Gender politics and relationships in Much Ado

18 Pages·2012·2.18 MB·English

"The Sign and Semblance of Her Honor": Reading Gender Difference in Much Ado about
Nothing
Author(s): Carol Cook
Reviewed work(s):
Source: PMLA, Vol. 101, No. 2 (Mar., 1986), pp. 186-202
Published by: Modern Language Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/462403 .
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CAROL COOK
"The Sign and Semblanceo f Her Honor": ReadingG ender
Differencine MucbA do aboutN otbing
M
UCH ADO about Nothingb eginsw ith tomb and his acceptance of an unknownb ride
news of an ending; a rebelliousb rother (79).
has been defeatedi n battle,a nd the vic- These readingsf inda resolutiont o sexualc on-
torious prince and his retinuea re approaching flict in the play in a thematicm ovementt hat
Messina. Don Pedro, Claudio, and Benedick privilegest he femininea nd providesm oral clo-
returnf romo ne kindo f conflictt o entera nother: sure.I n myv iew,h oweverw, hateverco nversiono r
before they set foot in Messina we hear of a movementt he play offersi s notablyi ncomplete,
"merryw ar,"t he ongoing" skirmisho f wit," be- for while the sexual conflict points in an il-
tween Benedick and Beatrice (1.1.62-63). Re- luminatingw ay to the questiono f genderd iffer-
sponding to the centralityo f sexual conflicti n ences and what is at stakei n them,t heirr elation
Much Ado, criticsh ave sometimesr ead the play to subjectivityan d authorityt,h e play cannot re-
as a strugglein whichh umanef eminineq ualities solve its contradictionfsr omw ithinit s own struc-
ultimatelysu persedei nadequatem asculinev alues. tures of meaning. My reading of Much Ado
Barbara Everetth as writtent hat begins by tracingt he signifyindgi fferencetsh at
produce or representg enderi n the play, differ-
thep layc oncernist selwf ithw hatc ano nlyb e calledt he encese speciallye videntin thec uckoldj okes of the
mostm undanoer "local" facti n thatw orldo f love,i n openings cene,a nd suggestst hatw hat is at stake
all itsf ormst,h att hec omediecsr eatet:h ati s,t hatm en
in thesed ifferenceiss a masculinep rerogativien
and womenh avea notablyd ifferencht aracterd,i ffer-
language,w hicht he play itselfs ustains.I argue
entm odeo ft hinkindgi,f feresnyts temof loyaltieasn, d,
that the play masks, as well as exposes, the
particularldyi,f ferensotc ial place and functionN. ot
mechanismso f masculinep owera nd thati nsofar
onlyt his:b utt hisi s thef irspt layI, thinki,n whicht he
clasho f theset wow orldsis treatedw itha degreeo f as it avoids whati s crucialt o its conflictst, he ex-
seriousness,a nd in which the woman's world plicitlyo fferedc omic resolutioni s somethingo f
dominates. (320) an artfuld odge.
The pervasivem asculinea nxietyt hatc haracter-
John Crick, afterd escribingt he limitationso f izes the play'sM essina mightb e read psychoana-
Messina's "predominatelym asculinee thos," sug- lyticallya s castrationa nxiety; the imageryo f
gestst hat Beatrice's" femininec harityt riumphs. horns and wounds in the cuckold jokes points
. . . Benedickb ecomes acceptablet o her when ratheri nsistentliyn thisd irectionB. ut "castration
he symbolicallyjo ins his masculineq ualities to anxiety"i s not so much an answert o the play's
her femininep rinciplesb y taking up, however questionsa bout genderd ifferencaes anotherf or-
reluctantlyh,e r attitudet o Claudio . . . " (37). mulationo f themt hat requiress ome furtherex -
JaniceH ayes borrowst he psychologicatl ermsi n- planation,f ort hep hallusa nd its loss onlys ignify
strumentaaln d expressivet o characterizem ascu- withina largers tructuroef meaningsM. uch Ado
line and feminine modes of behavior and setsu p a complexc hain of associationa mongt he
experiencein the play.C ontrasting"t he tradition- word, the sword,a nd the phallus, markingo ff
ally male sphereo f war, honors,a nd triumph" language as the domain of masculinep rivilege
and "the privatea nd potentiallyex pressivwe orld and masculinea ggressionT. he masculine,i n the
of Messina, a world whose functioningis com- world of the play,i s the place of speakinga nd
munal and cyclicala nd whose heirsa re women," readings ubjects,o f manipulatorasn d interpreters
Hayes sees the Claudio-Hero plot as a rituala c- of signs.T he characterasr e muchc oncernedw ith
tioni n whichC laudio's "narcissistiicn strumental- self-concealmenant d the exposureo f others,w ith
ity"i s overcomein his symbolicp enancea t Hero's avoidingo bjectificatiobny otherst, hea bjectiono f
186
Carol Cook 187
which the cuckold's horn becomes the fearful to a largerc ulturalp icturei n whichm en sharea
sign. To read othersi n this play is alwaysa n act sense of vulnerabilityb ecause theyh ave only a
of aggressiont; o be read is to be emasculated,t o woman'sw ordf ort he paternityof theirc hildren.
