Much Ado About Nothing: Context (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Context should inform, but should never dominate, your analysis of the text. Any comments on contextual factors must always be linked to the themes in the play. When exploring the context in which Much Ado About Nothing was written, you should consider: 

• the contexts in which the text is set
• the contexts in which the text is received
• its literary context (genre)

Each of the topics below links directly to Shakespeare’s ideas in Much Ado About Nothing:

• Gender Roles
• Honour and Virtue
• Discord and Harmony

• The stereotype of Elizabethan women as chaste, modest, subservient and wholly dependent on men, whether a father or a husband, is taken mainly from how women were portrayed in literature
• Shakespeare, like other playwrights, borrowed plots from classic literature
• The storyline of Hero and Claudio likely came directly from a story by Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto
• This is not how most people lived their lives, but there were great differences between men’s and women’s roles in Elizabethan England
• These differences were mostly rooted in schooling
• Boys were able to attend grammar school from the ages of 6 or 7, whereas girls were mainly home-schooled (except for the poor)
• The lack of formal education for women led to a disparity between what men and women were thought to be capable of
• Women were allowed to own property, but the law dictated that ownership of any property transferred to a woman’s husband upon marriage
• The disparity between the roles of men and women is highlighted by the character of Beatrice
• When Hero is abandoned at the altar by Claudio, Beatrice cries “O God, that I were a man!”
• This means that she wishes that she were entitled to the qualities that men are not only allowed to have, but are celebrated for, such as the ability to take personal revenge on men like Claudio
• She wants to fight Claudio but, because she is a woman, she has to ask Benedick to do this on her behalf
• The story of Beatrice and Benedick was original and very popular in Shakespeare’s time
• Beatrice sees everyday sexism around her and decides to fight back by turning men’s insults back on them
• She often uses Benedick’s own words against him, inverting his insults to her own advantage
• This clash of wits ends up being the reason why they are so well-suited, as Beatrice gives as good as she gets
• While Hero represents the “ideal” Elizabethan woman, Beatrice is unusual as she embodies more male characteristics of being loud, talkative and funny
• Leonato himself says that she is too outspoken and, because of this, she will never marry
• The theme of female solidarity is also evident, as Beatrice passionately implores Leonato to believe Hero’s innocence
• However, no one believes Hero and Beatrice simply because they are women
• The play also concerns itself with the role of male friendship and bonding through banter
• It is used to cement friendships between men and to exclude women from such conversations
• It also involves the use of sexual innuendo and laddish jokes in order to be one of the crowd
• For example, when Leonato introduces Don Pedro to Hero, he immediately makes a joke about whether or not his daughter is really his
• In the play, humour acts as both a weapon and a shield
• The sexist jokes demean women, but they are also made because of the men’s insecurities
• The fact that they know that women can hurt them emotionally is a chink in their armour
• Hence why Benedick does not wish himself exposed to falling in love

• In Elizabethan times, it was very important for a woman to maintain her virginity until she was at least engaged
• Any rumours that a woman was not a virgin would not only harm the woman’s reputation, but also that of her father and future husband
• Although women were expected to remain virgins until marriage, it was generally thought acceptable if an engaged couple had sex between the agreement to marry and the actual wedding ceremony
• The same expectations of virginity were not in place for men
• It was a father’s duty to protect his daughter’s chastity at all costs
• If a daughter engaged in any form of sexual activity before marriage, this would dishonour her father and her family
• This explains Leonato’s extreme reaction at the altar when Claudio refuses Hero
• In addition, a wife’s faithfulness was a reflection of her husband’s status and ability to control her
• A cuckold is a man depicted with animal horns as a shameful sign that their wives had been unfaithful
• Cuckolds became a running joke in Elizabethan plays
• After marriage, any expression of female sexuality or feminine desire was considered to be deeply disturbing
• Many people thought that women could not control their lustful urges, so it was quite common for men to fear their wives’ fidelity and, therefore, to be “cuckolded”
• Concerns about Hero’s fidelity and virginity before marriage is a key plot point in the play
• The shaming of Hero is an example of male hypocrisy, as it was seen acceptable for men to sleep around, but obviously not women
• The character of Don John is also a symbol of infidelity
• As he is Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother, he is the proof that some women do sleep with men who are not their husbands
• His existence confirms the worst fears of characters like Claudio and Leonato
• The social anxiety around his illegitimate birth automatically makes him the “villain”
• In Elizabethan society, the very fact that he is illegitimate makes him “evil”

• Discord is evident in the play, as it combines humour with more serious themes such as honour, shame and social conventions
• It is ultimately a comedy that ends with multiple marriages and no deaths
• However, death is not absent, as Hero pretends to die of humiliation
• The play shares some plot elements with tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet
• The word “nothing” in Shakespeare’s time had contradictory meanings
• It could mean the absence of anything, but it was also pronounced as “noting”, meaning observing or taking note
• Messina is a large port city on the Italian island of Sicily
• It could be a place of play and restoration, yet the society was strictly bound by custom and convention
• Before the formation of a professional police force, each area of a city was policed by ordinary citizens
• They were called the “watch” and arrested wrongdoers
• They were often mocked in Shakespeare’s day for their sense of self-importance and pompousness
• The play ends with a dance, like several other Shakespearean comedies, which signals harmony and restored order