Chantal Schmidt
Dr. Josol

G9A

February 18, 2016

 

To kill a Hero

The passage to be analyzed takes place on the wedding day of Claudio and Hero.  It is also the day that Claudio accuses his significant other of having lost her virginity in her own room to another man, with Claudio,  Don Pedro and Don John watching from outside. What Claudio does not know is that the woman he thought was his betrothed turned out to be her handmaiden Margaret and one of the scoundrel Don John’s followers, Borachio.  Don John had convinced his brother and Claudio, that Hero was getting nightly visits from a brute, she was having sexual intercourses with.  Not believing his beloved could do such a thing, Claudio, seeking for answers, watched Margaret and Borachio the following night at Hero’s window, resulting in grief-stricken Claudio’s accusations on their wedding day, making even Leonato turn on his own daughter.  Even his trusted friend Don Pedro thought of himself as dishonored for having arranged a wedding for Claudio with such a woman.  Innocent Hero, not being able to defend herself, faints, making the majority of the people present believe Claudio’s accusations.

 

Being the climax of the play, it pushes the lives of the characters down the hill,creating more drama and preparing the audience for scenes such as the heart-warming reunion on Hero and Claudio’s final wedding day and the friendships falling apart and getting back together.

 

Since this is the highlight of the play, it is especially dramatic and suspenseful, because of all the hatred and accusations Claudio throws at Hero, the disbelief and suspicion of her family and people present and the betrayal both Claudio and Leonato felt upon hearing of Hero’s wrongdoings, which turned out to be false.  The suspense rises when Hero faints because of the shock and grief she’s experienced in a short amount of time and is suspected to be dead, making the audience suspicious, wanting to continue reading to find out what happens to her and the other characters.

 

Shakespeare’s elaborate word choice and sentences make the play even more dramatic than it already is, displaying Leonato’s shock and disbelief “Yes, that's all true—but what do you mean by it, my lord?” (Act 4, Scene 1), Hero’s grief “True! 0 God!” (Act 4, Scene 1) and Claudio’s anger “Hero itself can blot out Hero's virtue” (Act 4, Scene 1).  If one compared modern English play and the original Shakespearean play, one would immediately notice that the original one portrays emotion better, due to the choice of words.  Not only does he choose fancy words, he makes them rhyme as well, showing his high skills with writing. Not unlike his other works, Much Ado About Nothing shows Shakespeare’s genius in the unique  and innovative way he used grammar and word choice to construct sentences, setting him apart from the other writers of his time.  

 

After reading this scene, one would definitely notice Shakespeare’s talent for writing, considering the apprehension and excitement the readers would feel and how rumours really could ruin someone’s life.

 

References

Evans, M. (n.d.). Shakespeare's skill was in his grammar not his language, academic claims. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/9050020/Shakespeares-skill-was-in-his-grammar-not-his-language-academic-claims.html