be a woman.M asculinep rivilegeis contingenotn A man mayb e a cuckold,i t is suggesteda,n d not
the legibilityo f women,a nd the ambiguous sig- be aware of his horns.
nifyingp ower of women's "seeming" is the This anxietya bout women's potentialp ower
greatestth reatt o them eno f Messina,w ho engage over men is particularlya pparenti n Benedick's
variousd efensivset rategieasg ainsti t, fromt hee x- self-consciouslym isogynistibc anter in the first
change of tendentioujso kes to the symbolics ac- scene,w hereh e airss ome of his antiromantidco c-
rificeo f Hero. The play itselfi s implicatedi n trinef ort he benefito f Claudio and Don Pedro:
theses trategiesi,n sofara s the charactersp' lot to
recuperateC laudio throught he fictiono f Hero's
That a womanc onceiv'dm e, I thankh er;t hats he
death is also the plot of the play: the stability broughmt eu p,I likewisgei veh erm osth umblteh anks;
necessaryf orc omic closurer equirest he exorcism butt hatI willh avea rechatwe indedin myf orehead,
of a disturbinglypo lysemousi mage of woman. or hangm yb uglei n an invisiblbea ldricka,l l women
The strategyis onlyp artiallys uccessfulh, owever, shallp ardonm e.B ecauseI willn otd o themt hew rong
fort hought he "false knaves,"D on Johna nd his to mistruasnt y,I willd o myseltfh er ightto trusnt one;
henchmena,r e ultimatelyre vealeda s the manipu- andt hef ineis (forw hichI mayg o thef inerI), w illl ive
latorso f misreadingst,h eyf unctionas scapegoats, a bachelor. (238-46)
deflectingat tentionf romt he unresolveda nxieties
about languagea nd gendert hath aveb een respon- To submito neselft o a womanb yl ovinga nd mar-
sible fort he play's catastrophe. ryingh er is to "have a rechatew inded" in one's
forehead-a trumpetb last blowing fromo ne's
I forehead,a nnouncingo ne's humiliationt o the
world.M arriagef orcesa man to "hang his bugle
We can learn a good deal about the place of in an invisibleb aldrick."T his somewhato bscure
gender differencein the life and language of metaphors eems to be a concentratedex pression
Much Ado's Messina by lookinga t the mostp er- of the masculinef earsa bout femininep oweri n
sistentt hemei n the wittyd iscourseo f the play's the play.T he glossg ivenf ort hisl ine in the River-
male characters-thato f cuckoldryT. he cuckold side editionr unsa s follows:" carrym yh orn not
jokes beginw henL eonato,a sked whetherH ero is in theu sual place on theu sual strap( baldrick)b ut
his daughter,r eplies, "Her motherh ath many wheren o strapi s seen (because none is present)-
timest old me so" (1.1.105),a nd end with Bene- on my forehead" (335). As a symbol of man's
dick's closing advice to Don Pedro: "get thee a betrayaal nd humiliationt,h eh ornd isplacedf rom
wife,g ett heea wife!T herei s no staffm orer ever- its rightfupl lace to a wrongo ne mustb e read,i t
ent than one tipp'd withh orn" (5.4.122-24)-an seems to me, in the light of the play's two
absolute equation of marriagew ith cuckoldry. metaphoricu ses of the wordh orn,f orh ornsa re
The tirelessnesws ithw hicht hese men returnt o not onlys ignso f cuckoldryb ut also phallics ym-
such jokes suggestsa n underlyingan xietyt hati s bols.' What Benedick'sm etaphoro f the invisible
presentw hen the play opens and that has not baldricks uggestsi s that marriagee masculatesa
been dispelledb y the resolutiono f the plot's var- man and flauntst hee videnceo f his emasculation
ious complications. by displayingt he displaced phallus in his fore-
The imageryo f the play'sc uckoldj okes reveals head. This theme is sustainedi n the lines that
mucha bout thea nxietyt hatm otivatetsh em.L eo- follow:
nato's casual remarka bout Hero's motheri s a
wittyc ircumlocutiono f the sort that dominates
Bene. Provet hate verI lose moreb loodw ith
the sophisticateds mall talk of Messina. In itself
lovet hanI willg eta gainw ithd rinkingp,i cko utm ine
it is a trifle,a hackneyedjo ke that comes auto-
eyesw itha ballad-makerp'se na nd hangm eu p at the
maticallyt o minda nd rollse asilyo fft he tongue.
