Claudio's Eavesdropping On Don John example essay topic

The play "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of William Shakespeare's mature comedies. It is a light-hearted story that captures the imagination of its audience through the use of language, particularly that of wit. It concerns itself most importantly with the notion of love and relationships, especially marriage in Elizabethan society. There are many other social and personal conflicts between the various characters that will be discussed, including the view of illegitimacy during those times, the patriarchal society, as well as the personal faults of certain characters that play a part in the misunderstandings and confusion of circumstances in the play. Rather than resolving these conflicts with the ending, they are rather forgotten about and put aside, only to presumably resurface at a later stage. The play tries to end by tying up the loose ends of the various plots and give the false impression of the characters living 'happily ever after'.

It is for this reason that Much Ado About Nothing does not succeed, in my opinion, in its comic ending. There were many social discrepancies during the time in which "Much Ado About Nothing" was written. Illegitimacy was a one of them. Illegitimate children or 'bastards' were looked down upon by society to a certain extent.

They were seen as symbols of the inconstancy of women, a fate that their mother had brought upon them. Don John is Don Pedro's (the king's) bastard half brother, a fact mentioned in a derogatory way throughout the play. Benedick describes him as " John the Bastard" (act 4 sc 1 ln 183) when he suspects Don John of mischief in the matter of Hero's chastity, an altogether not very complimentary title. Beatrice too is a fatherless daughter, someone wild and uncontrollable who can think for herself and make her own decisions, as she has no father to obey and to answer to.

In both of these cases, the two characters are presented as somewhat deviating from the norms of that society: Don John is a self confessed "plain-dealing villain" (act 1 sc 3 ln 21), who meddles in others affairs for no inherent personal gain, and Beatrice is a non-conforming woman, totally free spirited and strong-willed in all aspects, particularly against the institution of marriage. Love is represented in its many facets, that of its strengths and weaknesses, it's humiliations, contradictions, and, ultimately, its supposed triumphs. Hero and Claudio have a physical love based on appearance. The whole marriage depends not on Hero, but on Leonato her father. Love is presented here as more of a business deal, a means of financial security as Claudio makes sure that Hero is Leonato's only heir: " Hath Leonato a son, my lord?" (act 1 sc 1 ln 210) asks Claudio to Don Pedro. It is clear that he has an eye on his future wealth and that his concern is his social position.

Hero and Claudio play the love game by the rules set up by society at that time. Hero is constantly obeying her father in view of marriage as was seen in that patriarchal society, as Antonio says of her: " Well niece, I trust you will be ruled by your father". (act 2 sc 1 ln 37) and Beatrice mockingly remarks: "Yes, faith; it is my cousin's duty to make curtsy and say, 'Father, as it please you. ' " (act 1 sc 1 ln 38) Women in those days were controlled, to some extent, by their fathers (or husbands), as their virtue was highly valued to find a suitable match, thereby needing to be protected. Claudio asks her father's permission to marry her and enlists the help of his friends to win Hero for himself. How can Hero possibly truly love Claudio, as she is being forced into this marriage by the conventions of the day and by what her father considers a profitable match? How can Claudio truly love Hero when he has only known her for such a short while and seems more concerned with the amount of money that she has, than anything else? Their love seems to be an arranged and profitable business deal, with Claudio being more in love with the image that he perceives Hero to be, rather than with the actual person herself.

There is also a disruption of the natural course of love within the play by a villainous Don John. When Don John accuses Hero of being unfaithful, Claudio fails to jump to her defence. Instead he 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". (act 3 sc 2 ln 88) stupidly believing Don John again, after he has already caused trouble. This presents a monstrous side to Claudio's personality. He is not content to just cancel the wedding, he feels it necessary to shame Hero at her own wedding. The reader gets the uneasy feeling that Claudio is wholly unworthy of the sweet, innocent and passive Hero.

Beatrice and Benedick have a more intellectual 'love'. Their antagonism grows into romance, but a romance that has been set up with lies told by other characters, to dupe the two of them into falling in love. This matchmaking of Beatrice and Benedick that defies the notions of the 'love at first sight' romantic idealism that is prevalent throughout the relationship of Hero and Claudio. The love between Beatrice and Benedick is based on shaky foundations and so cannot be true affection.

