Much Ado About Nothing - Act Four

Act Four, Scene One is probably the most important scene in the play with regards to the plot, and it seems as though the entire play has lead up to this moment.  It shows the true nature of Claudio's character, through the fact that he decides to publicly humiliate Hero, rather than talk to her privately.  This also shows how he treats her like a possession.

This scene is also an indicator of Hero's personality, and it shows how she will not defend herself.  Throughout the scene when all the accusations are being thrown at her, she remains very quiet, as if she is hoping it will sort itself out if she does. When she finally does speak up for herself, saying:

'I talked with no man at that hour m'lord'

It is said so gently that the men probably wouldn't believe her anyway.  Maybe because she knows that if she sticks up for herself it will make no difference, that the damage has already been done to her reputation. 

KEY WORDS:

• Shames
• Humiliation
• Confrontation
• Dramatic
• Misconstrued
• Slander
• Deceit
• Power
• Jilted
• Tension
• Betrayal
• Love
• Guilt

All the above words also have a sense of dualism, and mean different things depending on who they are referring to. For example 'Humiliation', to Hero, this means that Claudio has publicly humiliated and upset her, however to Claudio it refers to his reputation being damaged, which to him would be very humiliating.