dooro f a brothel-houfsoe rt hes igno f blindC upid.
We are not to infert hatL eonato is harboringse ri- D. Pedro.W ell,if e vert houd ostf allf romth isf aith,
ous doubtsa bout the fidelityof his wife.T he very thouw iltp rovea notablea rgument.
conventionalityof the comment,t hough,p oints Bene.I f I do,h angm ei na bottllei kea cata nds hoot
188 Reading GenderD ifferencein Much Ado about Nothing
at me; and he thath itsm e,l eth imb e clapp'do n the aggressiveo r hostilej oke (the cuckold joke ex-
shoulderan d call'dA dam. pressesm asculinec ompetition)t, he cynicalj oke
D. Pedro. Well,a s times hallt ry:" In timet hes av- (aimed at the institutiono f marriagei tself),a nd
age bulld othb eart hey oke." the obscene or exposingj oke. In discussingt he
Bene. The savageb ullm ay,b uti f evert hes ensible last categoryF, reud makesa numbero f observa-
Benedickb ear it, plucko fft he bull'sh ornsa nd set
tions that are pertinenth ere. "Smut," he writes,
themin myf oreheada,n dl etm eb e vildlyp ainteda,n d
in Jokes,o r "the intentionabl ringingin top romi-
in suchg reatl etterass theyw rite" Herei s good horse
nence of sexual factsa nd relationsb y speech,i s
to hire,l"e tt hems ignifuyn derm ys ign," Herey oum ay
see Benedickt hem arriedm an." (250-68) . . . originallyd irectedt owardw omena nd may
be equatedw itha ttemptast seduction"( 97). Such
Benedick here offersi n succession threev er- sexual talk "is like an exposureo f the sexually
sions of his fate if he becomes subjected to a differenpte rsont o whom it is directed"( 98). If
woman,i f he "everl ose[s] moreb lood withl ove the woman does not responds exuallyt o the ver-
than [he] willg et again withd rinking"-a loss of bal overture-as is oftent he case at "the higher
vitalityan d virilityli ke "Th' expenseo f spirit"o f social levels," where sexual inhibitions are
sonnet 129, perhapss uggestingal so the bleeding strongest-"thes exuallye xcitings peechb ecomes
wound of castration.W hat makes these three an aim in itself"a nd "becomes hostilea nd cruel,
statement(so f what would happen "if") roughly and . . . thus summonst o its help againstt he
paralleli s theirr ecurrenitm ageso f vulnerability, obstaclet he sadisticc omponentso f thes exuali n-
mutilation,a nd exposurea s legibles igns. In the stinct"( 99). Denied its originala im of seduction,
firstc ase, loss of eyes suggestst he lover'sm uti- the sexual joking will be directedt o a new au-
lation-and, obliquely,c astration-but also en- dience: "The men save up this kind of enter-
forcest he particularh umiliationo f denyingt he tainment, which originally presupposed the
victimt he abilityt o witnessh is own condition.2 presenceo f a woman who was feelinga shamed,
Displayedp ubliclya t the site of sexual degrada- untilt heya re 'alone together"'( 99). The tenden-
tion, the lover is fullyo bjectified,s een but un- tious joke calls for threep articipants:" the one
seeing, subjected to the aggressiono f others' who makest hej oke, . . . a second who is taken
gazes. That the instrumento f blinding is the as the object of the hostileo r sexual aggressive-
satiricb allad maker'sp en linkst hev isual objecti- ness, and a third in whom the joke's aim of
ficationt hroughd isplayw itha textualo bjectifica- producingp leasurei s fulfilled"( 100).
