Much Ado About Nothing Discussion Questions

How does the character of Don John pose a threat to comedy in Much Ado About Nothing?

The world of Much Ado About Nothing presents a courtly life, inhabited by noble characters, such as the Prince of Aragon, his valorous comrades, the noble Leonato, and his virtuous daughter and niece. Each character embodies the courtly ideals of social grace and wit, qualities that drive the comedic nature of the play. The characters act on the assumption that the world is good, that love makes life worth living, and people are honorable; hence, setting the premise of a Shakespearean comedy. However, Don John lacks this grace and is the antithesis of this ideal. He is portrayed as a sullen man, brooding over his recent defeat at the hands of his half-brother, and yearning to create conflicts to ruin everybody’s happiness. While the rest of the characters make merry at Leonato’s estate, we see Don John’s gradual initiation of an evil plan that threatens the good name of a nobleman and even his daughter’s life. Although he is the catalyst that generates the necessary chaos from which harmony finally arises, his nature is so malicious that it threatens to transcend his role of catalyst and destroy the play’s comedy altogether.

Don John refuses to abide by social customs, the same customs that will prevent him from becoming a respectful member of society due to his birth as a bastard. He is not amicable and will not make merry despite his aides urging him to. We see how he starts plotting when he hears about the wedding simply because he is sick in hatred for the groom-to-be. He accuses Hero of being “disloyal,” thus bringing in shame on an innocent girl. In Act 4, Scene 1, the play suddenly takes even a darker turn when Claudio accuses Hero of infidelity. His language is cruel, Hero’s public condemnation is complete where even her father believes the slander, and when she faints, she is assumed dead. Don John’s evil plan could have actually killed Hero, and this scene alone could have transformed a comedy into a tragedy. Leonato too wishes to die, and Beatrice is so overwhelmed at this slander that she desires to exact revenge by killing Claudio. While the confusion is cleared up and happiness is ultimately achieved, the threat that Don John poses throughout the play is serious enough to wreak havoc on everybody’s happiness, honor, and even lives.

How do overhearing, gossip, and conversations drive the action of the play?

Much of the plot of the play is propelled along due to characters gossiping or overhearing conversations. The first instance of this occurs when Antonio’s man informs him about Don Pedro desiring to woo Hero, which is incorrect information that creates the initial confusion in the masquerade ball, creating jealousy in Claudio and an opportunity for Don John. Then, Hero, Claudio, and the rest trick Benedick and Beatrice by setting them up to overhear conversations in which their friends deliberately mislead them. Don John’s spiteful gossip to Claudio and Don Pedro makes them believe that Hero is disloyal. When they decide to credit this gossip and agree to meet Don John outside Hero’s balcony, we see how gossip can easily influence people and twist the truth. In the balcony scene where Borachio makes love to Margaret, we see two people spying on the scene, Claudio and Don Pedro, misunderstand what they see because the scene is contrived to deceive them. While Benedick and Beatrice overhear their friends’ conversations and fall in love with each other, this act of “overhearing” causes Claudio to abandon Hero.

At the end of the play, it is again overhearing which delivers the truth when the men of the Watch hear Borachio brag about his crime to Conrad. This leads the Watch to arrest him and bring him to justice, which finally clears up Hero’s honor leading to her reunion with Claudio.

Hero’s death is a powerful symbol that is less a charade and more a necessity. Discuss.

Hero is portrayed as the ideal Renaissance woman; graceful, traditional, self-effacing, and obedient. When a woman like her is publicly castigated for infidelity and accused of sharing her bed with multiple men, she faints and collapses on the church floor. Her death-like state makes her father believe that she is better off being dead than alive with such a stain on her character. Further, when Friar Francis convinces them all to maintain the charade that Hero has died, this is to punish Claudio and salvage her honor. Claudio performs all the actions of mourning—holding a choir to sing a dirge at her tomb. This scene of visiting her grave is a powerful symbol that seeks to atone for his mistake, thereby restoring Hero’s honor to a certain extent. She must symbolically die and be reborn chaste again for Claudio to marry her again. Hero’s false death is less a charade done to induce remorse in Claudio than it is a social ritual necessary to cleanse her from the stains of slander and regain her reputation as a pure woman.

How does the play differentiate the characters vis-à-vis their speech pattern?

Shakespeare distinguishes the major characters in the way they speak. Some speak with elegance and passion. Two examples of particular eloquence are Leonato’s speech after Hero is betrayed and Beatrice’s expression of her anger at Claudio. Benedick and Beatrice are also distinct in the way they speak—sarcastic and witty, they often exchange insults characterized with general condescension. This verbal sparring highlights their special gift of language. Again, some other characters display no such skill with words. Dogberry’s speech is characterized by malapropisms which lead to confusion and generate humor at his expense. Finally, some characters barely speak; for example, Don John who remains sullen and has short speeches, or the shy Hero who has fewer dialogues and speaks mostly when spoken to.

How do the play’s characters deal with the institution of matrimony?

Beatrice and Benedick establish their stance about marriage right at the beginning of the play. Benedick considers marriage a form of bondage and mocks his friend Claudio about his upcoming wedding, attempting even to dissuade him. There’s also the fear of being cuckolded should he ever marry. Beatrice prefers remaining a spinster instead of marrying the wrong man. She even describes her opinion about the perfect man and refuses a proposal even from the prince, Don Pedro.

Claudio and Hero, on the other hand, rush quickly into marriage without first trying to get to know each other. While Claudio expresses lofty feelings about Hero, his latent fears about women’s infidelity and possible threats to his male relationships make him susceptible to rumors and conspiracies. He falls for both of Don John’s attempts to deceive him—first about Don Pedro wooing Hero for himself, and then about Hero’s supposed unchastity. His trust in his bride-to-be is feeble, and at the first attempt of a misunderstanding, he escapes from the threat of marriage by accusing Hero of doing something she hasn’t done and calling off the wedding. To achieve a happy ending, Claudio must repent and overcome his fears of matrimony which he does later by accepting Leonato’s niece as his bride without seeing her first.

Beatrice and Benedick must also change their views on marriage, which they do with remarkable quickness once they realize they love each other. However, they each have their own will, and neither will submit to the other, which is a unique trait that marks their relationship. In the end, Much Ado About Nothing demonstrates that being stubborn about one’s opinion and refusing to budge is not the way to be happy. Marriage is a unifying, happy occasion when entered into with an appropriate degree of trust and enthusiasm from both the partners.