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'The play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare is a superlative play. It is often considered a 'tragicomedy' because it has many impediments like a traditional comedy, but not knowing that the impediments could be disastrous and that there is always a probable chance of it turning into a tragedy. In society, particularly the one portrayed in Shakespeare's play, there is a very preeminent idea of how one’s self-respect is often shaped by their reputation, how reputations are often fabricated by what other people think and say about you, and how the opinions usually stain a person's character and also lead to injustice.
Beatrice, a strong-willed, dogmatic, and outspoken woman, says, 'Oh, on my soul, my cousin is belied!' This shows that when Claudio accuses Hero of adultery, Beatrice stands for Hero’s honor, reputation, and self-respect. This shows how when no one was taking a stand for Hero, Beatrice was the only one standing beside her. This demonstrates a link between women and sisterhood. Beatrice denies Claudio's status as a man and supports Hero. Through this act, she portrays how impolite a society can be how important reputation is, and how everyone trusts Claudio even though he has no evidence. 'Surely a princely testimony' demonstrates Beatrice’s infamy of social hierarchy, especially the polarity between the pressure of a man's word and a woman’s word in society. This quote constitutes how the control a man in power has can allow a man to proclaim something that is not certified or confirmed about someone; they can declare statements or opinions about people that can place their reputation and self-respect in jeopardy. However, when someone such as Hero, someone with less authority, control, and reputation declares something about people, it is instantaneously ignored because she is a woman and has less reputation and power as compared to a man. This shows how hard it is to change people's points of view and their perspectives about gender roles.
Many common themes appear throughout the play, but the most eminent ones are self-respect and reputation. 'Truly the lady fathers herself. Be happy, for you are like an honorable father,' stated Don Pedro. In this dialogue, Don Pedro permits Hero a positive reputation by saying that she is her father's daughter. An important thing to note is that reputation is bequeathed easily, so it can be withdrawn easily too. Even though we know that the main source of Hero’s reputation, status, and self-respect is maintained because of her father’s high status in society, looking forward, her father condemns her and destroys that reputation and self-respect that Hero had. 'What should I say? I stand dishonored that have gone about to link my dear friend to a common stale.' This indicates how Don Pedro is quite arrogant, opinionated, and harsh but in his head, he doesn't think so. Not only that he has compromised Hero’s and Claudio's reputation but also his own. Don Pedro and Claudio are self-centered and worried about their reputations. This shows how people just care about themselves and their reputation, how they don't think twice before accusing someone of a rumor that they have no proof of, a rumor that can stain one’s character, reputation, and self-respect. Some things cannot be restored that easily.
Along with self-respect and reputation, there is another very preeminent theme that occurs throughout the play, which is the theme of deceit and deception. When Don John says, 'I wonder that thou, being, as thou sayest thou art, born under Saturn, goest about to apply a moral medicine to a mortifying mischief. I cannot hide what I am. I must be sad when I have a cause, and smile at no man's jests; eat when I have a stomach, and wait for no man’s leisure; sleep when I am drowsy and tend on no man's business; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humor.' This manifests how this is kind of ironic. Don John says that he’s not capable of deception. How he can't hide his feelings and or what a villain he is, but we know that this is false because Don John does so much deceiving in the play. He never has been a good or a warm guy in the play. He lurks around the castle and lies to others. No one could ever say that he tried to pretend to be someone else. In that case, who's more at fault, Don John for deceiving everyone or Don Pedro and Claudio for trusting him?
Self-respect is important to the aspect of reputation, and once respect is gone, reputation is also gone. Gender roles also play a huge part in your social status and your self-respect, how a man’s word is heavier than a woman’s word, and how accusations often lead to injustice in society due to false accusations that have been placed upon you.'
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