tiont hroughla nguage,a s thee masculatedc uckold Freud's diachronica nalysis of the origin of
is ridiculeda nd publishedi n degradingf ictions. "smut" can be moreu sefullyu nderstoodh erea s
In the second case, the loveri s to be hung "in a an account of the differenati ms thata joke may
bottlel ike a cat" and shot at by otherm en,w ho simultaneouslyf ulfillA. s such, his model turns
compete fort he firsth it. In his public exposure out to illuminatet hec uckoldj okes in Much Ado.
and vulnerabilityth, e cuckoldb ecomest he target Freud'sp aradigmaticjo ke telleri s a man, speak-
foro therm en's" shots,"t heirw ittyji bes.3F inally, ing to a male audience,w ithw omena s the silent,
Benedickp icks up Don Pedro's aphorisma bout absento bjectso f thej okes. The tendentioujso kes
they okingo f the savageb ull. The bull's hornsa re worko n severalle velso f directionan d indirection.
the manifestationosf its savageryi,t s undomes- Thus, whenC laudio aims a cuckoldj oke at Bene-
ticated masculine power, and by extensiona n dick for the benefito f Don Pedro ("Tush, fear
image of virilityin general.S hould the sensible not, man, we'll tip thyh orns with gold
Benedicke vers ubmitt o they oke,h e says," pluck [5.4.44]),t heo bjecto f thej oke is Benedick,i mag-
off the bull's horns"-that is, turn them from ined as a cuckold and hence as havingl ost his
signs of potencyt o signs of emasculation "and masculines tatusi n thes exualh ierarchyb,u t at an-
set themi n myf orehead."T he displacementm o- otherr emovet he object is also women,w itht heir
tifh erer ecallst hei nvisibleb aldricka, nd again the fearfulp owert o cuckold men.
emasculationo f the lover is followedb y public The cuckold joke expressesh ostilitya nd fear,
display-the sign designatingt he humiliatedv ic- but the relationals tructuroef thej oke-tellingsi t-
tim "Benedick the marriedm an." uation offersa compensation.C4 uckoldryo ccurs
The cuckoldj oke partakeso f all threec atego- as a triangularr elationshipth att he cuckoldj oke
ries of what Freud calls "tendentiousjo kes": the revises-and perhapsr evengesI.n the act of cuck-
Carol Cook 189
olding,w hichd ominatest hei maginationosf Mes- grace.Y etb eneatht heire asy charm,t heirw ita nd
sina's men,i t is the husbandw ho is the silenta nd convivialityt,h e charactersa re evidentlyan xious,
absentb utto f the joke, whilea woman takest he edgy,a fraid of betrayings pontaneouse motion,
active and powerfulr ole (comparablet o that of afraid of exposing themselvest o one another.
the tellero f a joke), in complicityw ith a third Messina is much concerned with its carefully
party in whom, as Freud puts it, the "aim of preserveds urfaces.T he characterst alk a good
producingp leasure is fulfilled."T he tellingo f deal about how theyd ress.W e hear about "cloth
cuckoldj okes, then,r estoretsh e male prerogative: o' gold . . . down sleeves, side-sleeves,a nd
it returnst he woman to silencea nd absence,h er skirts"( 3.4.19-21);a bout Benedick'sm etamorpho-
absence authorizingt he male raconteurt o repre- sis in "strange disguises" (3.2.32-33); about
sent her in accordancew ithp articularm ale fan- "slops" (3.2.36), doublets, rabatos, gloves, and
tasies, and produces pleasure through male vizards;a bout Dogberry'st wo gowns;a nd about
camaraderie. "the deformedt hief,f ashion"-ther hetoricafl ig-
Thus, Benedick'sl ines figuree masculation,o r ure overheardb y Messina'sn ightw atch,i n whose
the loss of masculinep rivilegei,n two ways:a s a minds" the thief,D eformed"t akeso n a remark-
literal,p hysicalc astrationa nd as a concomitant ably vivid personality and criminal record
loss of masculinep rerogativien language.I n be- (3.3.130-31). Just as the Messinans talk about
cominga cuckold,a man relinquishesh is role as dress, theyt alk about talking.T hey are highly
the tellero f jokes, the manipulator,r eader,a nd conscious of verbals tyle.B enedicka nd Beatrice
subject of language, and falls instead to the are knownf ort heir" skirmisho f wit" (1.1.63);i f
woman'sp ositiona s theo bjecto f jokes,t hes ilent, theyw erem arried" but a week,"L eonatop redicts,
legibles ign.I t is thep lace of thew omant o be the "theyw ould talk themselvesm ad" (2.1.353-54).
