Much Ado About Nothing Honor Quotes

William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is set in the Elizabethan period. Honor during the period was established by a male’s social status/reputation, a woman’s ability to control their sexuality/purity, and a woman’s association with their father and husband.

In the Elizabethan society, a man is honorable when they have shown courage and have a high social status. A woman's chastity is the most vital part of a woman and shows her honor. A man's honor, like Claudio, is established by his bravery and accomplishments at war. Claudio was known for being a very honorable man, “Don Pedro hath bestowed much honor on a young Florentine called Claudio” (1.1.9-11). Claudio questioned Hero’s purity; “Is she not a modest young lady?” (1.1.161).

Hero is accused of sexual promiscuity. This not only takes away her honor but also, Claudio’s. He thinks that his honor and social status will be damaged because of Hero’s actions. He fears he will now be called a cuckold (a man married to an unfaithful wife.) Claudio uses harsh words like “rotten orange”(4.1.27), and “approved wanton” (4.1.40) to define Hero and her chastity. Claudio believes that infidelity is the worst thing that can happen to a man. This clarifies that men have more power and social status than women. Women do not have the ability to defend their own honor. “Beatrice asks Benedick to choose her honor and her feelings over his close companions, he balks, but he also listens to her persuasions” (Bloom and Cornelius) and she asks him to “kill Claudio” (4.1.303). She manipulates him to defend Hero’s honor, get revenge on Claudio, and then challenges Claudio to a duel. Beatrice needed a man to get revenge and get back Hero’s honor because she knows that she will not be able to do anything herself. She doesn’t have enough power to do so, but if Benedick would kill Claudio, the people would not think much of