Theme Of Fidelity In Much Ado About Nothing

Richard Henze believes that, “Claudio is deceptively suspicious and faithless.. who conceals his suspicion behind a mask of virtue and fidelity”(Henze 187). Shakespeare 's character Claudio, is portrayed as a self-deceiving character towards his sworn love, Hero. He creates a stereotypical era of men expecting all women to be faithful and of one fidelity. In Shakespeare 's Much Ado About Nothing, he constructs a misinterpreted atmosphere of disloyalty and unfaithfulness between two lovers. Yet, the characters he creates, mostly Claudio, are easily mislead through one word, “disloyal.” Claudio was told by Don John that his lover was unfaithful. For her to be separated from the ideal woman fidelity causes Claudio to react deceitful and overprotective …show more content…
As Don Pedro and Claudio were trying to correlate Beatrice and Benedick, Don John had proceeded with his plan to show Hero was disloyal. Shakespeare’s demeanor of female fidelity was important to the men because all men wanted their women to be a virgin and have modesty. Claudio was asked to come to Hero’s chamber at night and there he would witness “her” being disloyal, Claudio appalling said, “If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her”(3.3.96-98). Claudio’s anger opened up a dual personality as he blindly believed Don John that Hero was disloyal, and now he made his own evil plan to shame her, publicly, at their wedding. Without any proof or knowledge he agreed with Don John and assumed his true love was dishonorable. The aspect of self-deception that Shakespeare creates resembles to being wicked. Claudio portrays wickedness, as he creates a life punishing plan over his former lover to ruin her innocence in front of her family and the guests. He made such a heinous thought to ruin her life because he felt weak and powerless which is totally unacceptable to him, as he is supposed to feel more strengthened as a married man. He could not afford to lose his fame in society and so the idea of deceiving her, on her virginity, and letting her be shamed instead of himself, made …show more content…
Claudio prepares himself to act inconsiderate of towards Hero’s consent, because the society would think he is a weak man who 's falling for his lover’s words. Oppression from society forces him to deceive Hero and not to spare her for anyone else. As the ceremony began, Friar Francis started to ask questions of any objections to the marriage and Claudio objected and said, “Give not this rotten orange to your friend. She’s but the sign and semblance of her honor….All you that see her, that she were a maid, By these exterior shows? But she is none… Her blushes is guiltiness, not modesty”(4.1.26-39). Claudio angrily told Leonato that his daughter was as rotten, from the inside, as being unchaste. Knowing that once something is rotten, means it’s irreversible to its fidelity of being ripe. He said she was nothing like an honorable woman because she had done disloyal things which separates into an infidelity, making her a disgrace. Claudio did not even discuss this matter in private, but he felt the need to tell the society and basically “slut-shaming” her in front of everyone. Then lastly he says she is “guilty of her modesty.” Shakespeare ultimately says that Claudio deceives his lover without any factual information, leaving her to be shamed in society for life. The self-deception Claudio facades on makes him react as a villain because