object, or referento,f language,a signt o be read We hear about the speed of Beatrice's tongue,
and interpreteds;i lenth erself,s he becomes a ci- about "quips and sentencesa nd paper bulletso f
pher, the target of unconscious fantasiesa nd theb rain,"a bout the "ill word"t hatm ay" empoi-
fears, and is dangerously vulnerable to the son liking," about Don John, who is "not of
representationans d misrepresentatioonfs m en,a s manyw ords" (1.1.157).
the main plot of Much Ado bears out. The Enteringin tot he social intercoursoef Messina
woman is thereforde oubly threateningb,o th in entailsd ressingw ella nd talkingw ell,a nd in a way
her imaginedc apacityt o betraya nd cuckoldm en these modes of decorous behaviors erves imilar
and as an image of what men fear to become: functionsE. arly in the play,B enedickw ithdraws
paradoxically,h er very vulnerabilityis threat- fromt he bantero f Don Pedro and Claudio say-
ening.5 ing: "Nay,m ockn ot,m ockn ot.T he bodyo f your
The social worldo f Much Ado's Messinas eems discoursei s sometimesg uarded withf ragments,
ratherp recariouslyf ounded on a denial of its and theg uardsa re but slightlyb astedo n neither"
mostp ervasivea nxietiesa, nd itsp otentialf orv io- (1.1.285-87).B enedickh erem akese xplicita rela-
lence is triggeredw hen the repressedf earo f the tionb etweend iscoursea nd dresst hatc ontinuest o
femininea,n d all thatw omanr epresentiss, forced be importantt hroughoutth e play.T he discourse
into consciousnessb y Don John'sm achinations. of Claudio and Don Pedro( and perhapso f all the
Messina,t he mosts ophisticateda nd urbanes oci- major characteresx ceptH ero) is guarded-thati s,
etyi n all Shakespeare'sc omedies,i s also the most decorated( rhetoricallya)n d also, in then ow more
confined.N o moonlitw ood or foresto f Arden commons enseo f thew ord,d efensiveT.h e charac-
offerse scape fromM essina's social tensions,a nd tersu se theirw itt o covert heire motionaln aked-
the charactersr' omantica nd sexual roles are not ness and to avoid exposure.D iscoursei n Messina
relievedb y opportunitiesf ors exual disguise.S o- is aggressivea nd witty;r eal wounds are dealt in
cial and sexual roles are firmlye stablished,a nd the "merryw ar" betweenB enedicka nd Beatrice,
the inhabitantsa re acutelyc onscious of them. in which Beatrice "speaks poiniards,a nd every
To note the rigidityo f thisw orldi s not to sug- words tabs" (2.1.247-48).B ecause of its capacity
gest that Messina lacks charm. Its aristocratic to inflictw ounds, language-especially wit-is
characters demonstrate the most elaborate wielded both as weapon and as shield.
courtesy;f ormalityd oes not make theirm anners The metaphoricl anguage of the play consis-
less genial, and theym ove throught heire legant tentlyf iguressp eecha s phallica nd capable of vio-
social patterns with an almost choreographic lent penetrationL. eonato tells Claudio that his
190 ReadingG enderD ifferencien MuchA do aboutN othing
slander, daggerlike, has "gone through and form asculinea nxietiesT. he vocal Beatricer efuses
through"t he hearto f Hero (5.1.68). When Bene- the subjection of femininityo,f castration,b y
dick meets Claudio to avenget hat slander( 5.1), placingh erselfa mongt hem ena nd wieldingp hal-
he tellsC laudio and Don Pedro thath e wearsh is lic wita s aggressivelays they;i t is the oftens ilent
wit "in my scabbard" and will meet Claudio's Hero who figuretsh et hreato f differencfeo rM es-
"wit in the careera nd you chargei t against me. sinan men.
