Dogberry & Verges
A connection was made in class between "Much Ado About Nothing"'s Dogberry and Verges and "A Midsummer Night Dream"'s rude mechanicals. Shakespeare is drawing comic relief from the lower middle class once more, this time also at their expense. The humor of these characters of "The Watch" is derived from their ignorant misuse of words and unwitting puns while Dogberry and Verges are speaking of their policing role that they take very seriously.
It was unclear in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" whether the audience is meant to pity or take humor in the mechanical's play they flub hopelessly and I felt the same conflict for the Watch as Act IV unfolded. Dogberry and Verges say absolutely ridiculous things, which was pure fun to read in Act III when they were on the beat, but when it came to discovering Don John's scheme and warning Leonato before the wedding, their verbal stumbling was cringe-worthy. Although they were the most enlightened two characters of the play at that moment, the two of them came off just as silly as always in the instance Dogberry "defends" Verges: "...an old man, sir, and his wits are not so blunt as God help, I would desire they were." (3.5, Lines 9-11) I myself would lose patience trying to sort through this type of backwards conversation, so I don't place blame on Leonato for brushing them off and continuing to his daughter's wedding. This was just such a terrifically ironic scene, placing the crux particulars of the play in the hands that don't know what to do with it.
My Contention With Claudio
The end of Act III and wedding-alter scene that followed left me feeling very malcontent with Claudio's conduct.
After falling for Don John's ruse, Claudio did not just decline marrying Hero quietly the next day, but went as far as to publicly insult her and deliver scathing remarks such as the following, "You seem to me as Dian in her orb...But you are more intemperate in your blood/Than Venus or those pampered animals/That rage in savage sensuality." (4.1, 55-59) The blistering insults and name-calling seemed very over-the-top and uncalled for, as I read it. Hero's response did not carry as much assertive objection as I would have liked or might have expected from a character like Beatrice if she were in Hero's place. Hero seemed demure and crumbling against Claudio's outrageous accusations. Of course, Claudio gave her a snowball's chance of defending herself by referring to her flush of shock as further proof to her guilt, "By these exterior shows? But she is none. She knows the heat of a luxurious bed. Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty." (4.1, 38-40) Claudio's behavior is exceedingly cruel and is the crown to a series of bizarre actions he has taken with Hero.
Claudio's first stint of weirdness can be traced to trying to woo Hero through the gestures of a friend. At first read, I chalked this up to severe bashfulness on Claudio's part, but in hindsight taking this disaster wedding into account, it was a sign of Claudio's distance and lack of intimacy for Hero. Claudio gave a lot of talk about love to his soldier bros, but there are scarce examples of Claudio being affectionate towards Hero. His snap-judgement of Hero's "sensuality" without attempt to question her or hear her side of the matter has made up my mind that Claudio may not have been Hero's match after all.
3 comments:
I think what you are saying about Claudio is very true. I'm not sure who I am more disappointed in, Hero or Claudio though. While Claudio is tricked and schemed into believing Hero's infidelity, Hero goes along with the Friars trick to get back the man who called her a whore. Meanwhile, Claudio is willing to just marry any girl who is sent at him. It seems to me that both characters have low standards and are really looking to just get married and move on. I’m not sure how any of these actions could be looked upon favorably and these events do not paint either character in a flattering light. In essence, it does not matter who they are marrying, just that they are. I agree they are not the perfect match, however, they are both low standard characters so maybe they are meant for one another. Maybe their shallow actions make them a match made in heaven.
Agreed! Claudio is a sketchy guy. From what we read it seems as if he barely knew Hero. He didn't even have the guts to "woo" the girl he wanted to marry so badly. I'm no marriage expert, but I'm pretty sure you should get to know the person you marry before you hit the altar, this just had bad news written all over it. Of course he is going to blow up on her at the altar too, he doesn't know anything about Hero so anything he hears will be his only evidence. And Like Sarah said in her comment, they were just looking to get married for the sake of getting married, it seems like it didn't matter to who.
As for Dogberry and Verges, they can get just a little bit annoying but the fact that Michael Keaton plays Dogberry in the film version keeps my opinion of their characters in good graces.
agreed. In many aspects both Claudio and Hero are weak characters that seem to go along with whatever everyone else wants or says. They are gullible. And they both seem to be more in love with the idea of being in love and accepted by society than actually loving each other, I think what we have here is an extreme case of lust at first sight; not only sexual lust but social lust, them both knowing the benefits they can gain from society through the ritual of marriage, this is especially true of Claudio. Where as a relationship like that of Beatrice and Benedick can be looked at as more realistic.
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