MAAN & Stereotypes

As we are finishing up Shakespeares play Much Ado About Nothing, I began to think about and ponder about all the stereotypes that appear in this play. For instance, the Prince and Claudio openly accused Hero of being unfaithful. Considering how high and nobel the Prince and Claudio are, her father, Leonado, immediatly turns on his own daughter even without visual proof. Another example of a stereotype in this playwright is how the women are treated in the play. The men view women to be beneath them, and we can see that when Leonado takes the men's accusations over his daughter's word.

I believe Shakespeare was attempting to teach his audiences a lesson about misjudging others. He shows this through Leonado. When Leonado puts the gentlemen's word over his daughter's, he fell to a stereotype. Later, Leonado discovers that his daughter was guiltless, and the Prince, Claudio, and even he had wronged her. He is filled with remorse and sadness for his daughters 'death'. Shakespeare was trying to teach us that following a stereotype can get oneself into much trouble and leading to alot of distress and discomfort.