What is striking about Much Ado About Nothing is that it is written largely in prose.
What is striking about Much Ado About Nothing is that it is written largely in prose. This contrasts with the blank verse that fills many of Shakespeare's other plays although it seems more familiar to modern audiences used to plain prose. Unlike the bland modern speech that we are so used to, Shakespeare's prose is rich, full of colorful imagery, and plays with words. He even allows Benedick to make fun of the prose used by Claudio, commenting that Claudio used to speak plainly whereas he now uses orthography.
Benedick as a character derives his mannerisms from a manual by Baldassare Castiglione titled The Book of the Courtier. Published in English translation in 1561, the book describes a conversation between several intellectual men and women through which they discuss that qualities that a perfect courtier would possess. They create a courtier who can make both love and war, assist the Prince, dance elegantly, and fully grasp diplomatic situations. Their courtiers also should be able to sing, engage in philosophical musings and tell humorous stories. Benedick is the archetype of this ideal figure, a man called upon to perform all of these roles in this play.
It is important to realize that "nothing" was pronounced "noting" in Shakespeare's time. This is in fact a play obsesses with noting, or the lack of it. As a result, there is a special effort made by the characters to mask their true emotions in order to protect themselves. Beatrice and Benedick are merely projected manifestations of this; in their seemingly carefree attitudes towards customs they are actually far more in touch with social niceties than any of their peers. Indeed, it is this sensitivity to being shamed that underlies the entire plot of Much Ado About Nothing, from Leonato who would prefer his daughter to die as a result of her humiliation to Benedick whose intellectual prowess is challenged by Beatrice in the first act. A large part of the shame rests on men's fears of being duped by the women, leading to many jokes about cuckoldry and allowing Don John to viciously malign poor Hero.
The social illusions that are generated in order to survive in this society are shown in two distinctly different ways through Benedick/Beatrice and Hero/Claudio. However, there is a third manifestation present, that of evil, in the form of Don John. Shakespeare comically makes Don John a magnificently impotent character whose plots can be discovered by a fool like Dogberry. In spite of the ease with which Dogberry uncovers the plot against Hero, we are left wondering whether this play could just as easily have turned horribly tragic in its final moments. Indeed, Shakespeare takes up the tragic theme several years later, producing the tale of Othello.
Short Summary
Leonato, the governor of Messina, has just received a letter informing him that Don Pedro and his army will be coming to Messina. The messenger further informs him that a young man named Claudio earned significant recognition during the latest battles. Beatrice, Leonato's niece, asks about Benedick and learns that he too is with the army.
Don Pedro arrives and greets Leonato, who agrees to let Don Pedro's men stay in Messina for a month. Claudio meanwhile notices Leonato's daughter Hero and tells his friend Benedick that he has fallen in love with her. Benedick scoffs at the thought of Claudio falling in love and makes fun of what Hero looks like. Benedick indicates that he will never be made a fool of and get married.
Don Pedro returns from speaking with Leonato and learns from Benedick that Claudio is in love with Hero. He offers to woo her for Claudio that night at the masked ball and then speak to Leonato about arranging a marriage. Claudio is thrilled with this plan and agrees to it.
Leonato's older brother Antonio tells him that one of his manservants overheard Don Pedro and Claudio talking in the garden. Antonio informs Leonato that according to his servant, Don Pedro plans to woo Hero that night and ask for her hand in marriage if he finds her agreeable. Leonato is excited by this news and leaves to let his daughter know about the possible proposal.
Don John, the bastard brother of Don Pedro, has also learned about Don Pedro's plan to woo Hero. However, he knows that Don Pedro is planning on turning her over to Claudio, a man whom he despises. Don John works out a plan to make Claudio think that Don Pedro is wooing Hero in order to keep her for himself.
Leonato has told Hero that Don Pedro will woo her that night and made her agree to say yes to his proposals. The soldiers arrive at the ball and Don Pedro immediately takes hold of Hero and dances with her. Beatrice ends up dancing with Benedick and cruelly calls him the Prince's jester among other things. Meanwhile Don John and his friend Borachio approach Claudio and tell him that they overheard Don Pedro planning to woo Hero for himself. Claudio is crushed by this news.
Benedick approaches Claudio and tries to invite him outside, but Claudio is so upset about losing Hero that he snaps at his friend and leaves. Don Pedro then arrives and asks Benedick what is wrong. Benedick tells him that it was cruel to woo Hero and then steal her from Claudio, but Don Pedro denies the accusation. Benedick then complains that Beatrice called him the Prince's jester.
Claudio returns with Leonato and Beatrice, the sight of whom causes Benedick to rush away. Don Pedro informs Claudio that he successfully wooed Hero for him and that Leonato has agreed to the marriage between them. Claudio is dumbstruck and does not know what to say. Hero also remains silent.
After Beatrice leaves, the men decide to set the wedding date in seven days. Don Pedro then hatches a plot to make Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other. He asks the others if they will play along and they agree to help him.
Don John is furious that everything worked out for Claudio. His friend Borachio informs him that there might be a way to still disrupt the wedding. Borachio tells Don John that he is close to Margaret, one of Hero's servants. He thinks it would be easy to get Margaret to stand in front of the window in Hero's chamber and allow him to approach her. Don John likes the idea, realizing that if Claudio watches Borachio go to Margaret in Hero's room, he will think that Margaret is Hero. Don John promises to pay Borachio a thousand ducats if the plan succeeds.
Benedick is in Leonato's garden when he sees Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio approaching. They watch him hide behind some trees and then go over to where he can hear them. They pretend that Beatrice is madly in love with Benedick and that she will die before she admits it to him. After they leave, Benedick comes out and comments that he cannot allow his reputation to suffer by not reciprocating Beatrice's love.
Later Hero and Ursula (another of Hero's servants) send Margaret to go to Beatrice and tell her she overheard them gossiping about her in the garden. Beatrice believes her, rushes into the garden, and hides herself so she can listen to their conversation. Hero and Ursula then pretend that Benedick is madly in love with Beatrice. Hero remarks that he will never tell her because Beatrice is sure to scorn him the way she always does. After they leave Beatrice emerges and, afraid her reputation will be harmed, tells the audience that she will love Benedick in return.
Claudio and Don Pedro make fun of Benedick who has become quite serious since learning that Beatrice loves him. Benedick finally pulls Leonato aside to speak to him about something important, causing Don Pedro to remark that it must be about Beatrice. Don John arrives and tells Claudio that he has proof that Hero is disloyal to him. Claudio does not believe him, but Don John convinces him to go into the garden that night and spy on Hero's chamber window.
