Death, Resurrection, and Fidelity in Much Ado About Nothing: The Social Construct of Feminine Marital Virtue M Callaway College

Much Ado About Nothing, a comedy by William Shakespeare, was first preformed in 1612. The play is set in Messina, Italy that follows the couple Hero and Claudio. Hero is unjustly accused of unchastity that results in her and Claudio’s separation in addition to her “death” and “resurrection,” before they both wed each other in a misleading ceremony. To understand the complex relationship between Shakespeare’s two characters, Hero and Claudio, readers must center on the concept of social grace within this play. Based on the Shakespeare’s social construct of love in Much Ado About Nothing, it seems Hero’s “death” and “resurrection” resolve the issues of infamy and infidelity that led to her separation from Claudio.

Shakespeare establishes the institution of marriage is based in social considerations of the Renaissance period that reflects the importance of social decency, especially for women during courtship. In other words, Hero’s “death” resolves the issue of Hero’s infamy that led to her separation from Claudio. In the play, Claudio is manipulated into thinking Hero is unfaithful before their wedding. At wedding, Claudio shames Hero for adultery insisting she lacks virtue, which results in the defamation of Hero and her...