Characters in William Shakespeare's Plays

Characters in William Shakespeare's Plays It might be deduced from listening to Leonato in ‘Much Ado About

Nothing’ that the world of the play is a Patriarchal Place where women

who speak their mind are ‘too curst’. It is to a modern audience that

Hero’s passive silence may seem to be the curse

Although Shakespeare wrote his numerous plays to entertain the

Elizabethan audience, his characters, aside from any comical or

storytelling value can also be seen as representatives of significant

social issues of the time. The theatre acted as a voice of Elizabethan

Society and Shakespeare was fond of exploring the social issues of the

time, as emphasised by Phyland in his An introduction to Shakespeare –

life and times. Shakespeare was particularly interested in the

interaction of the genders, which he examines in many of his tragedies

and comedies. Examples of this would be such as Portia and Bassanio in

Merchant of Venice and Katherina and Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew.

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is another good example of this with numerous

gender interactions such as Beatrice and Benedick and even Hero and

Claudio. The, or at least one of the key issues in ‘Much Ado About

Nothing’ is that of the position of women within the household. To a

modern audience this can also be construed as the position of women

within the whole of Elizabethan Society. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

could be seen as a male dominated play. This is due to the fact that

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...d accepts her

ways, her ‘submission’ may therefore be more aptly conceived as luck

and happiness to come within an understanding and intelligently

balanced relationship. Hero has also appropriately taught Claudio a

lesson on trust and loyalty but has maturely forgiven him and her

‘submission’ is also one into a happy marriage, now blessed with the

gift of trust owing to their experience. She has also taught Claudio

to appreciate her, having momentarily lost her and mutual appreciation

is valuable present in both relationships. The important fact that

'Much Ado About Nothing' portrays is the difference between people,

how they react and also present themselves and the happy ending is the

understanding and acceptance of this and if each women’s ‘curse’ be

such then despite the cliché they may all live happily ever after.