Dogberry and Verges, both in charge of the night watchmen, bid their soldiers good night and tell them to wake them up only if there is something important. They leave after putting one of the watchmen in charge. Soon thereafter Borachio shows up with Conrad. While the watchman listens to everything they say, Borachio tells Conrad that he went to Margaret in Hero's chamber. Claudio watched the whole scene and thought Hero was with another man. Borachio laughingly informs Conrad that Don John paid him a thousand ducats for the deception. The watchman comes out of his hiding place and arrests the two men in the Prince's name.
The next morning Dogberry goes to Leonato and informs him that he caught two disreputable men the night before. Leonato tells him he does not have time to interrogate the men and orders Dogberry to take care of it.
At the wedding Friar Francis asks Claudio if he will marry Hero. Claudio says no and then proceeds to reveal that he saw Hero with another man the night before. Don Pedro defends his story, causing Hero to collapse in a faint. Leonato is disgraced by the accusation and wishes that Hero had died in order to save her from the embarrassment. Friar Francis tells them that he noted Hero when she was accused and that he thinks she is innocent. Hero wakes up and informs her father that she has no idea what man Claudio was talking about. Leonato swears revenge if she is telling the truth.
Friar Francis cleverly tells Leonato to pretend that Hero has died. That way Leonato can turn the town's scorn into sympathy as well as make Claudio feel guilty for the way he acted. Benedick and Beatrice remain in the church after the others have left. They both declare their love for one another and Benedick promises to do anything for Beatrice. She orders him to kill Claudio, and after some hedging he reluctantly agrees to challenge Claudio to a duel.
Dogberry has brought Borachio and Conrad before the town Sexton and is trying to make them confess. They refuse to cooperate. The Sexton then makes the watchman who overheard them describe what they said. He reveals the plot against Hero and the Sexton tells them that Don John secretly left that morning after Hero fainted and died. The men are ordered bound and taken to Leonato's.
Leonato and Antonio meet Don Pedro and Claudio on the street. Leonato immediately challenges Claudio to a duel for dishonoring him and killing his daughter. Don Pedro laughs at the challenge, causing Antonio to step forward and challenge them as well. Leonato tries to stop his brother. Don Pedro refuses to accept the challenge on the grounds that it is beneath his dignity and will not listen to them.
Benedick then arrives and challenges Claudio to a duel. Claudio and Don Pedro make fun of him for being angry and tell him he has lost his wits. Benedick reiterates his challenge to Claudio and leaves. Dogberry and the constables arrive with Borachio in tow. Don Pedro sees the men and recognizes them as friends of his brother whom Benedick told him had run away. Borachio reveals the entire plot against Hero, causing Claudio and Don Pedro to react with guilt and fear.
Leonato arrives back having heard from the Sexton that Don John had plotted against Hero's reputation. He learns that neither Claudio nor Don Pedro realized it was a plot and that they were therefore innocently drawn in to the conspiracy. Leonato makes Claudio agree to write an epitaph for Hero's grave and gets him to promise to marry Antonio's daughter, the cousin of Hero.
On the next wedding day Leonato has all the women wear masks so the men cannot know who they are. Claudio arrives and waits to meet his future bride. Antonio gives him Hero, whom he does not recognize in disguise. She takes off her mask, surprising him and making him exclaim that here is another Hero.
Benedick then asks to see Beatrice. She takes her mask off and he asks her if she loves him. She replies, "No more than reason" (5.4.74). Benedick tells her the same thing and both of them realize that their friends tricked them into thinking the other loved them. However, before they can call off their friendship, Claudio and Hero produce sonnets that Benedick and Beatrice wrote to each other. Benedick remarks that their handwriting denies what they just said and agrees to marry Beatrice.
Both Claudio and Benedick turn to Don Pedro and tell him to find a wife and settle down. A messenger arrives at the very end and informs them that Don John was captured and has been returned to Messina. Benedick promises to punish him in the morning.
Act One, Scene Two
Leonato and Antonio, his elder brother, meet and discuss Leonato's guests. Antonio informs Leonato that a servant of his overheard Don Pedro and Claudio speaking together in his peach orchard. The man reported that Don Pedro told Claudio he loved Hero and would acknowledge it that night at the dance, intending to go to Leonato if he found Hero consenting. Leonato is excited by this news, but tells Antonio to keep it a secret until Don Pedro actually comes to him. He only decides to tell Hero so that she may prepare an ...
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Act One, Scene Two
Leonato and Antonio, his elder brother, meet and discuss Leonato's guests. Antonio informs Leonato that a servant of his overheard Don Pedro and Claudio speaking together in his peach orchard. The man reported that Don Pedro told Claudio he loved Hero and would acknowledge it that night at the dance, intending to go to Leonato if he found Hero consenting. Leonato is excited by this news, but tells Antonio to keep it a secret until Don Pedro actually comes to him. He only decides to tell Hero so that she may prepare an answer.
Act One, Scene Three
Conrad approaches Don John and asks him why he is so sad looking. Don John tells him that there is not reason, merely that he prefers to be the way he is. When Conrad points out that since Don John only recently was reconciled with Don Pedro, he should try to seem happy, Don John exclaims, "I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace" (1.3.21-22).
Borachio, another friend of Don John, arrives and informs Don John that he has overheard his brother and Claudio plotting a marriage with Hero. He hid behind a wall hanging and listened to them discuss how Don Pedro would woo Hero and then give her to Claudio. Don John tells them to come with him so that he can figure out a way to thwart Claudio.
Analysis
Much Ado About Nothing opens in a liminal situation with a war that has just ended. The men enter a "golden world" in Messina where the women are already located. In this situation, people fail to take things seriously, causing the war of the wombs to soon turn into a war of words. Benedick and Beatrice are the main examples of male/female rivalry that converts into belligerent wordplay.
The first act portrays all the characters as being very careful to observe social norms, especially those of civilian obligations to the military. This creates a mask of politeness that slowly dissipates throughout the play until by the end there is nothing but directness of speech left. However, the first exchange between Leonato and Don Pedro is a model of politeness, with each man dismissing the problems of having guests for a month as being meaningless. Don Pedro further catalyzes the entire plot by carefully maneuvering the conversation towards Hero, Leonato's daughter.
Don Pedro: "Good Signor Leonato, are you come to meet your
trouble? The fashion of the world is to avoid cost, and you
encounter it.
Leonato: "Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of
your grace; for trouble being gone, comfort should remain, but
when you depart from me, sorrow abides and happiness takes
his leave.
