William Shakespeare's Presentation of Hero in Much Ado About Nothing

William Shakespeare's Presentation of Hero in Much Ado About Nothing "While there is much to delight a modern audience in Much Ado About

Nothing, there is much that will vex, not least the problem of Hero".

In the world of Messina we see women treated very differently to what

we would expect of the treatment of women in the 21st century. We see

women as close equals to men these days, which would have been

unthinkable in the 1600's. So we have to look at whether the

presentation of Hero, in particular, and the women in the play is a

problem for a modern audience and an audience from the time. It is

obvious that audiences of different time periods would have different

views as to whether the presentation of women is acceptable or not,

there would be different values for people of their particular time

period. We also have to understand that people from different

backgrounds of society, people's age, or what sex you are will

determine how you view the play and how women in Messina are

presented.

In my opinion the presentation of women is a very dark element in the

play. I can understand that women's place in society, back then,

wasn't like it is in the 21st century, that their roles were much less

involved, but the treatment of Hero by the male characters, and most

horrifyingly of all, her father Leonato, takes the edge of the comedy

that it is trying to be created. Even though all the problems are

resolved in the play there is always a doubt in my mind about some of

the characters and their reactions towards women throughout the play.