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How is honor presented in Much Ado About Nothing?
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In "Much Ado About Nothing," honor is depicted as a complex and often contradictory concept. It is associated with appearances, gender roles, and social expectations. For men, honor is linked to virtues like bravery, while women's honor is tied to chastity and obedience. The play explores how seemingly honorable characters, like Claudio and Don Pedro, can act dishonorably, while Hero, falsely accused of infidelity, remains truly honorable. Shakespeare critiques the superficial nature of societal honor.
Honor is a much-desired quality in most people but historically it has been the cause of many disturbances, rifts and killings. Honor means different things to different people and such is the dilemma facing anyone who upholds it. It also has opposing perspectives when considered from a female or male point of view. Such is the problem facing Much Ado About Nothing.
Even from the outset, honor is associated with keeping up appearances. In line 6 of Act I, scene i a messenger comments on the casualties from battle by advising Leonato that "none of name" has been lost. The messenger further discusses Benedick's virtues when he says in line 47, "A man to a man; stuffed with all honorable virtues" because being a "good soldier " is a sure sign of honor. A man's honor is also affected by the way his wife or future wife behaves and...
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she can dishonor him if she is not obedient and chaste. In assessing Hero, Claudio asks in line 141, "Is she not a modest young lady?" indicating the virtues necessary in a woman to make her worthy and therefore honorable.
Being honorable and appearing to be honorable creates conflict in the play especially when apparently honorable men behave dishonorably such as when considering Hero's fidelity or lack thereof. Claudio and Don Pedro are aware of Don John's reputation and yet they are persuaded by him because they consider a man more capable of honor than a woman. To them, honor defines a man and a dishonorable man denies his masculinity which would be a preposterous notion.
Therefore, they more readily accept that a woman may behave inappropriately and it is that she dishonors her husband or her father rather than herself. Even if a woman's name is unreasonably maligned and with no proof, it is already too late for her. Only a man can fight for honor; his own or his wife's. Hero's own father laments how she has dishonored him and wishes her dead, becoming quite vindictive when he says, "The wide sea hath drops too few to wash her clean again"(IV.i.141). Honor is thus presented from a male perspective to satisfy his audience but, as with all Shakespeare's works, Shakespeare is himself far more open-minded to the truth.
What does Shakespeare say about the theme of honor in Much Ado About Nothing?
Much Ado About Nothing juxtaposes the honorable with the
dishonorable. It also juxtaposes honor with appearances and reality, showing us
that the theme concerning honor questions whether or not what seems honorable
is truly honorable and vice versa.
Both Don Pedro and Claudio appear to be honorable men and are even celebrated
as such with a feast at Leonarto's home. However, both men are very easily
duped by the dishonorable Don John. They know perfectly well that Don John is
not to be trusted. When Don John first accuses Hero of unfaithfulness, Don
Pedro has the sense to say that he does not believe it, as we see in the line,
"I will not think it" (III.ii.100). However, both Claudio and Don Pedro allow
themselves to be tricked and even declare that they will shame Hero before the
congregation at the church. Their behavior allows us to question whether or not
they are truly honorable men or if they simply just appear to be honorable.
Claudio evidently has a very jealous nature. He is so jealous that he allows
himself to be duped by Don John, not once, but twice. The first time happens
when Claudio allows Don John to convince him that Don Pedro has turned against
him and courted Hero for himself, as we see in Act 2, Scene 1. However, the
Prince righted the situation and proved that he had won Hero specifically for
Claudio. Since Claudio's jealous nature incites his distrust in his friends, we
see that Claudio's honorable nature is really only an appearance, a deception.
In reality, his honorableness is questionable.
In turn, Claudio's jealous nature leads him to question Hero's honorableness.
He draws a contrast between Hero's name, which represents a virtuous and
honorable person, and what he now believes her to truly be, as we see in the
lines:
O Hero! what a Hero hadst thou been
If half thy outward graces had been placed
About thy thoughts and counsels of the heart!" (IV.i.103-105).
In other words, Claudio is stating that her looks are more wonderful than
her heart truly is. But of course, the audience knows that Claudio has
permitted himself to be fooled by a reputably dishonorable man, showing us that
Claudio is actually the dishonorable person, not Hero. Hero, who is called
dishonorable, actually turns out to be the most honorable character of all of
them.
Hence, we see that Shakespeare's theme of honor presents the idea that honor is
not always what it appears to be.