"Claudio does not deserve Hero." Do you agree?

Authors Avatar

                “Claudio does not deserve Hero.” Do you agree?

When we first meet Claudio he enters with Don Pedro, Benedick, Balthasar and John the Bastard who have just returned from the war, where Claudio had won much honour in the fighting. Claudio is discussing Hero, the daughter of Leonato, with Benedick. He asks Benedick to speak the truth about his opinion of Hero. “…. No, I pray thee speak in sober judgement” Benedick does speak the truth and tells Claudio “…. she’s too low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise, and too little for a great praise…but as she is, I do not like her.” Claudio sticks with what he has said about Hero and later on in the conversation says “…in mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that ever I look’d on.”

        Hero and Claudio represent an idealised love. Claudio says of Hero, “…Can the world buy such a jewel?” Where as Benedick refers to Beatrice as “…my dear Lady Disdain!” Claudio and Hero whisper sweet nothings into each other’s ears, Benedick and Beatrice bicker and row incessantly. I feel that the play ultimately shows that Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship is the more genuine of the two. In Act One, Scene One Claudio and Don Pedro are in discussion and Claudio asks Don Pedro “…hath Leonato any son, my lord?” this could be an innocent question yet it suggests that he is finding out whether she will inherit all of Leonato’s wealth before he finally declares his true love for Hero. Leonato is the Governor of Messina. Don Pedro replies “…no child but Hero, she’s his only heir: Dost thou affect her Claudio?” Claudio replies with a long speech about how much he loves her. This speech seems to be sincere but is he simply being cunning and shallow?

Join now!

        Claudio has only known Hero for a while yet he claims he is in love with her. So this raises the question as to how sincere Claudio really is. I think that Claudio does realise that the fact that he has fallen in love with Hero so suddenly may seem odd because this quote proves it “But lest my liking might to sudden seem.” Hero is a potentially rich lady. The idea of ‘Love at first sight’ some people believe in, yet some don’t, but this idea was very popular in Shakespeare’s time. For example in the play ‘Romeo and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay