To Understand The Behaviour Of The Characters One Needs To Understand Their Concepts Of Honour. Honour Is The Main Theme Of The Play. Discuss
“Much Ado About Nothing” honour plays a major part. Whether it be an individual’s honour or the honour of a group. Each group has a different type of honour and this honour affects how they act and behave. For example the soldiers have a different type of honour from the women in the play. The honour of the groups makes them all behave in a different way.
The Soldiers’ honour is very important to them. Their honour affects their reputation as well as their friendships and loyalty. As soon as the play begins honour is the subject. The Soldiers believe that they should tell each other their thoughts; since they are ‘honourable’ men they have learnt to trust each other and work in a small group. Claudio tells Benedick that he really likes Hero and that he would like Her to be his wife. But Benedick sees it honourable not to marry, he thinks that she is only worth to be “looked on”. Benedick, at the beginning of the play, doesn’t believe in marriage or love for a woman. He thinks that it is not his duty to “look” on women. Benedick believes it’s not his duty to care for a woman. He says that any man who marries will be “Cuckolded” as the wife would be unfaithful. The night before the wedding of Claudio and Hero, Don John and his evil gang set out to destroy the wedding. He tells Claudio that Hero is not a virgin any more and that she is now “every man’s Hero”. He says that her chastity is broken. To the soldiers, and any man, this is very dishonourable and disloyal. At the wedding, when Claudio decides to shame Hero for being disloyal Don Pedro stands by him as a friend should do. The Soldiers’ honour is to trust each other so Don Pedro is on Claudio’s side. Leonato looks at Don Pedro, his friend, for assistance and back up, but as it is Don Pedro’s honour to look out for his soldiers he says “What Should I Speak?” After all the ‘honourable’ soldiers have left the wedding scene, Benedick stays behind to see Beatrice. Since the beginning of the play his concept of honour has changed, he still has his honour for his fellow soldiers but he also loves Beatrice. Benedick believes something suspicious is going on, and he believes Hero was ‘set up’. He thinks that the “practice” of this incident “lives in John the bastard”.
