Introduction
Though fiction is often viewed as a realm that is thoroughly divorced from reality, its very nature implies that it reflects the sociocultural realities of its authors’ environments. The specified observation applies to Shakespeare’s famous “Much Ado About Nothing,” which, despite its comedic nature, makes the reader ponder quite several social and cultural issues observed at the time. Although Shakespeare challenged several stereotypes and sociocultural norms of the era with “Much Ado About Nothing,” the play also reflects the historical realities of the time by outlining the standards and ideas that it was set to ridicule.
Discussion
Despite its comedic nature, the play demonstrates the social flaws of 16th-17th century England clearly and criticizes them rather sharply. Specifically, “Much Ado About Nothing” addresses the issues of sex-based oppression, gender stereotypes, the issue of status and social hierarchy, and the related factors contributing to the presence of inequality in England in the specified time slot. Thus, even though containing a functional narrative with a rather comedic premise, the play reflects the realities of the period, as well as the stereotypes and prejudices that people held at the time. As a result, “Much Ado About Nothing” introduces the element of satire into its narrative, criticizing the shortcomings of the perspectives adopted within the 16th-17th-century English community.
Even though “Much Ado About Nothing” tells a fictional story, it does a spectacular job of portraying the constraints imposed on men and women, while also addressing the problem of sex-based oppression faced by women. The described perspective is quite refreshing compared to the problem of sex-based disparities within English society at the time. Specifically, studies outline the persistence of sex-based oppression in 16th and 17th century England (Pullin 2898). The specified problem percolates into “Much Ado About Nothing,” which clashes with its seemingly comedic nature and indicates that the play contains a complex and important message to convey to its target audience.
Specifically, the problem of sex-based oppression of women is demonstrated in the play transparently. For instance, Shakespeare illustrates a reality where women are valued solely for their beauty, yet, ironically, the same characteristic warrants distrust from men: “And trust no agent, for beauty is a witch/Against whose charms faith melteth into blood” (Shakespeare). The described sentiment portrays the rift between men and women that society created and sustained while belittling women and reducing their value to their appearance. The quote in question also illustrates the misperception of women as treacherous and worthy of distrust, which enhances the harm of sex-based disparities.
Examining the nature of relationships between men and women in 16th and 17th century England, one will recognize the accuracy of the described portrayal of the subject matter. Namely, Paxton et al. explain that women faced tremendous oppression in the 16th and 17th centuries in England, having no basic human rights and facing violence. The described disparity is summarized quite accurately by Paxton et al., who attribute the specified disparity to the presence of Fundamentalist principles and philosophy in the specified period. According o Paxton et al., “keeping women private and protected in the family, with men as gatekeepers to the rest of the world, is essential to the protection of religious and moral values, not only for one’s own family but for the entire society” (119). Therefore, the problem of sex-based oppression remained rampant in 16th and 17th-century England.
In response to the specified social issue, “Much Ado About Nothing” subverts the traditional idea of the dynamics between men and women, thus, questioning the legitimacy of the observed discrepancy in the rights between the two sexes. Namely, the play addresses the issue of virginity as a concept that is granted significantly more value than it should be: “Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,/Men were deceivers ever,/One foot in sea and one on shore,/To one thing constant never” (Shakespeare). The specified perspective on the issue at hand was truly groundbreaking at the time, outlining the ridiculousness of the stereotypes and perceptions of the subject matter.
The presence of rigid social hierarchy and the importance of social status represents another stereotype that constituted the bulk of the values dominant in the Shakespearean era, which “Much Ado about Nothing” successfully subverts. Namely, the play details the unfairness of the disparities between social classes in the Shakespearean era, particularly, the struggles of the lower class. The specified instances of inequality are highlighted when compared to the lives of the rich that “Much Ado About Nothing” portrays masterfully (Rapley 59). The described relationships detail the extent of unfairness and the lack of justice observed in 16th-17th century English quite accurately.
Understandably, Shakespeare’s play does not render the entire gamut of nuances in the relationships within the English social hierarchy of the time. Namely, the fact that social stratification led to the emergence of four delineated social classes is not fully depicted in the play. According to Domínguez-Delmás et al., the 16th-17th English community was split into the royalty and the affiliated people, such as the nobility, the middle class represented by merchants and the related social positions, the poor incorporating the working class, and the poorest of the poor, namely, people living beyond the poverty threshold (3). In turn, “Much Ado About Nothing” portrays primarily the dichotomy between the rich and the poor, which can be seen as a means of delineating the message more clearly.
