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Heros Honor In William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

1151 Words5 Pages

The topic of Hero’s honor and Claudio tarnishing it is a major subject matter that arises in the climax of Much Ado About Nothing, which is the wedding scene at the beginning of Act IV. This particular act revolves around how Claudio decides to publicly shame Hero while the other characters react to his accusations of her infidelity on the night before the wedding. Claudio’s need to shame the woman he loves without a second thought is an unusual behavior, and Leonato trusting Claudio’s claims over his own daughter’s honor is even more unexpected. In Shakespeare’s time, a woman’s chastity is what made her honorable and once that’s been violated, her social status is almost completely lost. Shakespeare’s usage of metaphors and symbols instead of straightforward speech helps amplify the reactions of the characters at the wedding along with their …show more content…

Based on the aghast reactions after Claudio’s reveal of Hero’s immodesty, it is clear to say that when a woman loses her honor by being accused of adultery or of being unvirtuous, she instantly loses all her social grace and is considered deceased to all the members of her society. In fact, Claudio didn’t only tarnish Hero’s reputation in his act of publicly savaging her, but he also ruined the whole family’s standing in Messina. Given that the loss of a woman’s honor is considered a form of eradication from society during Shakespeare’s time, it is relevant of Friar Francis to suggest Hero’s supposed death which will “change slander to remorse” (4.1.210). In other words, Hero’s fake death doesn’t only serve as a method to induce guilt in Claudio’s heart, because it may also represent how she needs to symbolically die in order to purify her tainted honor in order to start anew and remarry

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She knows the heat of a luxurious bed. Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty” (4.1 35-40) This is very significant because it shows that their trust for eachother is already low, due to the fact that outside forces can easily affect their relationship. Claudio didn’t feel any guilt for the way that he shamed her in front of everyone, Also, the way that Claudio had so much to say about her makes it look like he was already building up distrust against her. Lastly, Despite the argument that they just had, Claudio leaves not only without either of the two getting closure on the situation, he also says (4.1 104-109) But fare thee well, most foul, most fair!

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“Let her a while be secretly kept in, and publish it that she is dead indeed... Come, lady, die to live (Shakespeare 72-73).” Hero has been known throughout the play as the character that always does as she is told and “goes with the flow.” During this section, Hero could’ve spoken out about her true feelings or taken other actions, but instead does what will please her father, Leonato, Governor of Messina. Meanwhile, Beatrice openly discusses her feelings with Benedick.

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674 Words | 3 Pages

William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing (1600) 1. Describe how Leonato reacts to Beatrice’s assumption that Hero is dead (ll. 115-143). What do we learn about his character in this monologue? Would you rather say this is an instance of figural or authorial characterization, according to Pfister? [6] Leonato is, at least in this scene, convinced of his daughter’s guilt.

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1116 Words | 5 Pages

A Shakespeare classic, Much Ado About Nothing is a classic romantic comedy that involves schemes and plans that help characters fall for each other’s plans, to achieve the perfect happy ending of a wedding. To make other characters fall for their plans, each of them used different modes of persuasion to help convince the characters without them realizing. The modes of persuasion- logos, ethos, and pathos- are used throughout, from convincing two mortal enemies that they truly love each other, to ruining a happy wedding and revealing the abusive side of a seemingly innocent prince. Two major characters, Don Pedro and Leonato, both hold more power and respect over others, with their word being the law.

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Throughout history, people have used racism to discriminate and antagonize others, based on the belief that their own race is superior. They have also come to their own opinions or prejudices based on no reason or actual experience, but rather their individual preconceptions of a person. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. To simplify, it means being able to put yourself into someone else’s shoes. Within the first part of To Kill A Mockingbird, quite a few instances of racism and prejudice arose.

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Honor has a large role in “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. It became the motivation for the character’s actions. It changed the way others thought of someone. It became something they were proud of and defended. To begin with, honor was the motivation for several actions performed by the characters.

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1826 Words | 8 Pages

Shakespeare explores this regard for honor and its implications through a comedic lens in Much Ado About Nothing. He emphasizes the importance of maiden chastity in the plight of Hero, who is disgraced after accusations of a premarital affair. One’s sense of honor held notable significance in his era, but society is always evolving,

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691 Words | 3 Pages

Within the play, Much Ado About Nothing, there is a central theme of deceitfulness, as a way to solve a problem or an issue amongst the characters. Though this deception may be evil, it can often lead to positive endings after several conflicts. In the creation of this theme, Shakespeare uses both negative and positive examples to contribute to his lesson on ruses. Within this particular scene, all of the cons the various characters have put on are officially revealed to each other. This scene highlights that deception is not always evil, nor is it always moral, but is always solved.

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922 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, is a play about multiple relationships. Hero and Claudio are the first relationship, and Beatrice and Benedick are the other relationship. The play talks about the ideal traits of a couple in the Shakespearian time period. Times have changed, as couples have evolved and have generally become less “traditional”. Back in the day, the female would submit to the male.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, he spins a tale of misunderstandings leading to terrible consequences, but truth prevails in the end. He sets the scene in the mansion of the Messinan Governor Leonato. Don Pedro has just won a huge battle and has decided to pass through Messina. As he arrives, accompanied by Claudio and Benedick, Claudio quickly falls in love with Leonato’s daughter Hero, and Beatrice engages Benedick in a battle of wit and insults. As the play unfolds, the audience learns that Don Pedro’s brother, Don John the Bastard, will try to destroy Don Pedro’s plans no matter the cost or consequence.

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503 Words | 3 Pages

Moreover, Claudio's quickness on believing that Broachio, who claims to be Hero’s supposed lover, comes to show that he is unworthy of her. On their wedding he publicly shamed her by stating, “Give not this rotten orange to your friend…Behold how like a maid she blushes here” (4.1.32-34). This then causes Leonato to fake Hero’s “death” so that Claudio can grieve her memory and admit that he was wrong on publicly bashing her. Shakespeare’s

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743 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing many characters are compared and contrast as many are paired up. Two characters in particular who could be contrasted and compared are Hero and Beatrice. Hero and Beatrice are cousins and a very different from one another. However, as the play progresses and the characters begin to develop, some similarities between the two begin to show up. Leonato is Hero’s father while Beatrice has no parents.

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543 Words | 3 Pages

All men in the world do not appreciate their masculinity to be challenged, which goes against their own code of honor. In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo, Tybalt and Mercutio disrupt each other’s codes of honor by their actions in Act III, scene i. These three men’s codes of honor contribute to the tragedy of the play because of their views on masculinity, such as when Tybalt kills Mercutio and when Romeo kills Tybalt. Here, Tybalt mocks Romeo’s masculinity, leading Mercutio to duel him in order to honor Romeo.

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1039 Words | 5 Pages

Reputation and honor creates for the most riveting theme in Shakespeare’s Othello. Evidently, no character speaks of themselves as an honorable person; instead they boast and use their reputation to unveil their superiority. Foremost, it defines a character and how they are perceived in society. Allows for the influencing or manipulation of others at the same time, concealing any wrongful acts. Eventually, in the long run it even determines the ending results.

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For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.

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