The Character of Don John in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing The Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy set in Messina, Italy. In this play there is a thin line between it being a comedy and a tragedy, the only thing that stops this play being a tragedy is the happy ending and the fact that no one really dies. Throughout the play there are a series of upsets within the relationships between characters. Don John, who is the illegitimate brother of Don Pedro, causes most of this upset and trouble. Don Pedro is an important nobleman from Aragon. He is a long-time friend of Leonato and is also close to the soldiers that have been fighting under him (the younger Benedick and the very young Claudio). Don John's first words suggest he is socially isolated and emotionally cold. 'I thank you, I am not of many words, but I thank you.' After Leonato and his family had welcomed the small group of soldiers, Leonato welcomes Don John. I think at this point Don John feels as though he shouldn't really be there or feels like an outcast. The next time we meet Don John in the play in is Act I scene III. We learn that he has two associates, Conrade and Borachio. Borachio is the servant of Don John and the lover of Margaret who is Hero's serving women. In this part, we discover that Don John is very independent. ' …I cannot hide what I am: I must be sad when I have cause, and smile at no mans Jests, eat when I have stomach, and wait for no man's Leisure…' He is saying if he wants to feel something he will feel it and show it, regardless of what anyone else might think. D... ... middle of paper ... ...betrayed him at the masked party. Now his susceptibility to suspicion returns to haunt, this time with the support and encouragement of Don Pedro. The play goes on to the climax, which is the scene of Hero and Claudio's wedding. Claudio, as he swore he would, totally humiliated Hero after what he had saw from beneath her balcony. He told everyone she had been unfaithful to him. Hero's family decide to hide her away until the truth has come to light. Soon after, Borachio was overheard bragging about the part he plays in the breakdown of the relationship. Finally, he is arrested, along with Don John. Everyone learns that Hero is innocent, and Claudio, who believes she is dead, grieves for her. In the end Claudio and Hero marry. This is the happy ending which makes this a romantic comedy and not a tragedy.
In this world rumors and dishonesty happen to be everywhere, no matter where you are. Nowaday people start rumors just to hurt and insult people’s feelings that later on lead to dramatic events. In the story “Much Ado about Nothing”, we encounter different scenes that lead to rumors and deception. One scene that we encounter is when Don John, the bastard brother spreads rumors about Hero being disloyal to Claudio and Don Pedro to corrupt Claudio’s and Hero’s relationship. Another scene that we run into is when Ursula and Hero have a talk in the garden about how Benedick has love affection towards Beatrice. Later on, these two scenes play a huge role and become dramatic elements of the story. We will encounter on how rumors and dishonesty can destroy and corrupt not just one person, but many.
by using it as a comic device, but also to sort out situations so that
Secondly, throughout Much Ado About Nothing Don John the bastard is considered an outsider. In Act 1, scene 3 Don John and his companion Conrade are having a discussion about Don John’s sadness. During this conversation Don John
But he greets Don John civilly and Don John politely responds back, “I thank you. I am not of many words, but I thank you” (1.1.127). Immediately, both Leonato and Don Pedro exclude Don John in their conversation and walk away and Don John is not seen again in the play till Act one, scene three.
William Shakespeare said: “Women may fall when there's no strength in men” (Romeo and Juliet). Throughout history gender role have been a big, whether someone is a feminist or someone believes there is no equality between males and females; everyone has different opinions when it comes to the matter of gender roles. The same thing can be said about William Shakespeare who was a feminist (Shakespeare of Stratford). This ideology can be seen in his play Much Ado about Nothing. In this comedy Shakespeare focuses on two pairs of lovers named Claudio and Hero who are set to be married in a week but before their marriage day, they plan to conspire with Don Pedro, the prince of Aragon to trick their friends Beatrice and Benedick to admit their love for each other. Don John, the brother of Don Pedro, meanwhile plots to prevent marriage of Claudio and Hero by accusing Hero of being unfaithful. Don John initially succeeds in his plan as Hero is accused and ashamed at the marriage ceremony, but at the end Claudio and Hero are united and marry each other. Also, Beatrice and Benedick finally declare their love for each and dance at the end of the play. Shakespeare uses a lot of sources for this comedy and one of them is “Orlando Furioso” written in 1591, which gave Shakespeare the idea of Hero and Claudio’s marriage and Don John’s plot to prevent it. Another source Shakespeare used to write the play is the courtier written in 1588, which gave him the idea of the romance between Beatrice and Benedick. And also “La Prima de la Novelle” written in 1554 by Matteo Bandello gave Shakespeare the idea of putting the setting in Messina, Italy (Shakespeare in quarto). Because Shakespeare was a feminist, some of the women appear as supporting and central...