. . . [Y]ou break jests as braggartsd o their Like Benedick, Beatrice adopts the role of
blades . . ." (134-35, 185). Margaretc ompares "profess'dt yrant"t o the opposite sex (1.1.169),
Benedick'sw itt o "fencer'sf oils,"a lbeitd ull ones satirizingm asculinep retensionws itha gile wit.T o
(5.2.12)-a lame wit is one that cannot wound. Hero, she remarkst artlyo n paternala uthority:
Hero's image for Margaret'sj abs at Beatrice- "Yes, faith,i t is myc ousin's dutyt o make cursy
"theret hou prick'sth erw itha thistle"(3 .5.74)-is and say,' Fathera, s it please you.' But fora ll that,
more benign,b ut "prick'st"e nforcest he phallic cousin,l et himb e a handsomef ellowo, r makea n-
association. As Hero's line suggests,p hallic lan- other cursy,a nd say, 'Father,a s it please me"'
guage mayb e appropriatedb y women-Beatrice (2.1.52-56).A nd, likeB enedick,s he makesc ynical
speaks poiniards-but remainsn onethelessg en- pronouncementosn romanticl ove and marriage:
dered as masculine. In exchangingq uips with
Margaret,B enedickd escribesh er wit as a "grey- . . . wooingw, eddinga,n d repentinigs, a s a Scotch
hound'sm outh"t hat" catches"( 5.2.11-12)b, ut he jig, a measurea,n d a cinquepacet; hef irsstu iti s hot
and hastyli kea Scotchji g, and fulla s fantasticatlh; e
claims swordlike phallic wit as a masculine
weddingm, annerly-modaess ta, m easuref,u llo f state
prerogativteh atw omeno nlyw ieldt hroughu sur-
anda ncientrayn; dt henc omesr epentancaen,d w ithh is
pation:
bad legsf allsi ntot hec inquepacfe asteran d fastert,i ll
he sinki ntoh isg rave. (2.1.73-80)
Marg. Give us the swords;w e have bucklerso f our
own. Beatrice'si ronicc ommentso n men and marriage,
Bene. If you use them,M argarety, ou mustp ut in the and her passionate outbursta gainst Claudio in
pikesw itha vice; and theya re dangerousw eapons for the firsts ceneo f act 4, havel ed some criticst o re-
maids. (5.2.18-22) gard her as the championo f a "femininep rinci-
ple" and as a kind of protofeminist.6Y et
To brandishp hallic wit is to defend against Beatrice's ostentatiousf loutingo f conventional
others'c astrating"s words"o r to denya castration sexual rolesi s ofteno nlya concessiont o thema t
already accomplished.O r ratheri t is both: for anotherl evel,a nd insteado f challenginMg essina's
both male and femalew its in this play use their masculinee thos, she participatesi n its assump-
reparteet o disguisea lack or a weakness,a sus- tionsa nd values.I n the openings cene,s he mocks
ceptibilityo r a wound alreadys uffered. Benedick's soldiership:" I pray you, how many
hath he killeda nd eaten in thesew ars? But how
manyh ath he killed? For indeed, I promisedt o
II eat all of his killing"( 42-45). On them essenger's
remarkingt hat Benedicki s a "good soldiert oo,
The constructionof femininitwyi thina n econ- lady," she quibbles" And a good soldiert o a lady.
omyo f representatiogno vernedb yt hep hallus-a But whati s he to a lord?" (1.1.53-55).B ut heri n-
constructionin which women mirrorm asculine sinuationt hat" SigniorM ountanto"i s effeminate
identityb y theiro wn lack-obviates the possibil- does not questiont he machismov alue of soldier-
ityo f "femininev alues" or of a femininael terna- ship itself.
tive to the "predominatelym asculine ethos." Beatricet acitlya cceptsh erc ulture'sd evaluation
Alternativecsa nnotb e generatedf romw ithint he of "feminine" characteristics-of weakness,
binarys tructurebsy whichp atriarchyfi guregs en- dependence, vulnerability-and sees conven-
der. The women in Much Ado demonstratein tionallym asculineb ehaviora s the only defense
theird ifferenwt ays theire ntrapmenwt ithint he againstt hem.S he usurpst he masculinep reroga-
contradictionso f this systemo f differencef, or tives of language and phallic wit, speaking
ironicallyi t is the docile Hero, rathert han her poiniardsa s an escape fromf eminines ilenceo r
sharp-tonguedc ousin, who is the primaryf ocus inarticulatee xpressiono f emotion.
