Much Ado

Emotions are a vital part of what makes human’s separate from the rest of the animal world. They run how a person thinks, acts, and processes information. In Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, the characters let their emotions get the best of them and this causes much conflict to arise in the play. The friar, being the only character to stay coolheaded helps to develop the plot of the play with the marriages as well as to aid the theme that using emotions to problem solve leads to disaster whereas using logic causes desirable results.

The Friar is a relatively minor character in Much Ado About Nothing yet he may be the most important because of his ability to solve and resolute Hero and Claudio’s marriage. He is credited with fixing Hero’s marriage to Claudio when he has been wrongfully led to believe that she has had relations with a man prior to their wedding. Shakespeare uses the Friar’s expertise and calm demeanor to differentiate him from the other characters. These characteristics allow him to be able to assess the situation and come up with a plan to fix everything. The other characters in the play do not handle the situation so well. For example, Leonato, Hero’s father, lets his anger take control of him and exclaims, “Do not live, Hero.” (Ado 4.1.122) He is so ashamed of her and angry that she ruined his reputation that he thinks it would be better for her, him, and everyone if she would just die. This extreme display of fatherly anger shows just how horrifying the situation was which makes the Friar’s ability to stay calm that more amazing. He starts his defense for Hero by saying, “Hear me a little; for I have only been silent so long.” (Ado 4.1.154-155) He lets Leonato get all of his anger out befor...

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...may have died, or Benedick as well. The Friar was determined to save Hero and Claudio’s marriage, which kept the whole play from falling apart. He did so in a way that was sure to keep Claudio from getting mad at Hero so that it would ensure that they would end up getting married.

In Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, the supporting character of the Friar was the key component in tying up all of the loose ends. Even though he had few lines and was only prevalent in two scenes of the play, his strategies and proposals aided in the rescuing of one marriage and the formation of another. He was also responsible for clearing Hero’s name, which affects not only her whole life but her fathers as well. Shakespeare used the Friar to progress the play’s storyline as well as to show how one must use logic and reason to problem solve if you want desirable results.