Stereotypes in MAAN

Weak-willed women, pea-brained peasants, a deceitful bastard... Stereotypes abound in the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. But it is less clear whether a play's stereotypes say more about the playwright or his audience. I think Shakespeare believed the stereotypes about women and illegitimate children, but he did not believe that peasants were fundamentally stupid.

One stereotype that appears in this play is that women should be quiet and submissive. One place this is seen is in the character Hero, who never seems to question or challenge the men around her. Even when, in Act 4, Scene 1, Hero is slandered by her fiancé and her father, she hardly says a word to protest her innocence; instead, she faints, and Friar Francis defends her instead. There is another woman in the play, Beatrice, who is very witty and assertive, but when she is tricked into thinking Benedick loves her, her attitude shifts. She declares, "Benedick, love on; I will requite thee/Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand" (III.1.114-115). Through this speech, Shakespeare perpetuates the view that in a marriage, a woman must defer to her husband. No counterexamples are given where a woman's confidence is seen as beneficial. Therefore, it seems Shakespeare believed that only a woman who fits the stereotype of being passive can gain a husband; women who deviate from this portrayal will not inspire love.

Another stereotype in this play is that illegitimate children are treacherous and antisocial, not because of anyone else's fault, but just because they are illegitimate. Throughout this play, it is assumed that Don Pedro is the 'good guy' and Don John is bad. Shakespeare never delves into the reasons for the battle between them; all that is discussed is the fact that Don John lost. This portrayal is far too two-dimensional to give us a proper idea of who Don Pedro and Don John are. Because Don John is illegimate, he has been excluded since birth from the high society of which Don Pedro is a member. It is even possible that as the two grew up, Don Pedro used his greater status to snub, or even bully, Don John. But in this play, we only see the adult Don John's vile characteristics, and never any reason to doubt Don Pedro's goodness. Because of this static, shallow characterization of Don John, it is clear to me that Shakespeare thought illegitimate children were inherently unsociable liars.

Although Shakespeare seems very prone to stereotyping so far, the role played by the lower-class constable, Dogberry, in this play, although stereotypical, seems less a personal bias than a tool to get laughs from his audience. Throughout the play, Dogberry handles words poorly, saying such strange phrases as, "O villain! thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this" (IV.2.50-51). This was used by Shakespeare for comedic relief, and it appealed to the stereotypes held by his audience. However, the role played by Dogberry in the plot of this play shows that Shakespeare did not think peasants were stupid, simply uneducated. This is shown when the upper-class, educated men, such as Don Pedro and Claudio, are fooled into believing Hero had no honor, but the 'stupid' lower-class constable uncovers the truth. When Borachio, Don John's henchman, confesses to tricking Don Pedro and Claudio, he points this irony out, saying, "what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light" (V.1.233-235). Through this part of the plot, it is shown that Shakespeare understood that although lower-class citizens were often uneducated, they were not stupid.

From a modern point of view, it is readily apparent that many stereotypes are expressed in Shakespeare's plays. Yet, if one delves into the play itself, one can see that Shakespeare used his story to challenge some of these stereotypes. So that's why we have to analyze Shakespeare so much...

(Lines numbers are based on the version at http://shakespeare.mit.edu)