Don Pedro: "You embrace your charge too willingly. I think this
is your daughter.
Leonato: Her mother hath many times told me so" (1.1.77-86)
Much Ado About Nothing is primarily a play about gossip.Indeed, what does the title mean? It indicates a big fuss about a trifle, and by the end this is exactly what happens. All of Claudio's accusations will come to nothing, causing the play to end the same way as if they never occurred at all.
Shakespeare brilliantly plays on the meanings of nothing throughout this play. The word "nothing" would actually have been pronounced "noting" in his time. It can mean worthless, a person of little worth, or also mean everything, in the sense that much ado is made about everything. Alternatively "nothing" is a word that means female genitalia, Hero's "nothing", an interpretation of the word that is evidenced by how ashamed Hero is of sexual desire.
The pronunciation of "nothing" plays on "noting" as well. To note is to observe or mark carefully, something everyone in the play fails to do. It can also mean to stigmatize or point out, exactly what Claudio does to Hero in the church. Indeed, Claudio's first comment about Hero is whether anyone else noted her, "didst thou note the daughter of Signor Leonato?" (1.1.130-131). Benedick tells him, "I noted her not, but I looked on her" (1.1.132), at which point he proceeds to stigmatize her. Benedick jokes about her complexion and height, thereby "noting" Hero in his own way.
Silence is something that Shakespeare always views with suspicion, and this play is no different. Silence is actually worse than talking because it leads to plotting and conniving. As Don John says, "I am not a man of many words" (1.1.127), thereby marking him as a man who instead will plot against the others. Indeed, it is soon obvious that silence is worse than talking too much, something that Beatrice and Benedick do. The danger of silence also affects the relationship between Hero and Claudio. Since they fail to talk with one another, they never resolve questions relating to the other's motives. Indeed, a crucial first mistake for Claudio is when he allows Don Pedro to speak to Hero for him, thereby creating confusion about Don Pedro's true motives.
Don John is the evil bastard brother in the play. He is only recently reconciled with Don Pedro and he plays the role of a schemer, a discontent and a machiavel. In reality, Don John is merely the excluded character, a man who cannot fit into the society he is unwillingly a part of. When Conrad tries to tell him he should act happy around Don Pedro, he states, "I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace" (1.3.21-22). Don John thus ignores the family network, fails to observe the proper code of conduct, misses the dinner party thrown by Leonato, and rebels against the compulsory set of social rules.
The melancholy of Don John is noted by Conrad who says, "why are you thus out of measure sad?" (1.3.1-2). Don John represents the sadness that is a recurring theme in Shakespeare's comedies. Shylock and Antonio in Merchant of Venice and Egeus in The Comedy of Errors who is condemned to die are other characters who are melancholy. There is no reason for this sadness, and it breeds on itself.
Act Two, Scene One
Leonato has noticed that Don John did not attend the dinner, but Hero tells them he is melancholic. Beatrice says that a combination between Don John and Benedick would create the perfect man, one who spoke just enough. Leonato tells Beatrice she will never get a husband if she continues to make such "shrewd" remarks. Beatrice acknowledges that she is happy without a husband and plans to die a spinster.
Antonio turns to Hero and tells her he hopes she will obey her father, but Beatrice interrupts him and mocks his expectation that Hero will curtsy to her father's every demand. Ignoring her, Leonato orders Hero to accept the Prince's offer if he comes to her. Beatrice gives Hero some advice about how to accept, telling her how to make the Prince wait for an answer and comparing wooing, wedding and repenting to various dances. Leonato tells Beatrice, "Cousin, you apprehend passing shrewdly" (2.1.67).
Don Pedro and the other revelers arrive wearing masks. He immediately goes over to Hero and asks her to dance a with him. She agrees, but tells him she hopes the face underneath the mask is far better looking than the mask itself. Meanwhile, Balthasar, the servant to Don Pedro, has approached Margaret, a serving-gentlewoman to Hero, and they flirt briefly. Antonio and Ursula form another couple on the dance floor, and Ursula tells him she recognizes him as Signor Antonio. Antonio tries to deny it, but she refuses to believe him.
Benedick meets up with Beatrice and refuses to reveal who he is. She starts to talk about Benedick, calling him, "the Prince's jester, a very dull fool" (2.1.118). Benedick assures her he will inform Benedick what she has said about him.
Don John and Borachio figure out who Claudio is by his bearing. Don John approaches him and asks him if he is Benedick, and Claudio plays along, claiming he is. Don John tells Claudio that he should separate Don Pedro and Hero because she is not equal to his brother's birth. Borachio chimes in as well, telling Claudio that he heard Don Pedro swear his affection for Hero and plan to marry her that very night.
Once Claudio is alone he comments that it must be true since friendship is constant in all things except for love. He remarks, "Farewell, therefore, Hero" (2.1.160). Benedick arrives and invites Claudio to go with him, telling him the Prince "that got your Hero" (2.1.169). Claudio, depressed by the thought that Don Pedro has stolen Hero from him, leaves. Don Pedro himself arrives and Benedick accuses him of betraying his friendship to Claudio by stealing Hero. Don Pedro denies the charge and says that he was merely doing what he could for the couple.
Benedick has been stung by what Beatrice said about him while they danced, and the he tries to tell Don Pedro what she said that hurt him. He is mostly upset because she called him the "Prince's jester", yet he ironically confirms this accusation by comically reenacting the scene for Don Pedro. Beatrice arrives with Hero, Claudio and Leonato. Benedick leaves as soon as he sees her, unable to bear her comments any longer.
Don Pedro chastises Beatrice for having been so harsh to Benedick, but she replies that Benedick once won her heart and toyed with her. He then turns to Claudio, who is still jealous of him, and informs Claudio that he wooed Hero successfully and spoke with Leonato who consented to the marriage. Neither Claudio nor Hero are able to speak to one another, and finally Claudio says, "Silence is the perfectest herald of joy" (2.1.267).
Beatrice remarks that everyone is getting married and leaving home except she herself. Don Pedro gallantly offers to marry her but she refuses, telling him he is "too costly to wear every day" (2.1.287). She leaves after Leonato reminds her of some work she needs to take care of. Claudio and Leonato agree to hold the wedding in one week, and in the meantime Don Pedro tells them they will contrive to get Benedick and Beatrice to fall in love. Claudio and Hero agree to participate in the plot.
