Character Development: Hero

Shakespeare’s characters go beyond a portrayal of simplicity such as comic relief, and instead showcase the motivations of these characters at the certain period of time and how the characters affect the plot. The character Hero from Shakespeare’s, “Much Ado about Nothing”, is not only used to highlight another character like Beatrice, but the growth of Hero within the play is immaculate and tells a story of people coming out of their shells and becoming self confident. Hero is a respectful, naive and reserved person. However, as the play progresses and she unmasks herself after pretending to be dead, and thereafter playing a cousin ready to marry Claudio, she is less innocent around men and becomes more outspoken.

I portrayed the change in Hero through the course of the play in a drawing of a caterpillar coming out of it’s cocoon and becoming a butterfly. This is the transition from naive to self- confidence.

 

The Cocoon Stage

Hero is portrayed as an oblivious character in many instances. Don Pedro asks for Hero’s company and she appears to take him for his face value because he “look(s) sweetly”. Don Pedro, according to those involved and aware of the war that took place in Messina, is a villain and a cold hearted person. Hero’s character is therefore not only portrayed as oblivious but also unaware. Hero fully exposes her nature and is “yours (his) for the walk”. This shows that she is oblivious to his past and doesn’t acknowledge what his character is like, but rather succumbs to “soft talk”.

In addition to being oblivious, she is also selfless. As Don Pedro approaches her about Beatrice’s validity as a bride and her potential marriage, Hero accepts to doing “any modest office”, thus demonstrating that she is willing to go to any extent within reach. This shows that she is selfless because she will do all that it takes, not for herself, but “to help my (her) cousin to a good husband.” The last section of her statement clearly portrays that Hero will compromise her own doings- to a certain extent- in order to impact her cousin Beatrice’s life forever.

At the time that Shakespeare’s play takes place, the society is patriarchal, however the women do have some sort of a say but Hero is more diligent and dutiful. For instance, when speaking to Hero the crowd trusts that she “will be ruled by your (her) father”, in deciding her marriage prospects. This signifies that Hero obeys her father's word and lives by it. Not only that but when Beatrice speaks of Hero, the same idea is conveyed, if not exaggerated. It is Hero’s “duty to make curtsy and say ‘Father, as it please you”, in this sense Hero is viewed as one who diligently abides by her father’s word and performs acts in order to make her father proud of her.

 

The Caterpillar Stage

As the tale unwinds into the main plot, Hero starts to come out of her cocoon and become more outspoken, however not overly confident, a caterpillar. As she starts to blossom into a less naive character, she is more sassy and although the transition is rapid, her development is evident. When speaking to Don Pedro, who she earlier simply took for face value and committed to doing anything, her confidence shines through and says that she will leave, “when I (she) please (s)”. This demonstrates, her ability to have her own conscious and control her actions rather than being completely oblivious.

 

Butterfly Stage:

From the third scene, Hero’s character development is witnessed to a great extent. In the first act, she is cunning and bold. In trying to get Beatrice to fall in love with Benedick, she commands Margaret to “steal her: and lie to Beatrice, luring her into their trap. A quick change in her character as she turns to trickery and command. She is cunning and wants Beatrice to not hear any part of their plan but instead fall for their “sweet bait.” The oxymoron “sweet bait” refers to the fact that Hero agrees that the bait is a trap, but in describing it as something sweet conveys her excitement and belief that lying is a good thing. She is very bold in displaying to the public Beatrice’s love, noted down privately, that she claims to have “stolen from her pocket”. In doing so, at the end of the play, although it works in Beatrice’s favour, it was a very bold and risky move that could have threatened Beatrice and Hero’s relationship.