Examples Of Manipulation In Much Ado About Nothing

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In society today manipulation is a part of everyday life and is done for the benefit of the manipulator. The actions of others can have a big influence on the choices others make. In the play Much Ado about Nothing the author William Shakespeare utilizes character development to suggest the idea that people can be manipulated by the actions of others.
In the play Claudio falls in love and almost ruins it after being deceived by the evil Don John. In the beginning of the play Claudio is just a normal soldier and has become good friends with Benedick. Claudio has exceeded the expectations of many while in the army. He even received the rank of honours from Don Pedro for his excellence. The Messenger himself says that “He looks like a lamb …show more content…

When he arrives in Messina with the Army he sees hero and falls in love with her instantly. He plans to make hero fall in love with him and marry her. In the play he convinces Don Pedro to woo hero in his name at the Masquerade Ball. At the end of the ball Claudio and Don Pedro’s plan works and Claudio plans on marrying Hero. Claudio himself says that “Would it even be possible to buy a jewel as fare and precious as hero.” He says this when he is talking with Benedick about Hero when he first sees her. This shows the influence of Don Pedro’s actions on Claudio. Alongside Don Pedro and Leonato, Claudio helps them try to convince Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him. They enter the orchid when Benedick is there and they tell lies about Beatrice in order to convince him of her love. Claudio says that “Once the music has ended, we’ll give him more than he bargained for.” This quote shows that when the music ends they will put the plans into action and fool Benedick. However later on in the play Don John brings Claudio and Don Pedro with him to try to ruin Claudio’s marriage. He has one of his friends Borachio sleep with Margret in the name of hero so it looks like Claudio will be cuckolded if he marries Hero. Therefore, Claudio …show more content…

In the beginning of the play Benedick is just another soldier with Claudio but is also known for arguing with Beatrice. He is constantly getting in to arguments with her and at the masquerade Ball she pretends to be somebody else to try to interrogate her. When he first arrives in Messina he says “Look, it’s my dear lady distain.” This quote represents the relationship in between Benedick and Beatrice. The relationship they have is one of hatred and anger. However when Benedick is in the Orchid and over hears Claudio and the others he falls in love with Beatrice. When he falls in love with Beatrice he wants to pronounce his love to her himself. AS soon as he sees Beatrice after he was tricked into loving her he started being nice to her and didn’t make fun of her. Benedick also says “Lovely Beatrice, I thank you for taking the pains to tell me that” This highlights his change of heart towards Beatrice and that he is willing to love her. This shows how Benedick was manipulated to love Beatrice by Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato. Afterward When Claudio shammed Hero in front of everybody and left Benedick wants to help Beatrice clear Hero’s name. Benedick doesn’t believe that Hero cheated Claudio and wants to fix the situation. Also he convinces Leonato of the friar’s plan to clear Hero’s name by faking her death. Benedick even says that “I really

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