Act Two, Scene Two
Don John is furious over the fact that Claudio is marrying Hero. Borachio, his friend, offers to thwart the marriage. He tells Don John that he is a good friend of Hero's servant-gentlewoman Margaret and that he can get her to look out at Hero's chamber window. Borachio proposes that Don John get Don Pedro and Claudio to watch the chamber window at an appointed time, and he will then meet Margaret in the room, thereby making them think that Hero has another lover. Don John promises Borachio a thousand ducats if the plan succeeds.
Act Two, Scene Three
Benedick is walking in Leonato's garden contemplating the change in Claudio since he fell in love with Hero. He decides that he will never fall in love the way Claudio did. He sees Claudio and Don Pedro coming and hides so he can listen to them.
Don Pedro arrives with Claudio and Leonato. Don Pedro asks them if they saw where Benedick hid, and Claudio tells him they will give Benedick more than he bargained for. Balthasar is brought onstage to perform a song for them that he duly sings.
After the song is over, Don Pedro asks Leonato if it is true that Beatrice is in love with Benedick. Leonato plays along with the lie, saying that he would never have suspected it given the way she treats Benedick in public. Don Pedro continues asking questions about Beatrice's love for Benedick while Benedick listens in the background, slowly becoming convinced that what Leonato is saying must be true. Claudio joins in, telling Don Pedro what he purportedly heard from Hero, and claiming that Hero thinks Beatrice will surely die before she reveals her love.
The men leave, with Don Pedro hinting in an aside that the same net must be spread for Beatrice by Hero and Ursula. Benedick comes out of hiding and remarks that he cannot sit idly by and be censured for not returning Beatrice's love. He determines to be kind to Beatrice and consider marrying her. She comes out and bids him come to dinner, unaware that Benedick thinks she loves him. Beatrice is as unflattering as ever, making Benedick's attempts to be polite even more comical.
Analysis
Beatrice is one of the most pleasant characters because of her wit and sharp tongue. However, the audience soon realizes that she is so witty because she is on track to be a true spinster. Leonato tells her "By my troth, niece, thou wilt never get thee a husband if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue" (2.1.16-17). There is therefore a great deal of ambiguity over whether she will marry or not. Beatrice woefully comments on Hero's engagement, "Thus goes everyone in the world but I, and I am sunburnt" (2.1.278-279). In spite of her railings against marriage, Beatrice realizes that marriage is a way out of the house and that it represents the only way to escape from Leonato's protection.
However, Beatrice is also more than aware that marriage brings many risks with it. "Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust?" (2.1.51-52). Marriage for a woman is to risk her integrity by submitting to a man. A similar fate is seen by Benedick, who views marriage as risk to mens' honor. As a result, he commonly refers to bulls' horns and cuckoldry in the first act. Both Benedick and Beatrice hold a mature awareness of what marriage entails, causing them to shun it. This will show up later in the last act when Benedick remarks, "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably" (5.2.62).
In fact, it is Beatrice and Benedick alone who pay the most attention to social customs. Ironically they do this while arguing with each other, thereby breaking with social norms. They put on a facade of disregard for social norms, but actually note what is happening around them far more than other people. This is evident when Leonato tells Beatrice, "Cousin, you apprehend passing shrewdly" (2.1.67).
The masked ball is one of the more interesting scenes because of the fact that nearly everyone is unmasked before it starts. Leonato and Hero know that Don Pedro will approach her, Beatrice and Benedick, although seemingly unaware of who the other is, could arguably be quite aware of with whom they are speaking, and the other characters all recognize each other as well. Of all the characters present, only the two unmasked people at the ball, namely Borachio and Don John, are actually wearing masks. They pretend not to know Claudio and cause him to think Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself.
Benedick appears to be quite distraught over what Beatrice calls him at the ball, a Prince's jester. In speaking with Don Pedro he gives a wonderful performance in which his mind is wonderfully captured, a piling up of anger and fury but also commingled with his attempts to render the situation comical in order to entertain Don Pedro. This attempt at comedy in spite of his anger ironically confirms Beatrice's charge that he is the Prince's jester:
She told me, not thinking I had been
myself, that I was the prince's jester, that I was
duller than a great thaw; huddling jest upon jest
with such impossible conveyance upon me that I stood
like a man at a mark, with a whole army shooting at
me. She speaks poniards, and every word stabs:
if her breath were as terrible as her terminations,
there were no living near her; she would infect to
the north star. I would not marry her, though she
were endowed with all that Adam bad left him before
he transgressed: she would have made Hercules have
turned spit, yea, and have cleft his club to make
the fire too.
The quarreling between Benedick and Beatrice has often been marveled at, both within the play itself and by the audience. Many readers of the play try to imagine that they are in fact deeply in love in spite of their quarrels, and Beatrice does indicate that she previously loved Benedick: "Marry, once before he [Benedick] won it [my heart] of me, with false dice" (2.1.243-244). However, their own words later on belie any sort of deeper love between them, especially in the last scene where they realize they have been tricked into declaring their love for one another. Yet the conspiracy to make them marry is a form of social pressure that they cannot overcome. Benedick, having overheard Leonato say Beatrice loves him, is afraid of being censured: "I hear how I am censured" (2.3.199-200). He later admits that, "The world must be peopled" (2.3.214). Their constant fight against the pressures of society fail in the end, and we are left thinking that marriage is itself a conspiracy.
The specter of silence crops up again in this act, this time between Claudio and Hero. The silence between them will become more dangerous later when Claudio thinks Hero has committed infidelity. In this act he surprisingly cannot speak even once he realizes that she will marry him. He says, "Silence is the perfectest herald of joy" (2.1.267). The irony of course is that silence is no herald at all, but rather implies complete lack of emotion from either Hero or Claudio towards the other person.
Language is a significant part of the play and the plot. Much Ado About Nothing has more prose than almost any other Shakespearian play, and it is significant to see how Shakespeare uses this prose. Benedick remarks on the change in Claudio by noting his change in language: "He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an honest man and a soldier, and now is he turned orthography" (2.3.17-18). This shows the transition from uncluttered military language to stylistic prose, and it is indicative of some of the confusion in the play, specifically, people do not speak plainly.
A common theme throughout Shakespearian drama is the role of gardens. Gardens are dangerous places to be because they harbor serpents trying to seduce the senses. Much Ado About Nothing has many garden scenes, all of which are involved in plotting against or confusing other characters. For instance, Don Pedro spread his rumors about Beatrice loving Benedick in the garden where Benedick is hiding. In the first scene Claudio and Don Pedro are overheard in the garden, causing Leonato to think Don Pedro wants to wed Hero. Beatrice will likewise overhear Hero and Ursula in the garden, causing her to think Benedick loves her.
