Much Ado is a romantic comedy that has a large focus on trickery and deceit. It uses trickery and deceit constantly to get a form of drama, or to even get the plot rolling. This leads to love and romance in many different ways, but it also leads to betrayal and hatred. The play is focused around characters Claudio and Hero’s love interest in each other, but also has sub plots of characters Benedick and Beatrice’s love, which they were tricked into falling in love. Through twists and turns the play gets to its end leaving the main characters desperately in love, and most of this was achieved using different forms of trickery. Claudio and Hero’s love started at first sight, starting their love interest early in the play and setting up for their …show more content…
Benedick and Beatrice both believe that love and marriage is a lie, and they would prefer to be without it. Prince devises a plan to get them to fall in love with each other by tricking them into believing they love each other. Prince, Leonato, and Claudio catch Benedick in a garden where they talk about Beatrice’s horrible love for him where Claudio says “ Hero thinks she will die, for she will die if he love her not, and she will die ere she make her love known”(2.3.179-181), leaving Benedick to think that she loves him so much it might be the death of her. This scene starts the love between Benedick and Beatrice because after hearing this news of Beatrice’s “love for Benedick, Benedick feels he must in turn love her back. While at the same time, Hero and her Gentlewomen catch Beatrice by herself and speak about Benedick’s “love” for her to which she has the same reaction that Benedick does and feels she must love him too. This use of trickery leads to both Benedick and Beatrice, who once scoffed at the idea of love and marriage, to fall in love with each …show more content…
Jon the bastard is so enraged with Hero and Claudio’s marriage that his “partner” Borachio devices a plan where he would sleep with Margaret and lure Claudio and Prince to seeing this and believing that Hero is unfaithful. The plan works perfectly and the next day at the wedding ceremony, Claudio publicaly humiliates and dishonors Hero in front of everyone, and Jon the bastard flees. This form of trickery leads to the separation of Claudio and Hero, as well as the “death” of Hero. Borachio is later caught bragging about his plan, and the truth gets
The difference between Beatrice,Benedick,and the other two Claudio and Hero though is that, these two are very headstrong characters with a different outlook on love, but have very much love for one another. Benedick believes in just being a bachelor and spending the rest of his life messing with as many women as he pleases, well as for Beatrice she believes there is no man good enough and willing to show her the love she wants so she much rather be left alone. But the fact that they honestly want to believe what they say is what makes this get way more interesting. What they don’t know is that they are going to soon become curious trying to figure out what they truly feel for one
The main problem is young Count Claudio. He is immature when it comes to matters of love, and it shows when he hints of his growing feelings for Hero when he asks Benedick what he thinks of her (I.i.161). Claudio cannot come out and just say that he has feelings for Hero, he has to seek approval from his male counterparts first. While talking to both Benedick and Don Pedro, Claudio describes his feelings as passion first (I.i.219-220), and then he says, “That I love her, I feel” (I.i.228), indicating that he knows he feels something for Hero, but he is unsure of exactly what his feeling...
Hero and Claudio represent the Elizabethan norm in marriage. Claudio is the shrewd, hardheaded fortune hunter and Hero is the modest maiden of conduct books and marriage manuals, a docile young woman. It is important to note that Claudio is more concerned with advancement in Don Pedro's army than he is with love. Therefore, Shakespeare illustrates to the reader through the near tragedy of mistaken identity that Claudio must learn that marriage is more than a business arrangement and become worthy of Hero's love and affection. Source: Ranald, Margaret Loftus. "As Marriage Binds, and Blood Breaks: English Marriage and Shakespeare". Shakespeare Quarterly. Vol 30, 1979: 68-81.
Firstly, one of the two major tragic flaws of Claudio is his Passion of love for Hero. Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing says, “Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear In the rare semblance that lov’d it first” (Shakespeare pg. 89). This quote shows how Claudio loves Hero once again when he hears Hero’s innocence. This quote also shows how Claudio’s passion of love for Hero is not as deep as it should have because he loved her again after overreacting and judging things too
Beatrice asks, Does it make any sense to write and tell him I love you when I have always treated him with scorn?” (2.3.31-34). In this quote all Claudio was saying was that Hero had told him that Beatrice had confessed to her that she was in love with Benedick but was not sure how to let him know That all changed when family and friends helped them both realized they have always been in love with one another. As for Claudio and Hero they are a couple who see eye to eye knowing they are perfect for one another. Even though they had an antagonist that did not want to see them happily married such as Don John, they were able to let it pass and end up happily
Towards the middle of play Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leanato decided to trick Benedick and Beatrice into loving each other by telling them each other had written them a love story or pronounced they loved the other. Claudio is a master of his own game, he managed to fool Benedick but he also falls for the same trick almost 3 times. This shows that Claudio is blind when it comes to himself, he doesn’t know who he is. And if we go back to when Don Pedro had to woo Hero for him, then that's when it starts to make sense. Claudio’s tragic flaw is that he lacks confidence in himself.
It is reported to Don John by Borachio that “…The Prince should woo Hero for himself, and having obtained her, give her to Count Claudio.
