Claudio: Tragically Flawed in Much Ado About Nothing Essay

Claudio: Tragically Flawed

William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing is a playful comedy about the fickle temperament of love. However, a closer examination of this work will reveal that it is intricately laced with dark, underlying notions about the tragic nature of character flaws. The personas of Much Ado About Nothing are marked by stubbornness, cheekiness, and even senselessness. My focus, Claudio, appears to be a simple soldier who desires to give into love; however, underneath his guise as a gentleman, Claudio proves to be impulsive. This character flaw overpowers any positive qualities seen in Claudio and therefore casts a melancholy shadow of tragedy over this ostensive comedy.

The first instance in which Claudios impulsiveness is apparent is in the first scene of Much Ado About Nothing. Almost immediately upon his arrival at Leonatos home, Claudio finds himself smitten with Hero. He is so love-struck, or possibly lust-struck, that he decides he wants to be wed with Hero. As a respected soldier and thus the embodiment of masculinity, Claudio seems to have sworn off husbandry. Women at this time were considered by men, even if only subconsciously, as evil because of their Biblical reputation as the origin of carnal sin. This caused men to believe that marrying a woman would ruin a man and also emasculate him by giving into the guiles of a woman. When teasing Claudio about falling for Hero, Benedick questions him: But I hope you have no intent to turn / husband, have you?(I.i.164-65). Claudio replies: I would scarce trust myself, though I had sworn the / contrary, if Hero would be my wife(I.i.166-67). Here, Claudio states that he would not consider the idea of marriage unless if it were to be with Hero, thus rejecting his bachelorhood along with his masculine identity. This is troubling in the fact that Claudio and Hero are strangers to one another. He is willing to forfeit his disbelief in the institution of marriage while also sacrificing his reputation as an icon of masculinity, all for a woman about whom he knows very little. Claudios impulsiveness in this situation clearly sets up both himself and Hero for a problematic future; there is no foundation for this couple upon which to build a meaningful relationship. With no trust built between them, Claudio and Hero are headed for rather grave consequences later in this work. This is not the only illustration of Claudios impulsive nature.

The masquerade ball that takes place in Act II, Scene i makes light of Claudios character flaw. Earlier in the play, Claudio admits to his yearning for Hero and Don Pedro offers to win her heart for him at the ball. During the masquerade, Claudio is watching from a distance the interaction between Don Pedro and Hero. As he is observing, Don John approaches Claudio and pretends to think he (Claudio) is Benedick. Under this pretext, Don John informs Claudio that Don Pedro has pursued Hero for himself and has won her over. Claudio accepts this hearsay for the truth and believes that Don Pedro has gone against his word. Here, Claudios impulsiveness leads him to distrust his dear friend Don Pedro and also to invest his trust in the disreputable Don John. Although by the end of the masquerade ball the truth that Don Pedro has kept his word and Don Johns deceitfulness is made known to Claudio, he is doomed to repeat his mistake.

Because Don John is determined to foil the upcoming marriage between Claudio and Hero, he devises a plan to discredit Heros reputation of chastity. In this day and age, a woman who was unchaste before marriage would shame herself, her entire family, and her future husband, making Don Johns scheme the perfect means to ruin the future wedding. When told by Don John that he shall see proof of Heros sin, Claudio declares:

If I see anything to-night why I should not marry

her

tomorrow, in the congregation where I should wed, there

will I shame her.

(III.ii.105-8)

Even before hes given any credible proof of having been wronged, Claudio hastily plans to seek revenge. True to his word and his impetuosity, Claudio does publically shame Hero at their wedding in Act IV, Scene i. This occurrence clearly exemplifies Claudios impulsiveness. He fails to take into consideration the previous untrustworthiness of Don John. Knowing Don Johns character and the gravity of the consequences of such a shaming, Claudio should have first investigated the matter before acting in such a rash manner. This, however, is not the end of Claudios imprudent behavior.

In the first scene of Act V, Claudio learns of Heros innocence. Leonato informs Claudio that he is to marry Heros long-lost, look-a-like cousin in order to make up for what he has done to Hero. Claudio accepts this proposition without hesitation or question: I do embrace your offer; and dispose / For henceforth of poor Claudio(V.i.283-86). Once again, much like with Hero, Claudio is to wed with a (supposed) woman whom he does not know. Not only does he not know her, but she has almost magically manifested from thin air and yet he has no objections to marrying her. Claudio is quick to take action without thought or reasoning, even in the serious matter of marriage. At the wedding of Claudio and Heros cousin, Claudio finds that his to-be wife is in fact Hero herself. After this, he says nothing more but accepts Hero as his wife because her honor has been restored. Just as impulsive as Claudio was to misjudge and reject Hero, so quick he was to receive her and disregard the past debacle.

In Claudios defense it may be argued that he is not impulsive. In the time of Much Ado About Nothing, the only evidence Claudio had to rely on was hearsay and, even more convincing, ocular truth. He acted on the information that Don John provided; although Don John is known for his villainous reputation, he is still a close acquaintance and fellow soldier to Claudio, giving Claudio sustainable reason to believe him. Furthermore, what Don John claimed was supported by ocular truth. This was the only proof available; there was no technology such as hidden cameras or voice recorders to capture proof, only word of mouth and the immediate visual world. This is a compelling argument to save Claudios reputation, but it is not sufficient. If Claudio loved Hero enough to marry her, he should also trust her to be faithful. If Claudio could not trust Hero, no matter the allegation against her, then he should not enter into marriage with her.

Although Much Ado About Nothing is labeled as a comedy, one can easily see that the story is interspersed with tragic elements. The most troubling of these elements is Claudios character flaw of impulsiveness. Had he been prudent from his first encounter with Hero, Claudio would have built a relationship founded in trust with her. With this trust the misfortunes that took place would have been avoided, thus removing the dark undertone and restoring the lighthearted mood to the play. Despite his semblance as a heralded soldier shyly coveting the love of a young woman, Claudios defect causes otherwise avoidable problems and taints Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing with tragedy.