Claudio from the book "Much Ado About Nothing" is the most tragically flawed because he is too trusting, and his huge amount of trust for people ends up creating problems later and he doesn’t think about the other times he was lied to by the same character. He is also very shy and has more courage on the battlefield than when he is around other people so this will cause so confusion between characters. Claudio is too shy to do certain things and it causes confusion and messes things up for him. In Act two, Scene one Claudio hears from Don John that Don Pedro only created their plan to get close to Hero and ask to marry her himself. Claudio then went on to believe this himself and in Act two, Scene one said “ ‘Tis certain so, the Prince woos …show more content…
for himself. Friendship is constant in all other things Save in the office and affairs of love… Farewell therefore, Hero” (Shakespeare). Claudio got himself stuck in this mess because he was too shy to go talk to her himself. In Act one, Scene one Claudio says this when Don John asks him if he likes Hero; “When you went onward on this ended action, I looked upon her with a soldier’s eye, that liked, but had rougher task in hand than to drive liking to the name of love.” (Shakespeare). Claudio told Don Pedro that he loved Hero yet he could not go up to her to ask for her hand in marriage. Leonato later found out about the plan and told Hero that it was Don John who loved her. All this caused confusion between the characters. Later, Don John tells Claudio that Don Pedro really did love her so Claudio just gave up ever loving her. If Claudio could muster up a little courage then all of this could have been avoided if he talked to Hero himself. Claudio was too shy for his own good. If he could have gone up to her then none of this would have happened. Claudio is too trusting, and sometimes gets in his way of knowing what's right and what's wrong.
In Act 3, Scene 2, Don John gave Claudio and Don John false information about Hero cheating or being disloyal to Claudio. In Act three, Scene two Don John says this to Don Pedro and Claudio “I come hither to tell you; and, circumstances shortened, for she has been long too a-talking of, the lady is disloyal.” (Shakespeare) Claudio then believes what he said so much that he actually goes to the wedding and shames her in Act four, Scene one. Claudio said “What man was he talked with you yesternight out your window betwixt twelve and one? Now, if you are a maid answer to this.” (Shakespeare). By calling her out he then ruined his relationship with Leonato, Beatrice, Benedick, Antonio, and Hero for a while. He ruined his reputation along with Heroes. He later becomes known as a criminal throughout the household. He endangers himself to the point that Benedick is asked by Beatrice to kill him, so Benedick challenges him to a duel so he can fight him. Claudio took the bait with saying “If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her.” (Shakespeare). Claudio immediately went into saying how upset he was and how he will disgrace her. He didn’t think anything of what Don Jon was saying coming from him and how he is a known criminal and hates his brother whom is friends with Claudio. After Don John tells
Claudio that Hero was cheating on him it took only a matter of seconds for Claudio to become convinced that he was telling the truth. Caudio went from falling in love too trusting the wrong person multiple times after being lied to by the same person. Claudio let his shyness and over the top trustworthiness get the best of him by allowing someone to dictate his beliefs. He let Don John push him into believing that Hero was cheating on him and that his friend would lie to him just so he could steal his girl. All in all, Claudio’s flaws got in the way of his and others happiness to the point that Hero's father had to lie about her death, and him marrying the “copy” of Hero. If Claudio could have trusted the people he knew were his friends and people who don’t have a history of being deceiving then he would have been able to flourish more easily.
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.
He becomes jealous and he tries to take it away or make them feel inferior in some way. Seeing people that have something he didn’t, makes him feel like he is below them and he makes them an enemy. Don John shows this trait in ACT 2 Scene 2 when he says “ Any bar, any cross, any impediment will be/ mendicable to me. I am sick in displeasure to him,/ and whatsoever comes awart his affection ranges/ evenly with mine. How canst thou cross this marriage?”(Shakespeare 30). Since Claudio and Hero love each other and he has never experienced love he tries to ruin their wedding. He feels jealous and therefore thinks he has to intervene and that they should not love each other anymore either. This shows another Machiavellian trait of Don John as his selfishness and self-centeredness come through simply because they have what he wants and doesn't know how to get. Another thing that he wants is the throne. His brother Don Pedro is the current king. Don John goes to war with his brother Don Pedro over this. In ACT 1 Scene 1 Leonato asks the Messenger about the war, “How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?”(Shakespeare 1). Don John’s brother has the throne but he believes he is entitled to it. Don John is jealous of what his brother has and is willing to do anything he can to get it. This shows that he is Machiavellian because he tries force people to comply to his
In was in Act 2 Scene 3, when Don John came up to both Claudio and his brother Don Pedro to discuss what he saw, Hero “supposedly” cheating on Claudio with another man the night before their wedding. Even though Claudio is naturally very gullible and naive, he first trusted Don John, who is known as the “Bastard,” when he was told that Hero was cheating on him and not Hero, herself. Also, in Act 4 Scene 1, the actual wedding day is when Claudio confronted her in front of an entire audience when Hero clearly states that what he speaks is completely false information given by Don John. Hero said, “I talk’d with no man at the hour, my lord.” (85) The non-exist amount of trust and loyalty they have for each other is unimaginable
