Comedy Much Ado about Nothing - Essay Example

The objective of this paper is to comment on the major and minor characters and how they contribute to the overall film. Beatrice is Hero’s Cousin and a pleasant-spirited lady. She is loving and kind, but, she continually mocks people with elaborately tooled jokes. She wages war against Benedick and often wins them. From the film, she appears never to have thought about marriage. Benedick is a soldier that has been fighting Don Pedro and he is a friend to Claudio. He is very witty and has similar traits to Beatrice as he also likes to make jokes and puns. He also swears that he never intends to marry.

Claudio is a young soldier who is successful and has won great acclaim in recent wars under Don Pedro. Upon his return to Messina, he falls in love with Hero. He does not believe in his fiancé when she protests her innocence. This makes him cast Hero off publicly during the wedding ceremony. When Bachario tells him the truth about Hero, Claudio becomes frustrated over his part in the Hero’s death. He agrees to marry Hero’s cousin, but, when he found out that Hero is still alive, he reunites with her. Hero is a beautiful young girl who is the daughter of Leonato and a cousin to Beatrice. She is lovely and kind. She falls in love with Claudio and plans to marry him. However, Don John slanders her and Claudio takes instant revenge causing her to suffer terribly and she faints. She is accused of infidelity but she is innocent.

Don Pedro is a nobler man often referred to as a prince. He is a long-time friend of Leonato, Hero's father. He is also a close friend to all the soldiers who were fighting under him. Don Pedro is courteous, generous and intelligent. Like Claudio, he is quick to believe evil and is ready to take revenge. In the film, he is the character who politically and socially influencing. Don John is Don Pedro’s evil illegitimate half-brother. He is sullen and melancholy and he creates a dark scheme to ruin the life of his perceived enemies, Claudio and Hero. He is the villain of the film and he is envious of his brother's success.

Leonato is a well-respected governor and is the father of Hero. He is also saddened by the news that her daughter was unfaithful to Claudio. He wishes that Hero was never born but ultimately apologizes when he found out the truth. Dogberry is a local constable. He is not that clever and has a speciality in malapropisms. He is the one who this case as he catches Borachio, Don John's lover, boasting of his involvement in separating Claudio and Hero. He arrests Borachio and his allies and forces them to confess their part in Don John’s plot.