In "Much Ado about Nothing", Shakespeare presents us with a conventional and unconventional heroine in Hero and Beatrice. Which do you prefer?

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In “Much Ado about Nothing”, Shakespeare presents us with a conventional and unconventional heroine in Hero and Beatrice. Which do you prefer?

In “Much Ado About Nothing”, Shakespeare presents us with both the (Elizabethan) conventional and (the more modern) unconventional heroine in Hero and Beatrice, using a variety of effective literary methods, to demonstrate the extreme differences in character.

A central theme in “Much Ado about Nothing” is that of the literary tradition of a heroine within the social conventions surrounding women. The literary tradition of the time (and indeed, in many cases, up to the present day) bestows the conventional heroine with beauty, modesty and etiquette, submissive and obedient to men’s will. Literary convention also presents the heroine with a variety of obstacles which, through no fault of her own, she is forced to overcome. Ultimately, she prevails and the Shakespearean tale typically ends with a joyful marriage ceremony, often an alliance between two families. However, modern literary tradition breeds the unconventional heroine, an independent, assertive and articulate young woman, overcoming prejudice and injustice. In “Much Ado About Nothing”, Shakespeare presents us with both the Elizabethan conventional and (the more modern) unconventional heroine in Hero and Beatrice, using a variety of effective literary methods, to demonstrate the extreme differences in character.

Social expectations of women in Elizabethan society were that they should submit to their fathers’ will, marry men of their fathers’ choosing, often as a way of forming propitious family alliances, and remain submissive to their husbands.  They had no role or autonomy in their own right, only within the contexts of their menfolk. Expected to be beautiful, modest and chaste,  “fair” Hero, at the beginning of the play, fits the role perfectly.

Claudio has effectively been chosen as her husband by her father, with Hero submitting uncomplainingly to her duty to “be ruled by your father”, thus matching the social norm of the time. Indeed, she had originally believed herself to be wooed by Don Pedro, and yet, when Claudio was presented as the actual wooer, had no apparent misgivings in switching to accept his suit – she is simply at the disposal of her father.  The discussions between Don Pedro and Claudio about the proxy wooing reveal no suggestion whatsoever that Claudio’s suit could be rejected by Hero; the thought that she might have any free will does not even loom as a possibility: “I’ll unclasp my heart……And the conclusion is, she shall be thine”.

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Shakespeare gives Hero virtually no speeches in the first act, although she is central to much that is happening, and she is early presented merely as a chattel to be discussed and “allocated”. The traditional female modesty is clearly portrayed; on her wedding eve, her virginal anxiety shows through all of her fussing over her clothes, and in answer to a ribald statement of Margaret’s, her modesty, even in private, is such that she exclaims “Fie upon thee! Art not ashamed?”. Even Hero’s fainting away at the altar on her wedding day, when her honour is besmirched, seems not only ...

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After a slightly uncertain beginning, the essay gets into its stride and offers a very well-written argument. The style is concise yet includes sufficient textual detail and quotation to support the points made. The danger with a title like this is that the student will focus exclusively on aspects of character, but here reference is made to language use and dramatic technique as well . *****