Much Ado About Nothing: Characters

• Much Ado About Nothing was written by William Shakespeare between 1598 and 1599

Characters

• Antonio is Leonato's brother and helps Leonato trick Claudio.
• Beatrice is Leonato's niece, Hero's cousin, and arguably the protagonist; she is headstrong and goes against the expectations of women at the time.
• Benedick is another protagonist and a celebrated soldier within Don Pedro's close circle; he is arrogant, a bachelor, and doesn't take anything seriously.
• Borachio is one of Don Jon's servants, has a 'relationship' with Margaret (one of Hero's servants), and gets involved with Don Jon's villainous plots.
• Claudio is a young, newly celebrated soldier and a close friend of Don Pedro's; he is naive, immature, and in love with Hero.
• Conrad is another servant of Don John's and gets involved in Don John's villainous plots.
• Dogberry leads The Watch, a police-type organization that kept an eye on the streets and helped keep the peace.
• Don John is Don Pedro's illegitimate half-brother and the play's villain; he makes it his mission to mess with other characters' lives, especially Claudio's.
• Don Pedro is the Prince of Padua, returning from successfully leading an army in a war when the play starts.
• Hero is Leonato's daughter and Beatrice's cousin; she is quiet, shy, and fits a stereotypical ideal of an Elizabethan woman.
• Leonato is the Governor of Messina and a widower; he looks after both his daughter Hero and his niece Beatrice, acting as both a traditional Elizabethan father to Hero and a more unusual ward for Beatrice.
• Margaret is Hero's servant and has a 'relationship' with Don John's servant Borachio.
• Ursula is another of Hero's attendants.

Themes

• Focus on courtship, love, and relationships involving inequality and miscommunication while using argument and wit to mask true feelings.
• Attitudes toward women reveal female protagonists representing different parts of patriarchal society.
• Characters use trickery and deceit for revenge and justice, adopting appearances instead of being their true selves.

Symbols and Motifs

• Examines women being discussed/treated as objects or possessions.
• Includes as masquerade party to reveal feelings/deceit.
• Notes the soldiers just finished war but fighting continues.

Context

• The main theme is love, focusing on separation, reunification, and disputes between characters like Benedick and Beatrice.
• Frequently references Greek mythology.
• Shakespeare was a famous writer who wrote 37 plays and over 150 poems.
• Marriages were arranged for accumulating wealth/privilege.
• Elizabethan society was patriarchal, where men had authority; women couldn't vote or get formal education.
• The play is based on pre-existing material, adapted to be more accessible.
• Theatre was a significant form of entertainment.

Terminology

• Aside: A character makes a short comment revealing thoughts to the audience.
• Denouement: The final part where plot strands are brought together.
• Double entendre: A word/phrase with two interpretations, often risqué.
• Dramatic irony: The audience knows something that a character does not.
• Foreshadowing: A writer hints at future play events.
• Hamartia: A character's fatal flaw leading to downfall.
• Hubris: Excessive pride/self-confidence causing defiance.
• Metaphor: Describing something by saying it is not.
• Monologue: extended speech by a single character.
• Patriarchy: A society where men hold power and women seem inferior.
• Prose: Writing that is not verse, without set rhythm/rhyme.
• Sarcasm: Using words that mean the opposite of what one want to say.
• Script: The written text of a play.
• Simile: Describing something by comparing using like or as.
• Soliloquy: Extended speech that only the audience can hear.
• Stage directions: Text instructions for actors/setting.

Vocabulary

• Allegiance means loyalty to a group/leader.
• Bachelor: unmarried man.
• Companion: person who someone spends time with.
• Camaraderie means friendship/frivolity among people.
• Dowry refers to property/money given to a bride's future husband.
• Femininity: qualities associated with being a woman.
• Hierarchy indicates a system where people are arranged in order of importance.
• Illegitimate means the old notion of a child born outside of marriage.
• Inferior: Lesser/lower down.
• Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong principles.
• Masculinity refers to qualities/attributes associated with being a man.
• Masquerade: mask or masked costume party.
• Sparring is defined as fighting or arguing.
• Superior means greater/higher up.
• Toxic masculinity: attitudes/behaviors associated with men, negatively impacting men/society.
• Villain is defined as a character whose evil actions/motives are important to the plot.