In Much Ado about Nothing, by William Shakespeare, Hero sacrifices her self-respect to maintain her reputation within her community, which helps to illuminate Shakespeare’s message about how forgiveness and compromise are essential in a healthy relationship. Despite this, Shakespeare uses Hero’s character to demonstrate a flaw in relationships, that both partners should be equally assertive and love each equally. Hero’s surprising decision to marry Claudio despite all the false accusations reflects her flat character. Ultimately, Hero can’t defend herself verbally, physically, or emotionally. She is not an assertive character. Although Hero is an appealing character, her decisions and inability to stand up for herself reflect that she is not a role model to follow. Hero’s inability to be verbally assertive is shown by her actions throughout the play, especially by her weak response to Claudio’s accusations. Throughout the play, Hero is acted upon rather than acting herself, which reflects a flaw in her character. An example of this is seen at the beginning of the play, when Margaret, Hero, and Ursula plan to gossip about Benedick, and Hero directs Margaret to fool Beatrice, “Whisper her ear and tell her I and Ursula/
Walk in the orchard…”(III.I.65-70), instead of doing it herself. This scene shows how Hero hides behind others and is not able to independently carry out her plans. Shakespeare develops Hero’s character by showing what she does not say or do, which effectively