Shakespeare was acutely aware of the similarity between the words note, noting, and nothing:
Don Pedro:Do it in notes.
Balthasar: Note this before my notes:
There's not a note of mine that's worth the noting.
Don Pedro: Why, these are very crotchets [whimsies] that he speaks -
Note notes, forsooth, and nothing!" (2.3.48-52)
The song that Balthasar sings is a song about infidelity. However, the men listening all fail to note this song. Indeed, the song actually foreshadows what will be mis-noted in the near future when Hero is accused of infidelity.
The use of the word fashion is deftly invoked by Shakespeare both as a noun and a verb. It represents the social system that all the characters are involved in, and is used to draw a parallel between the evil plots of Don John and the more mild ones of Don Pedro. "I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not but to fashion it" (2.1.319-320). This comment by Don Pedro is immediately followed by Don John who allows Borachio to fashion his plot as well: "I will so fashion the matter that Hero shall be absent" (2.2.38). The parallel between the two brothers makes their plots actually seem identical in a sense; they both corrupt the social system to achieve their own ends. The fact that society will condemn Don John but not Don Pedro is merely because we as a society think that marriage is not a crime whereas infidelity is. In many ways, the audience becomes guilty of Don Pedro's corruption of the truth while hypocritically condemning Don John's.
Act Three, Scene One
Hero tells her servant Margaret to fetch Beatrice and tells her that she overheard Hero and Ursula gossiping about Beatrice in the orchard. Hero then orders Ursula to talk about Benedick as if he were madly in love with Beatrice. She agrees, and they wait until they see Beatrice hide herself in the orchard before walking towards the hiding spot.
They arrive where Beatrice is hiding and Hero informs Ursula that Benedick is madly in love with Beatrice, but that she will never tell Beatrice because she is afraid her cousin would only ridicule Benedick. Ursula agrees, and Hero then mentions that Beatrice is so sharp tongued that she often finds faults in men that are not really there. Ursula then praises Benedick as a man, saying he is one of the best men in Italy and would be an excellent match for Beatrice. After they leave, Beatrice steps forward and comments that rather then be condemned for her pride and scorn she will requite Benedick's love and marry him.
Act Three, Scene Two
Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato find Benedick to be acting sadder than usual, and make fun of him as if he is in love. He does not deny their charge, but finally asks Leonato if he could have a word with him in private. Don Pedro tells Claudio that Benedick must want to discuss Beatrice with Leonato.
Don John arrives and informs Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero is unfaithful. He offers to prove it to them, telling them to go with him that night and look into Hero's chamber window. Claudio states that if he sees any reason not to wed Hero that night, he will shame her in the church before the wedding ceremony the next day. Don Pedro supports him and they promise to meet Don John that night.
Act Three, Scene Three
Dogberry and Verges, both fools in charge of the watchmen, get one of their men and make him the constable of the watch for the night. He agrees, but asks what he should do if he orders a man to stop and the man refuses. Dogberry tells him to ignore the man, and good riddance of a knave, because they can only stop loyal subjects of the Prince. Verges then orders the man to keep silence throughout the town. They leave the man to his job as constable, and Dogberry orders him to wake him up only if something important comes up.
Borachio and Conrad arrive and accidentally stand within hearing distance of the watchman whom Dogberry appointed constable. Borachio tells Conrad that he earned a thousand ducats from Don John that night because he wooed Margaret in Hero's room and called her Hero. Meanwhile, Don John had brought Don Pedro and Claudio to orchard where they watched this whole scene and became convinced that Hero was committing infidelity.
One of the night watchmen, having overheard this story, arrests Borachio and Conrad for villainy. They agree to go peacefully and are taken to be judicially interrogated.
Act Three, Scene Four
Hero is getting dressed by Margaret for her wedding that day. She sends Ursula to fetch Beatrice, who arrives but has lost her wittiness and has also caught a cold. Margaret makes severally sexually explicit puns before mentioning to Beatrice that Benedick is now in love. Margaret then implies that perhaps Beatrice will someday decide to fall in love much the Benedick has. Ursula interrupts her and informs Hero that the men are all gathered to take her to the church.
Act Three, Scene Five
Dogberry has gone to Leonato to inform him that two suspicious men were arrested the night before. He asks Leonato to examine the men, but since the wedding is that day, Leonato refuses and orders Dogberry to conduct the examination himself. Dogberry orders Verges to bring one of his men who knows how to write so that they can write down the entire examination and bring it to Leonato.
Analysis
The issue of noting, or making much ado about nothing, comes up when Claudio and Don Pedro, led by Don John, look at window and think they see Hero. They fail to note that it is not Hero, but instead Margaret. This is fabrication through substitution, and it leads Don John to stand condemned at the end of the play.
This scene also plays on men's fears of female infidelity. Claudio tells us, "If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation where I should wed, there will I shame her" (3.2.103-107). This fear is so strong that Benedick declared himself a bachelor as a result, he is terrified of wearing bull's horns, a sign of the cuckold.
Gardens are again dangerous places to be. Hero and Ursula are talking in the orchard. This is not merely a plot against Beatrice, but also against female virginity. In fact, gardens can be seen as representing the female sexuality, and they are dangerous places because they are where virginity is compromised. This can be seen when Claudio convinces Don Pedro to win him Hero's heart, a scene that takes place in a garden. In this act, Beatrice will be tricked into loving Benedick by what she overhears in an orchard. Indeed, Hero's reputation, and also Claudio's perception of her virginity, is lost when Claudio and Don Pedro stand in the orchard and watch Borachio woo Margaret.
The only way to clear up the confusion inherent in the play is to write everything down. Writing becomes a way of clarifying and clearing up the mistakes. Dogberry says, "get the learned writer to set down our excommunication [a joke, he means examination]" (3.5.55-56). This is the first point in the play where writing appears. It will later be used by Benedick and Beatrice, the Sexton, and Claudio who will write the epitaph to Hero.
Act Four, Scene One
The people are all gathered in the church to witness the wedding between Hero and Claudio. Leonato tells Friar Francis to hurry up. The Friar asks Claudio if he has come to marry Hero, to which Claudio replies, "No" (4.1.6). Leonato ignore the answer by playing with words to give it a different meaning, but Claudio interjects when asked if anyone knows why they should not be married. He tells Leonato, "Give not this rotten orange to your friend" (4.1.30) and accuses Hero of infidelity.
Don Pedro also refuses to defend Hero's honor, telling Leonato that he watched with his own eyes as Hero embraced another man the night before. Claudio cries out, "O Hero! What a Hero hadst thou been" (4.1.98) before once again saying farewell to her forever. "But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell" (4.1.101).