Indeed, “Much Ado About Nothing” ridicules the absurdity of the social hierarchy where people of certain social backgrounds are denied essential means to sustain their lives solely due to the specifics of their origin. Namely, Shakespeare exposes the hypocrisy and unfairness of the specified state of affairs by exaggerating the extent of snobbery within the English community. For example, the play sets a clear distinction between the members of the upper and lower classes straightaway from the moment when the characters enter the scene. Specifically, the very names of some of the characters, such as “Dogberry” and “Verges” are supposed to demonstrate their belonging to the lower class and the treatment that they receive as a result (Shakespeare). The specified approach to criticizing how the line is drawn between members of different social classes in 16-th century England is especially effective due to the implied meaning of the selected method. Specifically, similarly to being given a specific name, being born into a specific family means that one is labeled from the very beginning of one’s life. Thus, the extent of social injustice that dictates differences in the attitudes toward people from different social backgrounds becomes all the more evident.
Therefore, “Much Ado About Nothing” portrays the inconsistencies in the social hierarchy and the criteria set for it, out; lining its ridiculousness and unfairness. Thus, the play reflects the problem of social injustice in 16th-17th century England, demonstrating the challenges that the established system creates. Moreover, the described approach toward depicting the problem within the social hierarchy and the associated inconsistencies explains the nature of some of the characters’ negative qualities. For instance, the ease with which Seacoal is bribed details the problematic nature of the relationships between the rich and the poor: “Marry, that he had received a thousand/ducats of Don John for accusing the Lady Hero/wrongfully” (Shakespeare). The specified sentiment elevates the play from a comedy to a complex social commentary on the nature of interactions within the English community and the inherent disparaging scenarios that it creates.
However, while the stereotypical perceptions and biases associated with sex and social status are ridiculed profusely in the play, gender, and marriage-related stereotypes are at the forefront of the narrative in “Much Ado About Nothing.” Specifically, the protagonists agonize extensively over the question of whether marrying is a necessary step: “(Shakespeare). Namely, the protagonists outline that marriage is foisted onto people by society and question whether the specified step is, in fact, an indispensable part of every person’s life. The outlined contemplations were quite unusual for Shakespeare’s era, therefore, indicating the author’s refreshing and ahead-of-his-time vision.
Admittedly, the message regarding the inconsistency of social standards and stereotypes associated with marriage represented in Shakespeare’s play could have been more powerful if marriage was pronouncedly defined by its female protagonists. Specifically, the fact that the male character refuses the concept of marriage might not seem as revolutionary to a present-day reader as if it had been communicated by a female character (Bishop and Joubin,236). However, given the period and the sanctity that was associated with marriage and the related traditions, the described sentiment was incredibly powerful: “If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her, tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her” (Shakespeare). Therefore, the idea of marriage not being the core purpose and the sole goal of one’s entire life, even though communicated in a comedic manner, was truly groundbreaking for the specified period. Furthermore, the play conveys an essential idea of female power in its choice of plot developments and the progression of its characters.
Conclusion
Finally, “Much Ado About Nothing” examines the differences between people that are eloquent and well-educated and those that do not have the prowess necessary to communicate their ideas. For instance, Benedick demonstrates his willingness to be well-versed in a conversation: “Old signior, walk aside with me. I have studied eight/or nine wise words to speak to you, which these/hobby-horses must not hear” (Shakespeare). However, unlike the rest of the social commentaries in the play, the specified reference to the problem of poor literacy serves as a comedic element rather than an attempt at a serious analysis.
While Shakespeare’s play subverts a range of stereotypes regarding marriage, social hierarchy, and relationships between men and women, it also reflects them quite accurately by creating opposites of the readers’ expectations. Introducing exaggerations and related comedic tools into the narrative, Shakespeare amplified the ridiculousness of social hierarchy and gender stereotypes. Thus, the play remains an important landmark in literature as an example of comedy tackling a variety of social and sociocultural issues, thus, prompting a more serious discussion thereof.
Works Cited
Bishop, Tom, and Alexa Alice Joubin. The Shakespearean International Yearbook: 19: Special Section, Shakespeare and Refugees. Routledge, 2021.
Domínguez-Delmás, Marta, Martin Bridge, and Arnoud SQ Visser. “Dendrochronological Analysis of an English Chest: Contributing to Knowledge about Wood Supply and Chest Production in 16th Century England.” Dendrochronologia, vol. 67, 2021, pp. 1-8.
Paxton, Pamela, Melanie M. Hughes, and Tiffany D. Barnes. Women, politics, and power: A global perspective. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2020.
Pullin, Naomi. Female Friends and the Making of Transatlantic Quakerism, 1650–1750. Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Rapley, Paul. “Fudging the Outcome of Much Ado About Nothing: How the Villains, Don Pedro and Count Claudio, Are Allowed to Stay and Dance.” Critical Survey, vol. 34, no. 1, 2022, pp. 56-73.