Much Ado About Nothing- Themes, Motifs and Symbols

The importance of Honor

• The climax of the play is when Claudio rejects Hero at the wedding, shaming her in front of her father.
• In Shakespeare’s time, a woman’s  was based upon her virginity and her innocent behaviour. For a woman to lose her honor by having a sexual relation before marriage was a disaster that would damage the whole family.
• This is why Leonato, after he finds Hero has lost her honor believes they should ‘let her die.’
• A mans honor however was different as it depended on friendship. A man would defend his honour was to fight a battle or duel. An example of this honor in the play is when Beatrice urges Benedick to duel with Claudio in order to avenge Hero’s honor.

Motifs: literary devices that help to develop the text’s major themes.

Public Shaming

• When Hero’s honor is damaged, the language Claudio and Leonato use to shame her is very strong. E.g.) To Claudio she is a “rotten orange.”
• Shame is also what Don John hopes will cause Don Pedro to forget about Claudio. This is because he believes once Claudio is said to be engaged to Hero (a loose woman) Don Pedro will reject Claudio.
• However this does not work as in the end Don John is shamed himself, and threatened for being deceitful.

Noting

• In Shakespeare’s time the ‘nothing’ of the title would have been pronounced ‘noting.’ Many of the characters in the play take part in observing, listening, writing, and noting.
• An example of this is: when the women manipulate Beatrice into believing that Benedick loves her, they hide themselves in the orchard so that Beatrice can better note their conversation. The same is when the men convince Benedick of Beatrice’s love for him.
• Don Johns plot also involves a lot of noting. This is because in order for Claudio to believe Hero is being unfaithful, he must brought to her window to note Hero saying farewell to Borachio.
• In the end, ‘noting’ unites Beatrice and Benedick, and Hero and Claudio reveal the love sonnets noted by Beatrice and Benedick that proves their love for one another.

Entertainment

• There is a lot of music and dancing at the end of the play where the characters spend much of their time engaging in entertainment.

• The play itself is meant to be entertaining, comic, and absorbing. This is done by court entertainment in the middle, as well as two songs and a dance.

Counterfeiting

• This is the idea of presenting a false face to the world and it appears throughout the play.

• An example of counterfeiting is when Leonato, Claudio, and Don Pedro pretend that Beatrice is head over heels in love with Benedick so that that Benedick can overhear it.

• However, what Leonato and co dismisses is the idea that perhaps Beatrice does have a love for Benedick. They talk of there love as “O God! Counterfeit? There was never counterfeit of passion came so near the life of passion as she discovers it”

Symbols: objects, characters, figures, or colours that are used to represent ideas and concepts.

The Taming of Wild Animals

• The play is full of metaphors involving the  of wild animals. For example, with Beatrice and Benedick, a symbol of a tamed savage animal represents what must happen to both of them so they will be ready for marriage.
• Another example is when Benedick is described by Claudio to be changed from a labouring farm animal, a bull straining under a yoke, to a wild god.

War

• Images of war are constantly used to symbolize arguments and confrontations.

• For example, Leonato says to the other characters that there is a “merry war” between Beatrice and Benedick and then Beatrice recalls how she has won the last duel with Benedick, “four of his five wits went halting off.”

• On a more serious note, Leonato accuses Claudio of killing Hero with the words: “Thy slander hath gone through and through her heart.” Another example of war being used is when Benedick challenges Claudio to a duel to the death over the loss of Hero’s honor.