Hero faints and falls to the ground. Don John, Don Pedro and Claudio all leave the church. Beatrice runs up and tries to help her cousin, but Leonato tells her that, "Death is the fairest cover for her shame" (4.1.113). Leonato then tells them that he is ashamed to have had such a daughter and that he wishes she had never been born. Benedick says, "Sir, sir, be patient. / For my part, I am so attired in wonder /I know not what to say" (4.1.142-144). Friar Francis tells them to stop attacking Hero. He tells them that by noting her complexion and the way she reacted, he has become convinced that she is actually guiltless.
Hero awakes and tells them that she has know idea what man Claudio thinks he saw her with. Leonato swears that if she is lying, he will hurt her, but if Claudio and Don Pedro maliciously harmed her honor then he will be avenged on them. Friar Francis tells Leonato to pretend that Hero has died of shame. He tells Leonato that if Hero pretends to be dead, instead of remembering her dishonor people will pity her and even Claudio will regret his words. Benedick promises to keep the secret as well, in spite of his intimacy with Claudio.
Everyone agrees to the plan and leaves. Only Benedick and Beatrice remain behind. They both declare their love for each other and Benedick asks her to make him do anything to affirm how much he loves her. Beatrice famously replies, "Kill Claudio" (4.1.287). Benedick at first says he will never do such a thing, and Beatrice tells him he does not really love her then. She tries to leave, but Benedick repents his answer and stops her. He tells her that he will challenge Claudio for her.
Act Four, Scene Two
Dogberry has brought Borachio and Conrad before the Town Clerk (the Sexton) and is interrogating them. Everything is carefully written down to avoid any mistakes. Dogberry is completely incompetent as an examiner, but the Sexton takes charge and orders the watchman who arrested them to step forward. He relates that he overheard them discussing the plot against Hero's reputation.
The sexton informs the men that they cannot deny the charge since Don John secretly stole away that morning. He further tells them that Hero was accused by Claudio in the church and died from humiliation. The men are bound and ordered to be taken to Leonato.
Analysis
The fear of the men that they will be cuckolds is inherent in the scene where Claudio accuses Hero in the church. Leonato falsely thinks he has noted that she is guilty. Claudio further insults him by stating, "Give not this rotten orange to your friend" (4.1.30). Hero's fainting is taken as sign of her guilt, leading Leonato to tell Beatrice that, "Death is the fairest cover for her shame" (4.1.113). This is part of the social norms, it is Leonato's way of avoiding humiliation. Leonato chooses Hero's death in order to protect his reputation and avoid embarrassment.
Claudio now mimics the first time he thinks he has lost Hero. "But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell" (4.1.101). This is virtually identical to 2.1.173. The audience by this point can tell that Claudio is a bad reader; after all, he makes the same mistake twice! He is also the most unfriendly lover in Shakespeare. Claudio dotes on Hero in his mind but prefers to choose male bonding over marriage. This becomes even more apparent in the next act when Claudio and Don Pedro mock Benedick together; Claudio shows no remorse for Hero's death and appears positively triumphant in having killed her.
It is interesting to note that Benedick becomes speechless when Hero is accused. Benedick says, "Sir, sir, be patient. / For my part, I am so attired in wonder / I know not what to say" (4.1.142-144). This marks the first time that he is unable to comment on the proceedings around him. For Benedick, it also moves him away from his male companions and his jocular talking and towards Beatrice, with whom he is more serious and less verbal.
Of all the men and women present at the wedding, only Friar Francis actually "notes" Hero. He says, "By noting of the lady...trust not my age...If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here" (4.1.157,166,168). The Friar is correct as we all know, and his choice of words, "by noting of the lady" is significant. It is the first time that anyone points out to the characters what we all know to be true; they fail to note what is happing around them.
Friar Francis is similar to Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet. He tries to save Hero by making her seem dead. "Come, lady, die to live" (4.1.253). This parallels the death of Juliet. The later marriage between Hero and Claudio will serve as a resurrection moment. Thus Friar Francis plays God with Hero's life and later resurrects her in a shroud of death.
One of the most significant lines is when Beatrice tells Benedick to "Kill Claudio" (4.1.287). She asks this as a way for Benedick to prove his love for her. Her demand essentially forces Benedick to choose between the brotherly love of men and the loyalty of a man to his wife. Beatrice knows that she must destroy Benedick's former male bonding. Her order is therefore a command for Benedick to support her against Claudio, and represents the only way for them to have a mature relationship.
Much Ado About Nothing is the only comedy in which no woman dresses as a man to influence the plot. Beatrice comes closest to this function, saying, "O God that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place" (4.1.303-304). She cannot take revenge on Claudio herself, indicating the power of the men in Messina. Beatrice therefore falls back on her wit to get Benedick to challenge Claudio.
For the first time sense is made out of the nonsense of the plot. This is done by the Sexton who cuts through Dogberry's nonsense. It is a crucial turning point in the play, akin to when Friar Francis notes Hero's innocence, because someone finally notes what is wrong and forces it to be clarified.
Act Five, Scene One
Antonio is trying to comfort Leonato who is still grief-sticken over what happened in the church. Antonio tells Leonato to make the men suffer that have caused him pain. He says he will.
Don Pedro and Claudio enter. Leonato challenges Claudio to a duel on the grounds that he killed Hero through his accusation and wrongly harmed Leonato's reputation. Antonio steps forward and supports Leonato by challenging Claudio as well. Leonato tries to stop him, but Antonio continues hurling insults at Claudio and Don Pedro for the way they treated Hero. Don Pedro refuses to accept the challenge, telling them that Hero, "was charged with nothing / But what was true and very full of proof" (5.1.106-107). Antonio and Leonato leave in a rage, furious with the condescending way Don Pedro is treating them.
Benedick arrives and is greeted warmly by both Don Pedro and Claudio. They tell him he missed watching Leonato and Antonio challenge Claudio to a duel. Benedick challenges Claudio, but he thinks it is a joke. Both men make fun of Benedick for looking so angry and for seemingly having lost his ability to wittily reply to their jests. Benedick finally thanks Don Pedro and informs him that Don John has fled Messina. He then turns to Claudio and tells him they will meet soon in order to fight.
