William Shakespeare 's Much Ado About Nothing

“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

Deceit is the act of concealing or misrepresenting the truth. Deceit plays an important role in the plot of Shakespeare’s play Much Ado about Nothing. It also has a large influence on the relationships of the play. Much Ado about Nothing is a play written by William Shakespeare who is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time. William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. From roughly 1594 onward he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Company of theatrical players. Over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict. Like his play Shakespeare’s marriage to his wife was thought to be brought on by a deceit. A lot of mystery surrounds the marriage in 1582 of England’s greatest writer and Miss Hathaway, but scholars are sure on a few of the facts. Firstly, William was 18 years old and Anne was 26. At the time, an age difference of this type was very unusual. It is seeming that Anne Hathaway became pregnant prior to marriage which would have no doubt caused a scandal for both of the families. William Shakespeare 's father John would not have been pleased at the damaging effect that the gossip would have had on his own social standing in Stratford. A hasty marriage would have been arranged in an attempt to deceive the public that they had waited till after marriage to consummate their relationship. Another mystery is

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.

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

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,

In this comment, the audience get a glimpse of his character, youth and inexperience, and may well question Claudio's feelings and wonder whether they are genuine and to be trusted. In addition, the fact that Claudio asks Don Pedro about Hero's family and whether she has any brothers suggests that he could be thinking about money and inheritance; "Hath Leonato any sons, my Lord?" (1:1:261). This implies that Claudio could be calculating and shows a materialistic, mercenary interest in marriage. Are Claudio's feelings entirely based on the sight of Hero, or is money governing his intentions?

Claudio’s love for Hero appeared very suddenly and many of his actions show that he is very quick to let her go. For example, when Don John tricks Claudio into thinking Don Pedro wooed Hero for himself, Claudio said, “Farewell therefore Hero!” (Shakespeare 23). Rather than defending his relationship he is fully capable of parting ways immediately. It is safe to assume that if he truly loved her, he would have fought for her affection, or at the least, have a formal break up. Another example is when Leonato says, “My brother hath a daughter, Almost the copy of my child that’s dead, And she alone is heir to both of us” (Shakespeare 90-91). At this point, he believes that Hero is dead and this is when Leonato informs Claudio about another person he can marry that is similar to her. He accepts the

            This banter between the men is consistent with the notion that all Shakespeare men want to marry a pure, socially benefiting woman and avoid cuckoldry.  Claudio also does not seem to know much about Hero, thus explaining why he is asking Benedick and Don Pedro about her.  He not only wants to know that his budding feelings are justified, but he wants to make sure that his choice of lady is indeed worthy of his honor.  Even if Hero is fair, if she will not compliment Claudio’s social status, he will not marry her (Ranald 74).

During the beginning of Act 1 Claudio is introduced to Hero the daughter of Signior Leonato and is immediately interested in her stating that quote, “she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on.” Though interested in her, Claudio wanted Benedick’s approval. When hearing that Claudio was attracted to Hero Benedick immediately was in disapproval of the thought, for in his eyes she was quote “too low for high praise, too brown for fair praise, and too little for great praise. Though disappointed of Benedick’s disapproval, Claudio chose to still peruse Hero. Later on Claudio and Hero get engaged but when Don John an evil man here’s about the engagement he devises a plan to deceived Claudio and destroy the marriage. When Don John’s plan is put into action Claudio falls right into the trap and believes that Hero is cheating on him. Though Claudio is furious he does not confront Hero with his problem but rather holds on to the information until the wedding. The wedding day arrives, and everything is in place. Once Hero has come down the aisle Claudio then starts accusing her of cheating on him. Instead of confronting Hero alone to talk about what he saw, Claudio choose to humiliate her in front of her family and friends. His reaction

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

Like Heros and Claudio's relationship, this is one of the problems with modern relationship, many couples begin to have a “connection” due to following the path of lust instead of love. Not to mention, when Hero and Claudio began their relationship they hadn’t establish trust and instead believed others alternately, having creating problems in their relationship. When, Hero was framed and accused of cheating, Claudio accepted Don Johns statement rather than, trusting Hero for who she is. When Don John had lied to Claudio of what had occured, Claudio was quick to make hurtful comments of Hero like “she has been too long a-talking, the lady is disloyal” (III. ii. 95-97). This links to modern relationships due, to people not getting the chance to know each other and not being able to acknowledge who is truly faithful and who is not. Finally, Hero was swift to return to the arms of Claudios, recognizing that he had hurt her emotionally and physically. Overall, theses points associate with relationships in the twenty first century due, too many people getting together just for the purpose having a good image for the public eyes rather than being good for the

Claudio and hero are very alike, but they do have quite a bit of differences. “Not to be married, Not to knit my soul to an approved wanton.” That is when claudio and leonato(hero’s father) are having a conversation.Don Pedro says,”What should I speak? I stand dishonored, that have gone about To link my dear friend a common stale.” Leonato replies, “Are these things spoken, or do i but dream.These quotes support the first quote by claudio by showing that don pedro

At the end Claudio had the idea of Don John really falling for hero, though it was false it was a misconception between one another that caused claudio to be triggered. Though hero fell in love with Don John, who was disguised to be Claudio, Claudio felt jealous and turned against even though it was not what it had looked like. I believe this section of the book shows strong deception between multiple characters and what they were under the impression of. With Heros feeling toward claudio, “Hero thinks surely she will die, for she says she will die if he love her not...” (2.3.180-181) Claudio felt the happiness between the couple when Hero had explained her love out loud.

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).