Hero is resembled by Claudio as a “well-mannered young lady” who is content with her own unchangeable, elegant personality. This quote shows Hero is matron, and consistent of her elegance throughout the book and it is because of her personality that causes Claudio to be drawn to her. Claudio on the other hand, admits to Don Pedro that he is “hasty in (his) emotions”, which resembles his skeptical and uncertain personality when it comes to actually admitting his love for Hero. This evidence supports how Claudio is unsure of himself, and because of Claudio’s doubtful and unsure qualities he is quick to believe Don John when he says Hero has been unfaithful.
The deception is woven when Hero and Ursula pretend that they aren't aware of Beatrice's presence. Likewise, Beatrice believes that Hero and Ursula are clueless about her presence. Beatrice then eavesdrops on their conversation and finds out through their deceit that Benedick is hopelessly in love with her. Beatrice falls into the trap and she acknowledges her true feelings for Benedick; stating: Although Benedick and Beatrice are deceived and lied to, these deceptions are really benign as there is an honourable motive behind it; their friends see through their self-deceptions and want to bring them together as they rightfully should be. When the deceptions are revealed, Benedick and Beatrice's relationship has already blossomed and bloomed; they truly are in love and justice prevails as the lovers are finally united. This deception unquestionably plays a significant role in the positive
After hearing from Don John that Hero is cheating on him and seeing the staged affair that Borachio took part in, Claudio is ready to unleash his wrath on Hero during their wedding ceremony. His anger is shown through his insults aimed at Hero as he calls her a “rotten orange” (4.1.27), “approved wanton” (4.1.39), and “common stale” (4.1.59). The use of these insults clearly has a major effect on Claudio and Hero’s relationship and without them, Claudio’s pure rage would not be as evident. Claudio also reveals his feelings of betrayal through sarcasm in this scene by saying “What a hero hadst thou been” (4.1.93). The use of sarcasm in this scene, like the use of anger through insults, reveals Claudio’s true feelings in a much stronger way than if it had not been used at all. When Claudio walks out and Hero “dies” of shock, it is clear that Claudio’s insults and sarcasm drove a knife through the heart of their relationship as husband and wife. Hero’s understanding of Claudio is also changed forever in this scene, as she now sees him as a cruel man who does not trust the word of the woman he loves. Likewise, Claudio confirms to himself through his rant that Hero is promiscuous and does not deserve to be
They stay in the town of Messina where they have many parties at Leonato’s house. As a highly acclaimed soldier, Claudio thinks very highly of himself and only wants the best from life. At the party Claudio is smitten with a lady named Hero and supposedly falls in love with her as soon as he sees her. Nevertheless, his love is not true, and he quickly rejects her once he thinks that she is unfaithful. Claudio behaves much like a spoiled child would, who gets a nice toy but rejects it for no apparent reason.
When Benedick hears that Claudio has fallen in love for Hero, he is enraged. He thought that Claudio would live a bachelor’s life like him. Benedick tells him that men who are in love are not masculine. Near the end of Act IV, Benedick’s complete change is evident when Benedick chooses love over friendship. Benedick challenges Claudio, previously his closest friend in the world, to duel to the death over Claudio’s accusation as to Hero’s unethical behavior. After Beatrice complains to him about Claudio’s mistake, Benedick gives in, “Enough, I am engaged. I will challenge him.” At this point, there is no doubt that Benedick has switched his allegiances entirely over to Beatrice. But then again, Benedick was relieved that Hero was proved guilty so he would not have to fight his close friend Claudio.
While barely knowing one another, a marriage was proposed to be scheduled within days. Leonato tells Claudio who wants to rush the marriage “Not till Monday, my dear son, which is hence a just sevennight”. Generally modern day relationships do not get married so quickly, Claudio wanted to get married the very next day, but Leonato explained next monday will be suitable. In every relationship communication is key, this is something Claudio and Hero did very little to none of. In the text it states “Then after to her father I will break”. Direct communication with one another is more so common in this time rather than speaking with other people. As shown Leonato has chosen for Claudio to be Hero’s husband. Leonato tells Claudio “Daughter, remember what I told you. If the Prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer.” While passing through various of time periods the husband of a female is not chosen for them, they may simply take that upon themselves. Claudio and Hero do not display a realistic relationship to modern day relationships for multiple reasons such as, getting married to quickly, no communication, and Hero’s father choosing her
Disguise and deception are central to ‘Much Ado about Nothing’. Not only are they effective comedic plot devices but they are pivotal to the overall construction and establishment of the plot. The masked ball scene, is pivotal to the plot as it sets up the events for the rest of the play, Hero and Claudio are to be together, with the help of Don Pedro. Furthermore, deception as a form of manipulation, as Don Pedro and Claudio convince Benedict that Beatrice is in love with him. The following scene is staged as a parallel, when Hero and Margaret, through deception, convince Beatrice that Benedick that loves her; thus conveying deception in a positive way. Moreover, the audience witness self deception, when Leonato is told that Don Pedro, Prince
as they are told, and as Hero, Claudio’s future wife, had not been. faithful and therefore disrespectful, the blame was shifted to her. However, this was embarrassing for Claudio, and his anger was. great, making him seem aggressive. As the play begins to end.