Don Pedro remarks that Benedick is serious about his challenge. Claudio caustically replies that it must be for the love of Beatrice. Dogberry and Verges enter with Conrad and Borachio as their prisoners. Only then does Don Pedro realize that Benedick told him Don John had fled. He approaches the prisoners and demands to know why they have been arrested. Borachio tells him the entire story, causing Don Pedro to exclaim, "Runs not his speech like iron through your blood?" (5.1.227-228).
Leonato arrives with the Sexton, who has informed him of what happened. Furiously Leonato accuses Borachio, Don Pedro and Claudio of killing his daughter. Claudio and Don Pedro plead their innocence but, realizing they are guilty of mistakenly accusing Hero, promise to inform the city that she was innocent. Claudio further promises to marry Leonato's niece, whom he tells Claudio is his sole heir.
Leonato then turns back to Borachio and demands to know Margaret's role in the scheme. He tells Leonato that Margaret is innocent and did not know what she was doing. Leonato orders the watchmen to bring Borachio and Conrad with them and leaves to question Margaret.
Act Five, Scene Two
Benedick has written a sonnet to Beatrice that Margaret is helping him with. He then sends her to fetch Beatrice for him. She enters the room and plays word games with Benedick. He finally states, "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably" (5.2.61), indicating that they are too aware of what love and marriage entails to be overemotional about it. Ursula arrives and tells them to quickly come since they proved that Hero has been falsely accused.
Act Five, Scene Three
Claudio, Don Pedro and several other men visit Hero's gravesite and perform a short memorial service. Claudio has written an epitaph for Hero, after which he sings a song and then promises to perform the same ritual every year. Don Pedro bids the other men good night and takes Claudio with him to Leonato's house.
Act Five, Scene Four
Leonato sends the woman into their chambers and orders them to come out masked when they are called for. Antonio has promised to pretend that Hero is his daughter so Claudio will believe he is marrying Hero's cousin. Benedick then asks Leonato for permission to marry Beatrice at the same wedding ceremony. Leonato agrees to the marriage.
Claudio and Don Pedro arrive and are greeted. The women then come out wearing masks to hide their identities. Claudio asks which lady he shall marry, and Antonio gives him Hero. She unmasks herself, causing Claudio to cry out, "Another Hero!" She replies, "Nothing certainer" (5.4.62-63).
At the wedding Benedick calls for Beatrice to reveal herself. She does, and he asks her if she loves him. Beatrice gives the surprisingly cold answer, "Why no, no more than reason" (5.4.74). Benedick admits the same thing, and they both realize that they were set up by their friends. Watching this extraordinary exchange, Claudio and Hero pull out sonnets that Benedick and Beatrice wrote to each other and show them as proof that they really do love each other. Benedick states, "A miracle! Here's our own hands against our hearts" (5.4.91).
Benedick and Claudio reconcile their friendship and tell Don Pedro to find himself a wife so he is not alone. A messenger arrives at the very end and informs them that Don John has been captured and brought back to Messina. Benedick tells them, "Think not on him till tomorrow, I'll devise thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, pipers" (5.4.121-122).
Analysis
The fact that there is truth through writing, first seen when Dogberry demands that everything be recorded, is made abundantly clear in this act. Beatrice and Benedick write sonnets to each other, and the sonnets are taken to be more meaningful than even their words. When they are at the point of nullifying their declared love for one another, Claudio and Hero produce the sonnets, thereby "proving" that they are lying to each other. Claudio earlier in the act writes his epitaph to Hero, a way of declaring his love for her real. Dogberry also has the written statement of his watchman, thus securing Hero's innocence.
An interesting line is that of Don Pedro: "But on my honour she was charged with nothing / But what was true and very full of proof" (5.1.106-107). This is a challenge to the audience to "note" the words of the actors. The second line reverses the meaning of the first line, turning Hero's initial innocence to guilt.
A fundamental question that haunts the plot is whether Benedick and Beatrice really love each other. Many audiences have simply assumed that they harbor a deep-seated love that neither will admit. However, if we take them at their word then the likely answer is no. They are mature lovers who have been pushed together by a social conspiracy to make them marry. Benedick: "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably" (5.2.61). Later they both realize that their friends were plotting against them. "Do not you love me?" "Why no, no more than reason" (5.4.73-74). We expect tender words at this point but we get the opposite. The fact that we still think love wins out is because we willingly join the conspiracy against them both. The audience roots for them to fall in love and get married; the actual feelings of the two characters are irrelevant at the end.
Friar Francis, unlike his Romeo and Juliet counterpart, succeeds in his resurrection of Hero. She comes out masked and reveals herself to Claudio. He cries out, "Another Hero!" She replies, "Nothing certainer" (5.4.62-63). If we take her pronunciation literally, "noting certainer", we can see that this is really the first time that Claudio has noted her as a person. Only through a feigned death could she force Claudio to really pay attention to her and "notice" who he was marrying.
The question of whether there is any love between Hero and Claudio is almost certainly answered with a resounding no. Hero is mostly a young girl who obeys her father regardless of his demands. Indeed, Beatrice mocks this expected obedience in the opening act, causing Leonato to hush her. Hero willingly switches from Don Pedro to Claudio as if it makes no difference who her husband is. Later we see the same ability in Claudio, who readily agrees to marry Hero's "cousin" without ever having seen he girl. This lack of dedication compromises their credibility as a pair of lovers.
An interesting question is why does it takes so long for Claudio to learn Hero is alive? The answer is that Claudio must learn something first. Initially he and Don Pedro stick to their beliefs and refuse to see the truth. Claudio must have a penance for his sins against Hero; he must agree to marry her cousin instead. In fact, Hero has become a nothing by this point in the play, her very existence wiped out. Claudio is marrying someone he has never seen, and it is his trust will be what brings Hero back to life in the end.
As in many Shakespearian comedies, we are left with a sense that everything is not perfect at the end. In Much Ado About Nothing the ending is tarnished by the return of Don John. He is returned to Messina in chains and Benedick promises to punish him the next day. This casts a shadow hangs over an otherwise mostly happy ending.
Shakespeare and Homosociality: Defying Elizabethan Comformity
by Huong Pham
February 14, 2003
Although considered light and delightful entertainment, Shakespeare's plays of comedy often address serious issues confronting Elizabethan values of propriety and social decorum. Anti-Semitism, death and homosexuality are frequent themes woven in his plays and the latter is addressed in Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice. In exhibiting the inherent bonds that transpire between males Shakespeare substantiates their acts of loyalty and devotion with measures that try the men's love; it is then that the reader comprehends Bassanio and Claudio's willingness to select their male relationships over their romantic ones. Battling through mutual experiences the men in both Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice are bonded in ties of loyalty, devotion and love far surpassing the strength of heterosexual marriages in the plays. Shakespeare artfully designs this rift between the genders to shatter the conservatism of Elizabethan notions of propriety.
