Many women like Hero existed in Elizabethan times, and they would have liked to be spotless in reputation. An Elizabethan audience would have liked women to be like Hero; quiet, obedient and overpowered by men. Some critics nowadays would say that Hero is too submissive, and is easily talked into anything, such as when her father asks her to accept the prince if he proposes. A female critic would have preferred Beatrice to Hero because of the way Beatrice acts to her will. A modern 21st century audience would also have preferred Beatrice to Hero, mainly as Beatrice is more lively and not as subdued as Hero.
After Leonato, Claudio is the man who will control Hero after the marriage in Messina’s patriarchal society. At first Claudio is mesmerised by Hero’s beauty and charm, but Claudio being in his youth, lives by societies rules and does what he thinks will be accepted by society. In “Much Ado About Nothing,” we can see how Hero is seen as a possession by her father, as well as Claudio; “Can the world buy such a jewel?” this shows how women were seen as in the Elizabethan period; as possessions. A modern audience would see this as a suppression of women, but Elizabethans would see this as normal and acceptable. Although Claudio’s love for Hero may be seen as superficial, we do see some sign of genuine affection; “She is the sweetest lady that I ever looked on.” Claudio may also be seen as a dreamer, he required a wife of beauty, wealth and status to match his vision of nobility. Although some modern audiences may see him as selfish, looking for sign of wealth and status before marriage was seen as perfectly acceptable in the Elizabethan period. We can see when Claudio asks “hath Leonato any son, my lord?” that wealth is an important factor to him.
A women’s virginity was extremely important in the Elizabethan period, and her family’s honour relied on their daughter’s chastity, this is why Leonato may be seen as over protective of Hero. In Scene 2, Don John claims to know that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio. This turns Claudio’s love for Hero to aggression, and Claudio, with Don Pedro’s backing vows to disgrace Hero, if Don John’s report is true. Claudio can be seen as a weak character, as he believes much of what he sees and hears without hesitation or suspicion.
At the wedding ceremony we see how Hero being unchaste can affect her, as well as her niece and father. When Claudio thinks he is deceived by Hero, he publicly shames her, and asks Leonato to “take her back again,” (IV.1.29) and “give not this rotten orange to your friend.” (IV.1.30) By the end of this, we see Hero faint, and Leonato announces her dead. Hero, being the “thoroughly repressed” accepts playing dead, after which Hero masked as Antonio’s daughter, again marries Claudio. A modern audience would see Hero as almost thoughtless and too subservient as she once again, decides to marry Claudio. Although, an Elizabethan audience may congratulate her on her innocence and her decision to marry Claudio again. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Hero makes her seem too much of a submissive and powerless character, which Elizabethan audiences prefer; a modern audience would prefer Beatrice to Hero because of her attitudes.
I will now talk about Beatrice, and how her role in the play as well as men’s attitudes towards her, notably Benedick. Beatrice “a pleasant-spirited lady” is the main source of entertainment for viewers of the play. Although she is a non-conventional woman, sources show that the Beatrice and Benedick relationship was popular in the Elizabethan period. Nevertheless, women were preferred to be like Hero rather than Beatrice. A modern audience would prefer Beatrice mainly because of her wit and her self-created freedom from men. Beatrice is very different from Hero, Beatrice is witty, and intelligent. Throughout the play, Beatrice mocks Benedick, and although she would “rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me,” (I.I.123-4) we, as the audience can predict there is going to be some sort of relationship between these two, and towards the end, they are cleverly tricked into admitting their like for each other. Although Beatrice is a fictional character, she mirrors how some of the women were in Elizabethan times, and “women who suffered the most in this period were, ironically, those like the Queen who did not wish to marry.” Women who were single didn’t have many avenues opened for them, so marriage was best for both men and women, although we do see Beatrice defy. Beatrice seems very untraditional in her way of life; she defies marriage, is more dominant in some cases and is never quiet. Although “woman in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man,” we see that Beatrice seems more of a masculine character and seems to possess the dominant values of a man. Shakespeare portrays Beatrice as one of the stronger women in the play, she talks when she has something to say, and says what she thinks. If a women was like Beatrice in the Elizabethan times, she would have been frowned upon because of her attitude. Women were liked to be quiet and subdued; which is what Beatrice the opposite is of. Although, a 21st century audience may have preferred someone like Beatrice because she is witty and humorous, and females would like the fact that she is not dominated by men.
When Beatrice asks Benedick to “Kill Claudio” (IV.1.285) we see from this that a could have only had gone to a certain point in Elizabethan times. It was not a woman’s place to duel with a man, and although Beatrice sometimes wishes she were a man, she cannot duel, and so asks Benedick. This is a moment of shock in the play, leaving audiences guessing. Elizabethan audiences would not like a woman such as Beatrice, although many women like her did exist, and still do, even more so now than before.
As you can see from this essay, a 21st century audience would have had a very different response than an Elizabethan audience to women in the play. Beatrice is portrayed with masculine values in her, and some audiences would like her because of her strong position over men. Feminist critics might see Hero as too weakened by society, and unable to be independent. The way she agrees with her father and husband, show how she aims to please other before herself. Many 21st century audiences may be very critical to this.
Bibliography
Knox, John- First Blast of The Trumpet against Monstrous Regiment Of Women, 1558
Laws, Richard - Washington State University – Dutiful Daughters, Wilful Nieces: The Empowerment of Women in Shakespearean Comedy.
Shakespeare, William - Much Ado About Nothing, The Penguin Group, 1968
Stuart, Ross – York Notes, Much Ado About Nothing, Longman Publishers, 2003
Word Count: 1,606
- Women In Tudor Times
