Leonato: Her mother hath many times told me so” (Act 1 Scene 1)
Hero and Claudio's relationship is based on appearances and wealth. Hero says very little throughout the play, only 41 lines and only 8 lines were spoken with Claudio. The silence between Hero and Claudio becomes more dangerous later, when Claudio thinks Hero has committed infidelity. In this act he surprisingly cannot speak even once he realizes that she will marry him. He says, "Silence is the perfectest herald of joy" (Act 2 Scene1). The irony of course is that silence is no herald at all, but implies complete lack of emotion from either Hero or Claudio towards the other person.
In Elizabethan times the women were to be admired, put upon a pedestal and worshipped. No man was interested in what she had to say, but just the way she carried herself. She had to appear chaste and honourable. Hero only speaks at specified times. The most Hero speaks is with her maids and cousin. The Masked Ball in Act 2 Scene1 is a specified time where she is to talk; she can speak a little more than usual. She takes part in some witty banter with Don Pedro. This is an occasion when she is ‘on show’, in front of prospective husbands. The whole reason for the Masked Ball was for Hero to find a husband, however Claudio does not speak with Hero, the Prince woos her for him. Don Pedro and the other revelers arrive wearing masks. He immediately goes over to Hero and asks her to dance a with him. She agrees, but tells him she hopes the face underneath the mask is far better looking than the mask itself. “Hero: God defend the lute should be like the case” This is an example of how Hero is supposed to act, and how she should be flirtatious with men. This causes confusion; in the way that Claudio believes the Prince is wooing Hero for himself. Claudio remarks, "Farewell, therefore, Hero" (Act 2 Scene 1).
Claudio uses very intricate language to try and court young Hero. Benedick remarks on the change in Claudio by noting his change in language:
“His words are a very fantastical banquet, just so
many strange dishes”. (Act 1 Scene 2)
“He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an
honest man and a soldier, and now is he turned
orthography”. (Act 2 Scene 3)
This shows the transition from uncluttered military language to stylistic prose, and it is indicative of some of the confusion in the play, specifically, people do not speak plainly.
Beatrice and Benedick are the other couple in the play; there is less focus on them. They are there for comedic value as Beatrice is a very strong willed woman and speaks her mind, making witty jokes about Benedick all the time, belittling his manliness.
“Why, he is a princes Jester: a very dull fool; … and the
Commendation is not in his wit, but in his villainy… they
Laugh at him and beat him” (Act 2 Scene 1)
Benedick also replies with witty comebacks and jokes about Beatrice, Proving that even though their insults are biting, their ability to maintain such clever and interconnected arguments reflect the fact they know each other well. In Act 2 Scene 1 during the masked ball Beatrice and Benedick use the disguises to be rude without insulting them directly.
Shakespeare throughout the play has very strong women, apart from Hero; and she is the one to get slandered. The men throughout the play are weak, including Claudio and even Benedick is scared of women for most of the play as he vows never to marry “I will live a bachelor” (Act 1 Scene 1). Claudio believed Hero to be un-chaste and therefore could not consider marrying her. Claudio was within his rights as an Elizabethan man to slander her at the alter, and embarrass her.
“Friar: You come hither, my Lord, to marry this lady?
Claudio: No.”
Hero is humiliated in a cruel and unnecessary way. Claudio acts very spitefully and Leonato her own father is very cruel. When Claudio states that he knows that Hero is not a maid,
“Claudio: that she were a maid, By these exterior shows? But she
is none: She knows the heat of a luxurious bed; Her blush is guiltiness
not modesty”
Don Pedro refuses to defend Hero's honor, telling Leonato that he watched with his own eyes as Hero embraced another man the night before. Claudio cries out, "O Hero! What a Hero hadst thou been" (Act 4 Scene 1) before once again saying farewell to her forever. "But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell" (Act 4 Scene 1). Leonato disowns her and disbelieves her. He acts in a selfish way, in thinking that he has been shamed and doesn’t care about anything else.
“Leonarto: This shame derives itself from unknown loins’?
But mine, and mine I lov’d, and mine I praised,”
Claudio insults Leonato by stating, "Give not this rotten orange to your friend" (Act 4 Scene 1). Hero's fainting is taken as sign of her guilt, leading Leonato to tell Beatrice that, "Death is the fairest cover for her shame" (Act 4 Scene 1). This is part of the social norms; it is Leonato's way of avoiding humiliation. Leonato chooses Hero's death in order to protect his reputation and avoid embarrassment. A modern audience would not have been able to understand why this happened, yet in Elizabethan England it was not un-common for the man to slander the woman if she was believed to be un-chaste.
Claudio dotes on Hero in his mind but prefers to choose male bonding to marriage. Claudio shows no remorse for Hero's death and appears positively triumphant in having killed her.
Kenneth Branagh's film version of "Much Ado About Nothing" is a much more open and informal society, set in the hills of Tuscany rather than a city. The film is a lighthearted version of the play, hiding some of the maybe darker points, and emphasising the comedy.
Branagh cuts out offensive lines such as "If I do not love her, I am a Jew" (Act 2 Scene 3). He also cuts lines that are incomprehensible to today’s public like Don Pedro: "My visitor is Philemon's roof; without in the house is Jove" (Act 2 Scene1). He even cut out entire scenes Act 1 Scene 2 and Act 3 scene 4. He cuts these scenes because Branagh believes they are un-important and incomprehensible to a modern audience. Also if all scenes were in the film, it would be longer than a normal feature length.
Branagh dresses his characters in white for the female cast and off-white and earth tones for the male characters. The pale colours accentuate the innocence and purity.
The film version makes the characters self confident, although their naivety makes them vulnerable to deception, i.e. Beatrice who has more independence than most women as she has no father is happy, warm hearted and affectionate. Where as Shakespeare intended the characters to fit his society at the time. They would be insecure and concerned with outward appearances. However Branagh does give a very good interpretation of the modern audiences view of Hero, Claudio and their relationship.
Shakespeare’s presentation of Hero and Claudio's relationship shows that Claudio, even though he idealises hero he is scared of her. He shows no real personal feelings; an example of this would be in Act 5 scene 3 when he reads from the scroll to Hero’s monument. It is very poetic however it is not really romantic and has no real personal feelings in it. “Done to death by slanderous tongues was the Hero that here lies;” Claudio regrets dishonouring her yet he would’ve married into the same family to gain his honour, even though he had never seen the girl before. "Why, then she's mine. Sweet, let me see your face." Hero is a very passive girl and was willing to marry Claudio after knowing what he did to her, how he slandered her in front of her family. She is always willing to do the 'honourable' thing, and honour her family. This shows that Elizabethan men were very dominant and 'owned' their wives and the fathers pressurised into marrying the right man for their family’s honour. It was always the honour that came first. To an Elizabethan audience it would have been accepted what both Hero and Claudio did, however to a modern audience it seems unusual because we no longer marry for property and very rarely marry for money, we marry for love which was not present at all in Shakespeare’s presentation of Hero and Claudio's relationship.
No. of Words Excluding Quotes : 1,475
