Character Analysis of Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is filled with a diverse cast of characters. They demonstrate ideas about love, trust and the complexities of human relationships.

Beatrice

Beatrice is Leonato’s niece and Hero’s cousin. She is strong-willed and independent, declaring her wish never to marry. On this subject, she says:

“I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me”

She repeats this sentiment several times in the play, suggesting she might be trying to convince herself as much as others of her disinterest in marriage.

What makes Beatrice a genuinely memorable heroine is her witty and clever language. She particularly enjoys verbally sparring with Benedick, whom she has previously courted. Before Benedick’s return from war, Beatrice says:

“God help the noble Claudio! If he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere a be cured.”

Here, she jokes that Benedick is like a disease. Although she means to disrespect Benedick, this also hints at her struggle to shake her lingering feelings for him.

However, her attitude towards marriage and Benedick softens after she is tricked into believing that Benedick loves her. In a moment of vulnerability, she shows a caring attitude, not wanting to break his heart, and decides to reciprocate his love.

Her love for Benedick deepens when they both support Hero after Claudio disgraces her at the wedding. Outraged at her inability to defend Hero herself, Beatrice exclaims:

“O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart
in the market-place”

Instead, she asks Benedick to challenge Claudio to a duel to prove his love. He does so, and she realises the depth of her love for him. This realisation brings out a romantic side that contrasts with her earlier hardened stance, as evidenced when she declares:

“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest”.

Benedick

Benedick is a friend of Don Pedro and Claudio, and a soldier who has fought alongside them in the recent war. Similar to Beatrice, he is known for his witty jokes and puns. He swears he will never fall in love or marry, saying:

“I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none.”

He mocks Claudio for falling in love with Hero, downplaying her beauty and suggesting that Claudio has become soft by being in love.

His conversations with Beatrice show their playful rivalry. In response to her insults, he displays his ego and self-confidence, saying:

“But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted.”

By having this attitude, he guards himself from taking offence from her disdain for him, as he convinces himself that she is the only woman who doesn’t like him.

Don Pedro sees through Benedick’s words and realises that he secretly loves Beatrice. He tricks Benedick into believing that Beatrice loves him, prompting Benedick to declare, “I will be horribly in love with her.”

His challenge to duel Claudio shows a transformation in his character, now prioritising love over friendship. At the end of the play, he openly declares his love for Beatrice, shedding his hardened exterior, and calls for music and dancing to celebrate their union.

Claudio

Claudio is a young and impulsive soldier who quickly falls in love with Hero, much to Benedick’s amusement. He is idealistic, romantic and naive, as evidenced by his words about Hero:

“Can the world buy such a jewel?”

This statement reflects his deep love for her but also suggests he values her wealth and family reputation.

Claudio’s gullibility is highlighted at the masked ball when he believes that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself. He is then fooled into thinking Hero has been unfaithful, demonstrating a lack of trust in his fiancée. This leads him to change his views on Hero and love, declaring “beauty is a witch” as if she used a spell to deceive him.

His public shaming of Hero is particularly cruel, aimed at maximising the destructive impact on her reputation. To provide context, reputation was extremely important for women in the Elizabethan era. Upon realising his mistake, Claudio is overwhelmed with guilt and learns a valuable lesson about trust and forgiveness when Leonato forgives him. Claudio gratefully tells Leonato:

“Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me!”

Hero

Hero is Leonato’s sweet and innocent daughter; a symbol of purity, honesty and obedience. Beatrice says of Hero:

“Yes, faith; it is my cousin’s duty to make curtsy and say ‘Father, as it please you”

This demonstrates her obedience to her father, contrasting with Beatrice’s more rebellious nature.

Hero endures immense heartache and humiliation when falsely accused of being unfaithful. However, she displays strength and resilience, fighting for her innocence and defending herself:

“one Hero has died defiled, but I do live…”

Her name is eventually cleared, and she marries a repentant Claudio.

Don Pedro

Don Pedro is the Prince of Aragon. His title gives him significant importance and power in the society. Leonato speaks highly of him, showing the respect he holds:

“when you depart from me, sorrow abides and happiness takes his leave.”

Don Pedro plays a crucial role in uniting the two couples in the play. Upon hearing of Claudio’s love for Hero, he proposes to woo her in disguise on Claudio’s behalf, saying:

“If thou dost love fair Hero, cherish it, And I will break with her and with her father, And thou shalt have her.”

He is also instrumental in bringing Benedick and Beatrice together. Sensing his friends’ lovesickness beneath their hardened exterior, he vows to bring their love into the open. Don Pedro first tricks Benedick into believing Beatrice loves him, correctly guessing this will ignite Benedick’s love for her.

However, his naivety is evident in his quick reconciliation with his half-brother, Don John. He has just defeated Don John’s rebellion in the war, so he should have been more suspicious about the intentions of his half-brother.

Leonato

Leonato is Hero’s father and the well-respected governor of Messina. He’s a kind and dignified man. Although he loves his daughter, he also exercises control over her, as seen when he says:

“Daughter, remember what I told you. If the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer”.

When Hero’s reputation is destroyed, Leonato is deeply devastated. He exclaims, “Hath no man’s dagger here a point for me?” illustrating his extreme distress and the importance he places on family honour.

He initially reacts harshly to Hero’s supposed unfaithfulness, reflecting his concern for reputation as well as for his daughter. However, he later supports her and seeks to prove her innocence.

Don John

Don John is the villain of the play. He is Don Pedro’s illegitimate half-brother, meaning his mother was not married to his father. Resentful of his brother’s status, he started a rebellion during the war. Despite being forgiven for this betrayal, he laments feeling mistrusted:

“I am trusted with a
muzzle, and enfranchised with a clog.”

Intent on ruining the happiness of others, he particularly targets Claudio, seeing him as benefiting from his downfall:

“This may prove food to my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow. If I can cross him any way, I bless myself every way.”

He deviously preys upon Claudio’s gullibility, making Claudio believe that Hero is unfaithful. However, his plot unravels when his co-conspirator Borachio is overheard confessing to the staged infidelity of Hero. Knowing capture is imminent, he flees Messina.

In the play’s final lines, a messenger reports Don John’s capture, and Benedick says, “I’ll devise thee brave punishments for him.” The audience is left to ponder Don John’s fate.

Margaret

Margaret is Hero’s waiting-gentlewoman (maid). She is a lower-class character who is playful and flirtatious. Margaret often makes playful, sometimes overt sexual comments, such as:

“To have a man come over me”

She gets intimate with Borachio in Hero’s window, unknowingly playing a part in Don John’s plot.

Borachio

Borachio is a follower of Don John. He plays a key role in the scheme to deceive Claudio and disgrace Hero.

He is cunning and manipulative but also shows carelessness when he is overheard by the watchmen revealing the plot. His lack of discretion leads to his capture, and he later confesses to the watchmen, implicating Don John in the scheme.