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The merchant of venice characters and realtionship
The merchant of venice characters and realtionship
Dramatic personae of the merchant of Venice
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In the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, there are multiple characters that are tragically flawed in many different ways. The character most tragically flawed in the play Much Ado About Nothing was Don John due to his jealousy, selfishness, and dishonesty. Don John is the legitimate brother between him and Don Pedro. He is a cruel character who’s tragic flaws that makes him an unpleasant character to be around.
In the play, Don John wanted to break Claudio and Hero up. For example, when he told Claudio to go look at the window and watch Hero the night before the wedding.
Wonder not til further warrant go but with me tonight, you shall see her chamber-window entered, even the night before her wedding day. If you love her then
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tomorrow wed her. But it would better fit your honor to change your mind. (Shakespeare 3, 2, 102-109) Don John did this because he was jealous of them and he didn’t want them to get married so he tricked Claudio the night before the wedding.
He sent Claudio to watch Hero out the window with another man. Don John hated to see Claudio and Hero in love, leading to jealous and anger. Don John tries to ruin Hero’s reputation by making her look disloyal to Claudio.
Secondly, Don John suffers from the tragic flaw selfishness. He is the most selfish character in the whole play. If Don John doesn’t like something, it won’t happen. Like when Don John agreed to trick Claudio and Hero to break them up before the wedding. Don John creates a dark tone to ruin the happiness of Hero and Claudio. Someone not selfish would want others to be happy and be successful, but not Don John. He wants everyone to be unhappy and suffer because of him.
Lastly, the tragic flaw dishonesty, is what Don John suffers from the most. Don John lies about everything just to get his way and to get what he wants. In fact, he lives in a lie himself. When he was telling Claudio that Hero was being disloyal he never gave any detail about it but he just said he would “prove it”. If Don John wasn’t in this play, there wouldn’t be as many lies and confusion. He causes so much “Signor, you are very near my brother in his love. He is enamoured on Hero. I pray you dissuade him from her. She is no equal for his birth. You may do the part of an honest man in it” (Shakespeare 2, 1,
23). Bringing together such a wide range of jealousy, selfishness, and dishonesty, I believe Don John is the most tragically flawed throughout all the characters and book.
“Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit (Matthew 7:17).” If you are truly a Christian, than you would bears good characteristic. Don John is a bastard in his family, so William Shakespeare give him a greedy characteristic. Don John’s greed makes him do many disgusting things, and he almost kill Hero, the wife of Claudio, using his words. Readers could not find any Christian attitude on Don John. Don John in Much Ado About Nothing did not exhibit Christian attitudes because of his revenge, his dishonesty characteristic, and he is a gossip monger.
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.
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
Don Pedro and his men return from the war and visit the house of Leonato and his brother, Antonio. This sudden meeting reunites Beatrice with her archrival, Benedick, and it is here that Claudio and Hero fall in love.
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.
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...
When he arrives in Messina with the Army he sees hero and falls in love with her instantly. He plans to make hero fall in love with him and marry her. In the play he convinces Don Pedro to woo hero in his name at the Masquerade Ball. At the end of the ball Claudio and Don Pedro’s plan works and Claudio plans on marrying Hero. Claudio himself says that “Would it even be possible to buy a jewel as fare and precious as hero.” He says this when he is talking with Benedick about Hero when he first sees her. This shows the influence of Don Pedro’s actions on Claudio. Alongside Don Pedro and Leonato, Claudio helps them try to convince Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him. They enter the orchid when Benedick is there and they tell lies about Beatrice in order to convince him of her love. Claudio says that “Once the music has ended, we’ll give him more than he bargained for.” This quote shows that when the music ends they will put the plans into action and fool Benedick. However later on in the play Don John brings Claudio and Don Pedro with him to try to ruin Claudio’s marriage. He has one of his friends Borachio sleep with Margret in the name of hero so it looks like Claudio will be cuckolded if he marries Hero. Therefore, Claudio
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.
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 says:
Lorenzo de Ponte’s libretto provides the main character traits of Don Giovanni , Leporello , and The Commendatore. It gives an easy way of distinguishing between the characters. Don Giovanni is portrayed as being smart , charming , and brave , yet selfish , arrogant , womanizing , and pompous. We see all of these traits in the final dinner scene. These opposing traits set up a love hate relationship of Don Giovanni.
However, I feel that Keanu Reeves is not suitable to play the part of Don John. In another version of Much Ado About Nothing, the actor cast as Don John was much older and less handsome, which made him appear more of a villain and I feel, for this reason, he succeeded in playing the role of Don John. I think that Keanu Reeves is inappropriate to play this role because the audience does not immediately recognise him as a villain. Keanu Reeves normally plays the part of the hero; the person that does the good deeds; the one who attracts the women, which provides him with a false image at the beginning of the play. It's imp... ...
He is helpful, kind, and powerful. For example. “Lady Beatrice, I will get you one” (Shakespeare 27). He wants to help Beatrice get a husband, and help Claudio and Hero with their happiness. Also, “ and, as I wooed for thee to obtain her, I will join with thee to disgrace her” (Shakespeare 96). This piece of evidence shows that Don Pedro is affected by the news from Don John regarding Hero’s disloyalty , and his opinions on other characters start to change. This brings out some strengths and weaknesses in the two brothers. Don Pedro truly wants to help Hero with her marriage without and tricks or change of plans in the beginning of the play. Don Pedro impacts the work with his actions and beliefs, and he is seen as cupid and a peacemaker. His relationship with Don John helps understand what is going on between all the characters and the reasons for the events that took
With this ending and the treatment of Don John throughout the play, it is clear that he will never be able to mingle positively without suspicion, and with other characters. His harsh sentencing for deceit is hypocritical as almost every character in the play, from Don Pedro to Leonato himself have deceived people, albeit not with bad intentions like Don John. His reputation ever since he was born has dictated his life and his only alternative to being called an untrustworthy bastard is to become a “plain-dealing” villain, to forge himself his own identity. Although everyone believes he is a conniving villain, Don John’s just forcing himself to be one; to prove he has his own identity among the “posh” people of Messina even if it is antagonistic.
When being an illegitimate child like Don John, one begins to think of themselves the way people treat them. Therefore, when Don John acts in his villainous ways, one blame it on Don John or rather the people who made him feel that he is less than human. Don John believes that his only way to be acknowledged is to act in a way no one will forget, therefore he acts as the villain in Much Ado About Nothing, because that what society made him out to be.
In answer to the friar's first question, "You come . . . to marry this lady?" Claudio answers "No." Leonato assumes Claudio is joking and explains that the Friar is marrying them, that Claudio is being married to Hero.The friar proceeds and soon comes to the question about knowing any "impediment why you should not be conjoined." Claudio challenges Hero, Leonato nervously tries to move the ceremony along, but Claudio chooses to delay further, finally condemning Hero as a "rotten orange," blushing with guilt, a "wanton," "greedier than Venus". Don Pedro joins the judgement, calling her a "common stale" (a whore). Claudio asks Hero who appeared with her in her window last night, and she denies any such appearance. Don Pedro reports that he, Claudio, and Don John all saw her there. Hero faints, and the three accusers