Beverly Grose
February 1, 2005
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare creates a world where
telling the truth can be a villainous act and telling a lie can be a virtuous act.
Deception fills the play and leads to both good and evil.
The antagonist, Claudio, who is a courtier concerned with social position,
seeks a wife. Don Pedro, a prince and Claudio’s friend, agrees to help him woo
Hero, the daughter of Leonato. Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, and Don John
travel to Messina, Italy, where Leonato is the governor.
Because of his envy and hate for Claudio, Don John, who is Don Pedro’s
bastard brother, wants to thwart Claudio’s effort to wed Hero. Don John, the
protagonist, is a bitter, melancholy man. Deception is Don John’s method for
defeating Claudio, and Claudio easily believes Don John and his cohort,
Borachio.
During the play, Claudio grows from a man in love with Hero to a man who
denounces Hero at the altar as a wanton woman. The subplot of the play
concerns Benedick and the feisty, Beatrice, and shows their feelings change
from seeming intense dislike to love.
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Benedick and the feisty, Beatrice
Don John’s first chance to deceive Claudio occurs at the masquerade
where Don Pedro has been courting Hero for Claudio. Don John and Borachio
tell Claudio that Don Pedro actually loves Hero and plans to marry her. Claudio,
who believes their lies, leaves the masquerade in anger.
Don John’s deceptions do not work for long, and Hero and Claudio are
soon engaged. The play moves to a more light-hearted scene of deception
where Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato speak of Beatrice’s love for Benedick.
They, of course, know that Benedick is hidden and listening intently to them. In
the next scene of deception, Beatrice, also hidden, listens as Hero and Ursula
speak of Benedick’s love for Beatrice. Both Benedick and Beatrice believe these
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deceptions and gradually express their love for each other during the remainder
of the play.
Meanwhile, in Act 2, Scene 2, Borachio and Don John work on a full-proof
plan to ruin the happiness of Claudio. Borachio will make love to Margaret,
Hero’s maid, in Hero’s room. Don John will take Don Pedro and Claudio to see
the deceptive scene of Borachio at Hero’s window, calling Margaret by Hero’s
name. In Act 3, Scene 2, the night before the wedding of Claudio and Hero, Don
John goes to Don Pedro and Claudio to tell them that “the lady is disloyal.” In a
plot reminiscent of Iago inciting Othello to jealousy and anger, Don John tells
them he will show them that Hero is being untrue to Claudio by having premarital
sex with Borachio. Claudio and Don Pedro both believe the scene that Don John
and Borachio have staged (97).
In the climax of the play, Claudio, a man more concerned with his own
pride and social propriety, speaks the “truth” about Hero and accuses her of
being a wanton before the entire wedding party. Hero attempts to defend herself,
but Don John denounces Hero two times during the climactic scene, and his
condemnations encourage Claudio to further insult Hero. Hero faints, and both
Claudio and her father seem to believe her death would be preferable to her
dishonor. Beatrice, however, wants Benedick to prove his love for her, and she
asks Benedick to “Kill Claudio” (143).
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In the resolution of the play Claudio discovers Hero was, indeed, a
virtuous woman. Deceived into believing Hero is dead, he suffers through the
guilt and remorse for believing the deceptions of Borachio and Don John.
Much Ado About Nothing ends with Benedick’s proposing to Beatrice even
after they both realize they’ve been deceived into falling in love. Hero is unveiled
and Claudio, relieved to see that she is alive, will marry her. Don John will be
punished the next day. Benedick leads everyone to dance “that we may lighten
our own hearts and our wives heels” (197).
Works Cited
Photo from Performance <http://dsc.dixie.edu/shakespeare/muchado6.htm>
Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and
Paul Werstine. New York: The Washington Square Press. 1995.
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