In Much Ado About Nothing, Don Pedro and Don John
represents the classic tale of sibling rivalry that has stretches all the way
back since Cain and Abel in the Bible.
But, unlike Cain and Abel’s rivalry of presenting the better sacrifices,
Don Pedro and Don John’s rivalry is one caused by the sins of their father. In
fact the rivalry presented within Don Pedro and Don John is one based on the
social concept of status and not actual hate towards his brother.
Don
Pedro, unlike Don John, is the legitimate heir to his father’s fortunes. During
the Renaissance era, (as stated in The
Bedford Companion to Shakespeare), illegitimate children could not inherit
anything from their fathers. (McDonald 263) Although, illegitimate children
could not and do not inherit their father’s fortunes, they are still taken care
of and given money for their education, but they are still frowned upon in society
and it is hard for them to advance further in status because of the circumstances
of their birth. They are often excluded and shunned from, “polite society”
because they are bastards and Don John is no exception to this rule.
Don
John’s jealousy is not the classic, “I am jealous of my brother, because he is
favored” but exhibits the other classic, yet complex jealousy issue of, “I cannot
advance any further and is shunned by the rest of the world, because I am a
bastard; Unlike my brother who gets to have everything I want, and therefore I
must hate him” issue. The quote,
“I am trusted with a
muzzle and enfranchised with a clog;
therefore I have decreed not to sing in my
cage.
If I had my mouth, I
would bite;
if I had my liberty, I
would do my liking:
in the meantime let me be
that I am and seek not to alter me.”
(Shakespeare
p. 1423)
exemplifies the hardships that Don John goes
through as his status of being a bastard child. He, unlike Don Pedro, is
restricted. Don John cannot speak freely because if he did, he would lose the
favor of the courts and the favor of his brother, who has more power and
authority over him. The extent of Don John’s restrictions on what he can and
cannot do is personified through the use of the cage imagery of him not being
able to “sing” in his cage. This demonstrates a physical aspect of restriction
and in this case it is the inability of mobility in status. Furthermore the
beginning of the quote which shows that he is being muzzled represents the
image of not being able to speak because it is covering his mouth. We further
see this hate for his brother, because of status, in the quote,
“Come,
come, let us thither: this may prove food to
my displeasure. That
young start-up hath all the
glory
of my overthrow: if I can cross him any way, I
bless myself every way.
You are both sure, and will assist me?”
(Shakespeare
p. 1424)
which presents the image of a king being
overthrown (Don Pedro), and a new leader (Don John), one that is not supposed
to be on the thrown as the new leader.
The
hatred expressed in Don John towards his own brother is one that is
manufactured by society and has turned his heart into stone. If society had
been more accepting Don John and Don Pedro could have been more brotherly
towards each other. But then again, Don John could try to recreate Cain and
Abel, in which only one of them would come out to be Cain, and the other a dead
sheep herder.