The homosocial bonds in Much Ado About Nothing are established immediately in the introduction of the play. The men are announced to the women of Messina as an arriving group of valiant gentlemen visiting from a well-fought war. War in itself is a highly masculine affair, an event where passionate and testosterone filled men battle side by side and are either slain by the sword of a man or saved by the hand of another. Blood and sweat is shed and shared, forming a glutinous bond for a fraternity in which the members are hazed in trials of pain, defeat and triumph. Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon, is the president of his fraternity. Loyalty, deference and respect are the advantages of his alpha station and the hierarchical male structure lends order in the homosocial bonds of the play. The notion of war as a masculine activity is also prevalent in The Merchant of Venice, yet it must be considered on a smaller and subtler scale between the individual characters.
Shakespeare utilizes the images of blood, pain and money as the traits of Antonio and Shylock's contract in The Merchant of Venice since all three characteristics are exceptionally phallic and masculine in nature. The arrangement symbolically exhibits two rudiments of homosocial bonds. The motivation for both parties involved is highly male-driven. After hearing of Shylocks' extreme terms of collection (should a payment default occur) Antonio demonstrates his deep devotion to Bassanio when he agrees to serve as his guarantor. Whether or not Antonio's love is of a homosexual nature is unclear, however his loyalty and strong affections may not be construed as purely platonic. At one point he claims ready to surrender to Bassanio his, "purse, my person, my extremest means. Lie all unlock'd to your occasion"(1.1.140).
Shylock's incentive for imposing such a ruthless collection of Antonio's flesh is motivated by his hatred for Antonio as a man, a man who has battered Shylock's pride with his publicly slurred Anti-Semantic epithets. On account of to its bloody harshness alone itt may be assumed that Shylock would have never established such an appalling consequence on a female borrower. The pain from severing a pound of flesh is unthinkable for a woman to endure but not for a man. Antonio's inability to recompense the debt triggers a declaration of war between Shylock and himself and assesses Bassanio's allegiance to Antonio.
Antonio's ability to sacrifice his flesh and blood for Bassanio's happiness speaks volumes for his love, and his acts of loyalty are not unrequited. Bassanio's forsaken pride in accepting Portia's funds for the Venice excursion coupled with his willingness to leave his new bride exhibits his loyalty to Antonio. Loyalty is a priority in homosocial relationships, and at one point in the play Portia speculates if Bassanio would forfeit their love for Antonio. Subsequent to Antonio's release from Shylock's bond Bassanio wishes to pay Portia (garbed in a manly disguise) a fee for her legal services in freeing Antonio. Initially resistant to Portia's request for his wedding ring claiming "there's more depends on this than value" (4.1.439), Bassanio is ultimately persuaded by Antonio to "let him have the ring. Let his deservings and my love withal. Be valu'd 'gainst your wife's commandment" (4.1.454-456). In this scene Antonio clearly asserts his dominance over Portia. He successfully assures Bassanio that their love and loyalty yields precedence over Bassanio's marriage to Portia, and that no ring is worth not paying for the services rendered in saving their homosocial relationship. Portia's response to Bassanio's surrender of the ring is comparable a lover scorned by infidelity; she conjures an anecdote of her own infidelity in efforts to retributively hurt his emotions. Portia's rejoinder confirms that she is threatened by the breadth and deepness of Antonio and Bassanio's homosocial bond. It is this loyalty between the two men that is also similarly established between Don Pedro and Claudio's relationship in Much Ado About Nothing.
The homosocial bond between young Claudio and Don Pedro is analogous to that of a father and son, or between male siblings. Don Pedro serves as his mentor and advisor in all things regarding love and life. Don Pedro grants Claudio his approval of Hero, and provides Claudio a service by wooing the young maiden for him. Claudio, young and impressionable, is so smitten by Don Pedro that he believes the man's advice and counsel no matter the result. As an illustration one must consider Claudio's reaction upon hearing Don John's accusation of Don Pedro's endeavors to woo Hero for himself. Claudio rationalizes Don Pedro's behavior by stating, "Friendship is constant in all other things. Save in the office and affairs of love" (2.1.153-154). However, it is interesting to note that when Claudio proclaims this he simultaneously decides to cease his attempts in acquiring Hero, in essence deferring to Don Pedro's whim. Additionally he contradictorily selects Don Pedro's friendship over the pursuit of Hero albeit his proclamations that love override friendships. Note as well with whom Claudio pairs himself with subsequent to learning of Hero's supposed infidelity---it is by no coincidence that Don Pedro is the backbone that supports Claudio.
Benedick's willingness to challenge Claudio to a duel in avenging Hero's honor may appear as a female influenced decision. His disposition has radically shifted in regards to his homosocial loyalties to his crew. When Beatrice implores Benedick to kill Claudio he initially refuses and Beatrice resorts to attacking the strength of his love, stating, "I am gone though I am here. There is no love in you. ---Nay, I pray you, let me go" (4.2.291). She further appeals to Benedick's desire to "prove" his love by stating, "Use your love some other way than swearing by it." (4.2.320). These challenges of Benedick's declaration of love, coupled with his lusty desires for Beatrice compels Benedick to challenge his homosocial bond with Claudio. Although he might have been convinced of it at the time, it is not love that motivates the duel. The end of the play the reader discovers that Beatrice and Benedick are married out of convenience and friendship rather than out of love---which implies that love was never the cause of Benedick's challenge to Claudio, but was his own pride that threw down the glove.
Benedick's glove in Much Ado About Nothing represents a challenge, and in a sense one may symbolically interpret Shakespeare's homosocial bonds as a gloved challenge thrown to conservative Elizabethan notions of marriage. Portia represents society's image of homosexuality and homosocial tendencies---she is aware that it exists, and in her attempts to diminish the threat she casts the dilemma aside. The dilemma for Portia is Antonio himself. Although Shakespeare resolves both plays with gender appropriate unifications, one must delve deeper to unmask the motivations of each. Money and beauty joins Portia and Bassanio, duty and default marries Claudio to Hero and friendship binds Beatrice and Benedick. All these attributes are characteristics of platonic relationships. Deep affection, devotion and loyalty are the true characteristics of love, and all three exist in the homosocial bonds rather than the heterosexual ones. As a reminder of such a notion Shakespeare retains Antonio and Bassanio at the end of the play as lingering reminders that love is not limited to the enjoyment of men and women---but to men to men alike.