The fact that both of them are so against the idea of marriage at the beginning of "Much Ado About Nothing" is another cause for concern. Both of them swear that they will never marry: Beatrice when she says: " I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me" (act 1 sc 1 ln 95) and the way she describes marriage as a dance that is lively, then serious then starts to decay with sorrow (act 2 sc 1 ln 48), insinuating that marriage is negative, sad and brief in its happiness. Benedick too says " I will live a bachelor" (act 1 sc 1 ln 173) and that "I love none" (act 1 sc 1 ln 90). Beatrice and Benedick both have a more cynical, practical view of love.

They supposedly choose not to play the traditionalist game of love (of wooing), although unconsciously they are enlisting in the help of Don Pedro, Leonato and Hero, amongst others, who chart the course of their romance through trickery. Beatrice knows her place in this patriarchal society. She realises that she is seen as disagreeable as it has been pointed out to her many times by Leonato who says " thou wilt never get thee a husband if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue" (act 2 sc 1 ln 15) implying that she is an uncontrollable woman who talks too much and by Benedick who refers to her earlier in the play as " Lady Disdain" (act 1 sc 1 ln 85) implying that she is both scornful and contemptuous. Rather than challenge her place in this male-dominated society, Beatrice realises that she cannot go against Claudio, a man, in defending Hero's honour with her wit and so uses Benedick's love for her as an excuse to get him to "Kill Claudio" (act 4 sc 1 ln 276). The fact that Benedick is willing to kill his friend for a woman does prove that Beatrice does yield some power over a man and shows us that women weren't totally dominated by men during those times. She uses his love unfairly as a means to gain her own revenge.

At the end of the play there are many attempted resolutions of the discord between the characters and rifts in the plot so that an overall feeling of harmony and contentment is produced. On the surface Claudio and Hero are happily married, as are Beatrice and Benedick, a double marriage that reinforces the idea of everlasting happiness. Don John has been arrested for his mischievous plots to mar the marriages and everyone is content and in good spirits. On closer inspection we notice the holes in this ending. Firstly the blame for all this unhappiness and potential disaster is placed squarely on Don John's shoulders. It is acceptable for the characters to presume this, as he is an illegitimate son and so it is up to standard in thinking that he would be at fault (as their opinion surrounding his birth is already not very high.

). Yes Don John may have planted the seeds of destruction, but it is through the faults of the characters, particularly Claudio's eavesdropping on Don John, his gullibility in believing Don John again that Hero is unchaste, and his jealous insecurities and lack of trust for Hero that contribute greatly to the misunderstandings. Secondly, Hero, unrealistically forgives Claudio immediately for slandering her at her own wedding, by instantly marrying him. We greet this marriage scene with protest, not acclaim as there is strong evidence that Hero has been unjustly treated by the person who supposedly loves her. She is once again subservient to the males in her life, nothing more than a product of the society in which she lives.

Thirdly, Beatrice and Benedick, now married, have both become hypocrites, first swearing off the idea of love and now succumbing to a love that is not their own, but a product of their imagination, brought about by other people's deception. Even though they profess to be in love, there are signs that it won't end happily. They still fight with each other, both hoping to get the last word. Beatrice tries to win the argument by saying. ".. I yield upon great persuasion, and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption" (act 5 sc 4 ln 95), when she speaks of agreeing to marry Benedick.

It is Benedick, however that gets the last word. He says "Peace! I will stop your mouth" (act 5 sc 4 ln 97) as he kisses her, silencing her from voicing her own opinion. The reader gets the uneasy feeling that they will be at each other's throats again before long.

It is interesting to note that at the end of the play, both of the characters considered most unacceptable according to that society (by having no father) are the only ones who have conformed or been controlled: Don John by the institution of the law and Beatrice by the institution of marriage. To consider the idea of marriage in the same context as that of a prison is to paint the bleakest of pictures about Beatrice's future happiness. Interestingly enough, the play ends with a dance, something jovial and celebratory that falls in line with the concept of a happy ending. However, underlying this merry dancing is the idea of strict order.

The dances of those days had very particular, restricted movements into which the dancers had to comply in order to be able to take part. This is symbolic of the fact that there is no place in this society for those, such as Beatrice unless they conform to the 'steps of the social dance'. At the end of 'Much Ado About Nothing', circumstances and feelings are forgotten about and cast aside for the moment instead of being resolved. In any situation, these unresolved conflicts are bound to resurface later and cause greater anxiety and insecurities between the characters marriages, challenging the fairytale reassurance that "alls well that ends well.".