Carol Cook 191
Beatrice'sa udacious speech mights eem a seri- "borni n a merryh our,"s he replies," No, sure,m y
ous violationo f Messina'sc onventionos f gender, lord, mym otherc ried; but thent herew as a star
but it is significanth ow little she actually danc'd and undert hatw as I born. Cousins, God
threatenMs essina'sm en,w ho regardh erg enerally give you joy!" (334-36).
as rather a good fellow. Though Benedick Chafinga t ther eductiveneossf Don Pedro'si m-
professes a hyperbolicalt erroro f "My Lady age of her as merely" merry,"B eatriceo ffersa
Tongue" (2.1.262-75) and Leonato rebukesh er fleetingg limpseo f a part of herselfa nd a realm
mildly( "By my troth,n iece, thou wilt neverg et of experiencet hatc annot be givene xpressioni n
thee a husband, if thou be so shrewdo f thy Messina, figuredi n the laboring motherw hose
tongue" [2.1.18-19])s,h e provokesn othingli ket he only articulationi s an ambiguous cry. But she
hystericarl eactionst o the quiet Hero's supposed compulsivelyb anishes the image of the crying
transgressionasg ainstt he social and sexual code. motherw itht hato f the dancings tara nd quickly
When Beatricer etractas bit on her own imperti- turnsa ttentiona wayf romh erselfb y congratulat-
nence- "But I beseechy ourG race to pardon me. ing her "cousins." She is thus perceivedo nly as
I was born to speak all mirtha nd no matter"- "a pleasant-spiritedla dy" (341) whose "merry
Don Pedror eplies", Yours ilencem osto ffendsm e, heart . . . keeps on the windy side of care"
and to be merryb est becomes you (314-15). Leonato misses the significanceo f his
(2.1.329-32).I t is silencea nd thee xposureo f vul- own remarkw henh e tellsD on Pedro: "There'sl it-
nerabilityt hat are the real threatst o Messinan tle of them elancholye lementi n her,m yl ord.S he
men, painfulr eminderso f the sexual difference is nevers ad but whens he sleeps,a nd not evers ad
that is reallya mirror.7 then; forI have heard myd aughters ay she hath
Beatricei s as aggressivea nd as guardeda s the oftend reamto f unhappinessa nd waked herself
men in the play, and for the same reasons: she withl aughing" (342-46). Whateveru nhappiness
fearse motionale xposurea nd vulnerabilittyo the haunts Beatrice'sd reams,h er laughteri s a con-
opposites ex. As thep layb eginss he alreadys eems scious defensea gainsti t. She cannot in her wak-
to be nursingw ounds froms ome abortive ro- ing momentsa rticulateo r address the conflicts
mance withB enedick,t o whichs he alludes cryp- inherentin her relationt o her world.
tically more than once.8 Beatrice vacillates Beatricei s a charactero f some complexitya,
uneasily betweens elf-exposuraen d affectedi n- characterw hose contradictionsm, anifesti n her
differences;h e chafes at times against the con- own wordsa nd actions,w e read as signso f interi-
straintos f heri ronist'sr ole,w hichc onsignsh ert o oritya nd ambivalence,a s evidenceo f different
isolationa nd detachmenwt henp arto f herd esires levelso f motivationH. ero presentsa notherk ind
love,b ut recognizingh er susceptibilitysh, e clings of problem.H ere the contradictioncso nsisto f a
the more tenaciouslyt o her role. The long first tensionb etweent he manifesrte presentatioonf her
scene of act 2 revealsh er contradictoriym pulses. character(w hichi s quite uncomplicatedan d one-
Leonato chidesh er forb eing "so shrewdo f [her] dimensional)a nd herl atents ignificancew, hichi s
tongue"a nd tellsh er" So, byb eingt oo curst,G od evident in the effectss he produces in others.