that it is not entirely up to him. He also wants to make sure that
In the meantime, let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me.’ - Don John. o (Act I, Scene III: Lines: 22-30). The first instance of trickery and deception is when Don Pedro tells Claudio that he will woo Hero for Claudio to marry her in Act I Scene I.
Throughout, the play, Much Ado About Nothing, the characters within the play constantly degrade Don John to less than a human, because of his illegitimacy. These people treat him inferior to themselves, which in response makes Don John provoke chaos.
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare focuses on the enormous gap between the power of men and where women stand. Women were expected to be obedient and dependent on men, innocent, and were also expected to be good wives. Shakespeare wanted women to see how the roles are changing for the better. In this play, there is difference between the traditional roles of women back then, and the ones that stand out from the rest. He depicts this through two characters. In the opening scene, where characters and their personalities, and roles are established; Hero has only one line, which is seven words. Even said that, these lines are just a comment on Beatrice. Hero is the daughter and the property of her father, Leonato. Her helplessness comes from her being overprotected by her father, and the need to obey him. Beatrice, by contrast, does not have a father, she lives on her witty personality and her intelligence. Beatrice has a dream to spend her life “where the bachelors sit, and there live we, as merry as the day is long” (2.1.40-46) When Leonato tells Hero, “Daughter, remember what I told you: if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer,” (2.1.60-63) she just stands there, silently obeying her father. Hero’s looks are her only advantage as a women, as they are what attracts Claudio. He falls in love with her at first sight in the first act, based only on her appearance.
Much Ado About Nothing is traditionally known as a comedy, but gender is an obvious theme in this play. To me this play challenges the gender inequality of this time period through its main female roles. Beatrice is a challenge to the traditional woman of the Elizabethan era, who is represented by Hero. Beatrice is seen as a sharp, outspoken, independent woman, while Hero is a quiet, polite and obedient woman. The stark differences between these characters shines a light onto the gender inequality of Shakespeare time. This paper will argue that Beatrice and her cousin Hero are used to show the gender inequality of the the Elizabethan era.
Act 1 Scene 1 is the opening scene to the play, it starts with a
Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing is, on the surface, a typical romantic comedy with a love-plot that ends in reconciliation and marriage. This surface level conformity to the conventions of the genre, however, conceals a deeper difference that sets Much Ado apart. Unlike Shakespeare’s other romantic comedies, Much Ado about Nothing does not mask class divisions by incorporating them into an idealized community. Instead of concealing or obscuring the problem of social status, the play brings it up explicitly through a minor but important character, Margaret, Hero’s “waiting gentlewoman.” Shakespeare suggests that Margaret is an embodiment of the realistic nature of social class. Despite her ambition, she is unable to move up in hierarchy due to her identity as a maid. Her status, foiling Hero’s rich, protected upbringing, reveals that characters in the play, as well as global citizens, are ultimately oppressed by social relations and social norms despite any ambition to get out.
Beatrice is, without a doubt, one of the strongest female characters that Shakespeare ever came up with in his time of writing. Shakespeare shows, through Beatrice, how every woman should act in an era where only the men were even able to have control. In this era, or the renaissance time, no woman had free will; they were always told what they could and could not do, as well as, who they were to marry. In the play “Much Ado About Nothing” Beatrice has many qualities but the ones that stand out the most in the play are: her independence, her feistiness, and of course her openness to defy male subjection.
Othello as a Tragic Character in William Shakespeare's Play The play Othello by William Shakespeare is about passion, treachery and revenge. Othello is a black, well-respected army general in Italy. He falls in love with the white daughter of Brabantio, a senator of Italy, called Desdemona and gets married to her without Brabantio's consent. Iago and Cassio are Othello's best friends, Iago turns out to be two-faced and evil towards Othello because he gave the job of lieutenant to Cassio when Iago thinks it should have been his.
It is in the scenes directly following Act 3 Scene 2 that we see two