In Act I scene I Claudio does not come across ‘hateful’ there could be three interpretations but ‘hateful’ is not one of them. There is a young romantic man who is not yet experience in the affairs of love therefore needs the help and reassurance of his friends. On the other hand, a calculating man who is more concerned with wealth and status rather the person he marries. But in context I think Claudio really thinks he is in love, love as he knows it, at the same time is concerned with wealth but this is not inappropriate but acceptable in context.
Claudio immediately believe Don John when he tells him Don Pedro ‘enamoured on Hero’ and this is very insulting to Don Pedro because they are meant to be close friends. However, after he is told he genuinely seems upset. He is stoical but I think too quickly. He gives a very cynical speech in his soliloquy, he doesn’t attack Don Pedro, ‘The prince woes for himself’, he is very calm and passionless and by using the title, ‘prince’, he shows a distance from Don Pedro. No one is listening to him yet he remains to be very formal and doesn’t talk about him instead leads to impersonal generalisations. He does not blame Don Pedro and does not get angry with him. However, he says ‘for beauty is a witch’ which leads ‘faith’ and changes it to passion. This suggests he is blaming Hero for being beautiful, he shows no anger towards Don Pedro who is his friend but Hero who is a total strange he implies is to blame. This is a very unfair thing to do and I disliked him for doing this but at the same time I do feel sympathetic towards him. He may not have been after Hero’s money but he knew status was important and therefore says ‘Farewell, therefore. Hero!’ Telling Benedick ‘I wish him joy of her’. Clearly, Claudio chooses his obedience to Don Pedro over his love for Hero. Claudio remains polite and nearly silent even though he is upset. However, when Claudio learns the truth he is silenced into shock that he doesn’t even think to apologise to Don Pedro. He is very eager to get married Hero or very eager to inherit the wealth. I think he genuinely he wants to be with Hero and although wealth does matter Hero is more important to him.
Claudio comes across are as a very nice character in Act II scene II he plays a significant part in the tricking of Benedick. Claudio is deceiving Benedick but for his benefit and he’s not at all ‘hateful’ but caring. Benedick also is shown to be considerate and caring, as is Don Pedro who not only helps Claudio in the affairs of love but now also helps Benedick. Hateful people do not surround Claudio caring people influence him so his character can’t be seen to be too ‘hateful’.
Don John, however, again fills Claudio’s ears with lies but this time Don Pedro is with Claudio. Bearing in mind Claudio was already deceived by Don John, I would imagine he would think twice before trusting him again. However, he’s response ‘May this be so?’ is more negative than Don Pedro is, ‘I will not think it.’. I think Claudio is very gullible, beginning with when Benedick mocks Claudio for liking Hero, he is disheartened and only wants it ‘uttered’ his love whereas before knowing Benedick’s opinion he was enthusiastic. Then later when Don John tells him about Don Pedro again Claudio believes him before thinking twice. If he doesn’t trust his friends there’s no chance he will think twice before believing Hero.
In Act IV scene I Claudio is probably where he ‘behaves as a hateful young cub’. After seeing who he thinks is Hero with Borachio, he erupts and he is excessively cruel towards her in his decision to disgrace her in public. He takes his time telling everyone, prolonging the agony and this can be interpreted as cruelty. However, his reaction is of understandable given the circumstances because at that time women were meant to be virgins and it was important. I think he’s young, emotionally illiterate he doesn’t know how to express himself and he’s not been around women so it is understandable why he acted so aggressively. He ‘as a brother to his sister, show’d Bashful sincerity and comely love’ this indicates humbleness. He also used the words ‘To knit my soul’ which is romantic if positive and if in his mind by marrying her he would knit his soul I think this shows he really did love her. Only because of what he saw and the numerous problems the anger inside awoke. Whereas, Leoanto was much worst and ‘hateful’ he was worried about status rather than Hero who really was innocent. Claudio actually left the scene cry, which mean he really was hurt. The interpretation of Claudio’s character varies due to the way the lines are delivered. In Branagh’s version taking Act IV scene I as an example Claudio’s reaction is very violent. However, it also had an added scene, which may make you feel more sympathetic towards him. A passionate and intense moment is shown, which then compensates for Claudio’s violent reaction.
However, in the next scene he is very insensitive. After Leoanto reviews the situation and he now believes Hero is belied. Claudio on the other hand enters the scene as if its another normal day he doesn’t even seem to acknowledge Leoanto’s pain. He hears Hero is dead yet shows no sign of regret, grief or sorrow. Leoanto is obviously very upset and Claudio responds, ‘Away! I will not have to do with you’ is insensitive but very rude. I think this is another scene along with the wedding scene where he is perceived as ‘hateful’. However, I don’t think there’s any other interpretation of this scene. Even when Benedick arrives he cracks jokes, if he were in love and he felt he was badly betrayed he would definitely not recovered this quickly.
When finally Borachio reveals Hero was belied he ‘ drunk poison whiles he utter’d it.’, and now the regret is shown, which could mean that he did love her, however because she had to be pure, and she was not he had to rejected her but it was not necessary to shame her in the way he did. However, it is conventional for Claudio to needed to love a woman that is beautiful, pure and wealthy and because he thought she was not he couldn’t love her. In front of Leoanto Claudio is wordless because he realises that Leoanto was right. He ruined Hero’s life and in his mind he thinks he has killed her. Claudio is prepared to take whatever punishment Leoanto presents him. Claudio performs all the actions of mourning Hero, paying a choir to sing a mournful chant at her tomb and also publishes her innocence. However, Leoanto also wants Claudio to marry his niece, who in reality is Leoanto’s daughter, Claudio is instantly prepared to. However if he were truly in love, he would not be able to marry someone else but it could be argued that he had to because he owed it to Leoanto. By disgracing Hero she not only lost her honor but it killed her, in a symbolic sense, Hero does not died, although she is pure, Claudio's damning accusation has permanently besmirched her name. Moreover, this loss of honor poisoned Hero’s whole family.
When Claudio sees Hero, he is shocked and in disbelief, ‘Another, Hero!’ the way this is delivered could alter your opinion on weather he is happily shocked or disappointed. In the Branagh version he seems to be happily shocked and immediately takes her in his arms, it gives the impression that he truly loves her and I think because the genre is comedy it is delivered in a happy way. Even though it is a comedy drama it has serious situation but it remains lighthearted and has a happy ending.