Evidence to support this reason says, “How you know he loves her? I heard him swear his affection. . . But hear these ill news with the ears of Claudio. ‘Tis certain so; the prince woos for himself. . . trust no agent; for beauty is a witch. . . Farewell, therefore, Hero” (Shakespeare pg. 23). This quote shows how Claudio was easily convinced to believe that Don Pedro loves Hero for himself, even though there wasn’t anything to prove of this, and how he doesn’t even try to ask Don Pedro if this is true or not. Another piece of evidence says, “If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her tomorrow, in the congregation where I should wed, there will I shame her” (Shakespeare pg. 50). This quote shows how again, Claudio was easily convinced by Don John that he will not wed Hero if he sees her being disloyal towards him. This quote also shows how he’s easily convinced to do something due to someone telling him to do so. To sum this all up, Claudio’s manipulation is his second most major tragic
For instance, the characters Hero and Claudio could easily be compared to Romeo and Juliet. Both Hero and Juliet are innocent, quiet, and beautiful young women who fall in love instantly without conversing with the other person. Likewise, Claudio and Romeo decide to marry these women within twenty-four hours. Because of these characters’ lack of unique and interesting qualities, I am intrigued by Beatrice. Beatrice is by far the best character Shakespeare created because of how effortlessly she lightens the mood.
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.
Shakespeare’s introduction of the other couple in question is in stark contrast to the way in which Beatrice and Benedick were introduced. Claudio and Hero are amorously receptive to one and other from the very start. Upon laying eyes on Hero, Claudio remarks of her to Benedict “is she not a modest young lady?” (1.1.125). Clearly, by having Claudio express his fondness of Hero to Benedick, the playwright directly compares the older and more cynical to the more young and naive, allowing the reader to see the contrasting personas of the two men. This is reinforced by Benedick, who after finishing listening to Claudio’s rhetoric on the charms of the young Hero (“in m...
He does not make excuses or try to escape the situation. For example, when Don John lies to Claudio and Don Pedro about Hero’s disloyalty. “For she has been too long a-taking of-the lady is disloyal”(Shakespeare 89-90). This shows how easily conflict could have been avoided because all Claudio and Don Pedro have to do is ask anyone and they would find out that Don John’s accusations were false.
However, despite Claudio's questionable motives for marriage, his genuine affection for Hero is made known through his eloquent speeches and jealous behavior. After his betrothal to Hero, Beatrice taunts him for his lack of speech, to which he replies: Claudio. Silence is the perfectest herald of joy. I were but little happy if I could say how much. Lady, as you are mine, I am yours.
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.
As mentioned, the act of Claudio forfeiting Hero’s hand in marriage and denouncing her at their wedding ceremony due to her unloyalty, not only proves that a woman’s virtue is critical to his “love” for her but also reveals a deeper meaning to the play as a whole at various degrees. Men are only satisfied when they completely dominate a woman. This means not only obtaining her heart, but her virginity and virtue as well. In this time period, their wives were seen as their property and a man would rather throw his whole fiance away than tread on previously marked territory. If Claudio genuinely loved Hero in the first place, he would have confronted her about the situation in private before he unjustly demolished her publicly based on a loose
The beginning of the play shows Claudio, on numerous occasions, as gullible and paranoid that everyone is against him. When Don John tells Claudio that Don Pedro has wooed Hero for himself he responds by saying, ““But hear these ill news with the ears of Claudio. Tis’ certain so. The Prince woos for himself” (Shakespeare 24.) This quote shows that Claudio often puts his trust in the wrong people. He takes the word of an enemy, who he has already defeated in battle, over someone who fought along side him and is supposedly his best friend. It also shows how naïve Claudio can be and how easily he will take what others say as the truth without using his better judgment. In this quote, Claudio proves how fast he can turn against someone, even one of his best friends, when he hears they have wronged him. When Don John accuses Hero of being unfaithful to Claudio he says, “If I see anything tonight w...
Don John plays an essential role for nearly all of the trickery and deception in this play. He acts like a catalyst and an instigator for trouble, whose sole aim is to marmalize the love and happiness between Claudio and Hero. Shakespeare uses foreshadowing of Don John’s villainy to display the trickery and deception: ’It better fits my blood to be distained of all than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any, in this, though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. I am trusted with a muzzle and enfranchized with a clog: therefore I have decreed not to sing in my cage. If I had my mouth, I would bite, if I had my liberty, I would do my liking.
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.
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 feelings mean.... ... middle of paper ... ...