To start off, I chose three character traits for Benedick: comical, heroic, and stubborn. Benedick is comical because he is always cracking jokes. Benedick is stubborn because, he refuses to see himself as a married man and vows to remain a bachelor. In addition, he is too stubborn to admit he loves Beatrice. Lastly, Benedick is heroic because he defends Hero’s reputations. He shows his love to Beatrice by promising to kill Claudio to satisfy her. I chose the song “Africa” by Toto to relate to Benedick. This relates to Benedick because not even Benedick’s friends can drag him away from Beatrice. He’ll do anything for her. I related Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship to “Hot n Cold” by Katy Perry. Beatrice and Benedick are too stubborn to admit they love each other, until the near end of the play. In the beginning of the play, Benedick refuses to marry and Beatrice rejects all offers of love.
Benedick and Beatrice fall rapidly in love with each other, despite their insistence on remaining single. The back and forth and denial between the two is similar to ‘Hot n Cold’, in the sense that there are both indecisive. Next, I described Don John as devious and bitter. Don John is devious because he uses lots of trickery to stir up conflicts for other people. The motive behind his evil actions derives from his jealousy of Don Pedro’s social status. Since Don John is the illegitimate brother, he can never have the same type of honor Don Pedro has. He does not want Claudio and Hero to get married and be happy. His jealousy drives him to create an evil scheme to ruin their happiness. “Mean” by Taylor Swift describes Don John because he is directly characterized as mean, and in the song, it is plainly stated that the main quality of the person is mean.
I described Beatrice as sharp tongued and confident because she is the only character that really stands up for Hero. She recognizes the limits women have that she cannot overcome, therefore, she convinces Benedick to challenge Claudio. “Roar” by Katy Perry relates to Beatrice because, this song talks about how Katy used to sit back and refrain from voicing her opinions. Now she cannot take it anymore and everyone is about to hear what she has to say. Not just calmly, but in a bold way. Similar to how if Benedick followed through with Beatrice’s wish, the whole town would get an impression of it.
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Hero adheres to traditional female gender norms during the Renaissance period. She is loyal, sweet, pure, and submissive to men of power. Claudio compares her beauty to a precious jewel. The word “buy” tells us that women were looked at as property and that men owned them. Claudio seems to fall in love with her because she fits the model of an ideal woman. Consequently, Hero is unfairly accused of infidelity by the males in authority. The men objectify Hero, leading to the misreading of her character. Hero must act like a lady and remain silent. Because of this, she cannot salvage her reputation. “Something” by The Beatles relates to Hero’s mesmerizing beauty. The lyrical evidence is “something in the way she woos me.” Claudio falls in love with Hero at first sight. By metaphorically comparing her to a jewel he is implying that Hero is valuable and pure. Claudio is in awe with Hero and “the way she moves.”
Claudio is inexperienced, impulsive, and inconsiderate. Claudio first chose Hero because of her looks: “In mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on.” (pg. 124) After Claudio returns from the war, he adheres to Renaissance masculinity by placing importance on male friendship and honor, and by pursuing marriage as a key to reaching his full social status. Claudio thinks Hero is pretty, although he doesn’t really know her. This demonstrates his inexperience with women. He impulsively decides to marry Hero without getting to know her better. Claudio also demonstrates impulsiveness when he publicly embarrasses Hero on their wedding day. He doesn’t try to clarify things with her or see her side of the story.
Instead, he just humiliates her without regards to her feelings or her family’s feelings. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley relates to Claudio’s initial reaction when he met Hero. Claudio rushes into engaging Hero. He doesn’t see any harm in it, as this is normal during the Renaissance period. Claudio didn’t actively look for love, love found him. He fell in love with Hero when he just met her. He feels like she is the one he wants to spend his life with. Although, it is later revealed in the play that Claudio is superficially in love with Hero. This is demonstrated through his words and actions. In addition, I related songs to Dogberry and Don Pedro. Since they are not as major characters as Hero, Claudio, Benedick, and Beatrice, I will not elaborate any more than I did in the project.
Lastly, I compared the play’s themes to songs. The main theme I will analyze is ‘Rumors and Dishonesty’. I related this theme to “Rumours” by Adele. There are many scenes in “Much Ado About Nothing” that include gossip and rumors. Some of them are harmless, while the others malicious. For example, when Don John spreads rumors about Hero’s unloyalty to Claudio and Don Pedro, with hopes to ruin Claudio and Hero’s relationship. This relates to Claudio’s reaction because in the song Adele sings: “All of these words whispered in my ear tell a story that I cannot bear to hear.” Claudio cannot believe that Hero is “cheating” on him. After Claudio embarrasses Hero on their wedding day and Hero faints, everyone thinks she is dead. The Friar suggests to tell everyone that Hero really is dead and that rumor spreads.
