty for her when finding a husband; especially for a woman of high status such as Hero. Claudio is being presented as a potential threat at this part in the play, contrasting with the gallant war hero we were first introduced to. This emphasizes how bitter and sinister Claudio has turned, consequently reminding the audience by irony that is he only interested in wealth and status when marrying Hero. Claudio’s shallow fickleness plays into the villain’s hands. Shakespeare uses the threat of Claudio to generate further anxiety in the audience and concern for Hero’s welfare. This scene shows the men of the play coinciding with each other in their response to the defamation of Hero. Don Pedro personally insults Hero during the commotion of this scene, “to link my dear friend to a common stale,” he suggests here that he believes her status has been lowered by what she has supposedly done and rendered her ‘common’. This personal attack on Hero which has come from someone who shouldn’t really be involved advocates the idea that she is isolated in a patriarchal society in which men group together to defend male interests. Hero’s reputation is being publicly ruined here, and at the time this would have ruined Hero’s life and her

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

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

William Shakespeare, as did most writers of his time, took the basis for the stories he wrote from other texts. He would use source poems or mythology in order to write his own works. Romeo and Juliet, for example, can be compared to the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisby. Plays such as Richard III and Julius Caesar are artistic accounts of historic events. The Tempest, however, is commonly perceived as an original story. Many critics feel that this was the only story of his that was entirely created by Shakespeare. This is not the case. In fact, there are several sources from which he very much drew inspiration for this tale. Shakespeare used

William Shakespeare is known to be the “greatest English-speaking writer in history” and an England’s national poet, actor, and an extremely successful playwright. During Shakespeare’s acting career in London, he started writing all about “European geography, culture, and diverse personalities (History.com).” Willm Shakspere or William Shakspeare, as written by him, then went on to write plays. His first three plays were all created around or a little before 1592 and captured the core studied categories; tragedy (Titus Andronicus), comedy (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew), and history (Henry VI trilogy and Richard III). He wrote plays and sonnets for many theater companies, was one of the main playwrights for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which was renamed the King’s Men when James I was in charge, and formed the Globe theater in 1599 with other partners. Shakespeare’s unique language, themes, verses, format, characters, and plots makes his writing universal to every culture and time period. Shakespeare is still taught in school nowadays due to its’ educational and transitional purposes. Shakespeare continues to influence modern-day life and I believe will for a long time to come.