will send you no horns." "Just,"s he replies," if Minimallyd rawn,w ith few lines, she is less a
he send me no husband,f ort he whichb lessingI charactert han a cipher,o r a mirrort o the other
am at himu pon myk neese verym orninga nd eve- characters.S he is representedas conventionally
ning" (27-29). At Hero's betrothal,h owevers,h e feminine;m eek, self-effacingv,u lnerable,o be-
speaks in a differenkt ey: "Good Lord, for alli- dient,s een and not heard, she is a face without
ance! Thus goes everyonet o the worldb ut I, and a voice. In the worldo f the play Hero's role is to
I am sunburnt.I may sit in a corner and cry meet or reflecto thers' expectationso f what
'Heigh-hof ora husband!"' (318-20). If the tone womena re supposed to be (as Beatriced oes not)
is mockl amenth ere,t he senseo f exclusionis real; and paradoxicallyt,h ereforteo, represenat power-
yete ach of hert entativge estureso f self-exposure ful threat.9
is followedb y a nervous reassertiono f ironic Hero's status as a charactera nd the mode of
detachment.S he alternatelyc hallenges others' her representatioanr e peculiare nought o require
misreadingso f her humorist'sm ask and en- special considerationC. rickc haracterizeHs ero as
couragest hemt o take her as she appears. When "nebulous" (36), but he uses the wordt o dismiss
Don Pedro seems too readilyt o accept her as rather than to analyze her. In fact, Hero's
192 ReadingG enderD ifferencien MuchA do aboutN othing
nebulousnessi s significants:h e is the "nothing" ter fort he audience (facial expressionsg, estures,
thatg eneratess o mucha do. The pun on nothing placemento n stage,e tc.),t he texti tselfp ortrays
and noting in the play has frequentlyb een Hero primarilyth rought hee ffectsh e produceso n
remarkedb, ut we mightu sefullyp ursuei t in this Claudio. Typicallyt,h e exchangeb etweenC laudio
connectionT. o notec an mean to observe( to read) and Benedicka bout Claudio's "softa nd delicate
or to maken oteo f (to inscribe)b; oth involvea cts desires"( 303) revealsl ittlea bout Hero but a good
of interpretationA. similara mbiguitya rises in deal about the two speakers.B eside Benedick's
connectionw itht he wordm ark.B enedickb elieves energeticir onyC, laudio's desiress eem a littlet oo
that he spies "some marks of love" in Beatrice delicate, his love a little bloodless. When he
once he fallsi n love withh er (2.3.245-46). In the tremulouslyas ks whetherB enedickd oes not find
climacticc hurchs cenet he friar", by notingo f the Hero "a modesty oungl ady" (165) and, gathering
lady" (Hero), has "marked/ A thousandb lush- courage,p ronouncesh er "the sweetestl ady that
ing apparitions/ To starti nto her face . . everI looked on" (187-88), his adjectivesb etray
(4.1.158-60)B. enedick'sa ct of "marking"is clearly more proprietyan d sentimentt han theyd o pas-
a projectionb, ut the questiont hena risesw hether sion. When he demonstratesa penchant for
the friar'sm arkingo f Hero is not equally so. romantich yperbole(" Can the worldb uy such a
Hero's nothingi nvitesn oting,h er blankness jewel?" [181]),w hichB enedickn eatlyd eflatesh, is
producesm arking,a nd the ambiguityo f thisa c- extravaganpt raise expressesn, ot burningP etrar-
tion occurs not only in the play but also in the chan longings,b ut a kind of wistfula cquisi-
critical commentaryM. arilyn French describes tiveness.
Hero this way: "As a noncharactert,h e obedient Benedickg reetsC laudio's desiret o marryw ith
and silentH ero exemplifietsh e inlaw [i.e.,s ubor- a sardonic lament for the decline of bachelors:
dinate]f emininep rinciplea t its mosta cceptable: "hath not the worldo ne man but he willw earh is
but like Bianca in Taming,s he wearst he disguise cap withs uspicion?" (197-99). It becomes clear,
society demands of her, but harbors other however,t hat Claudio does wear his cap with
thoughtsu nder her impeccable exterior"( 133). suspicion-and a good deal of it, too. The cau-
The equation of Hero with Bianca, a conscious tious reticencoe f his confessiono f his lovei s self-
hypocritew ho wearsa "disguise" and harborsa protectivea: desiret o assess the lady's merita nd
subversivwe ill,b lurst he distinctionto wardw hich otherm en'so pinionso f it beforeb etrayintgo o ar-
Frenchs eemst o gesturew ithh eri nitials uggestion denta regardf orh er.H e is edgya bout the whole
thatH ero is a "noncharacter.W" ithoutc onfront- business and wary of his friend's responses.
ing her conflictingre adingsa s a criticalp roblem, "Didst thou note the daughtero f Signior Leo-
Frenchc ontradictoriltyr eatsH ero sometimesa s nato? . . . Is she not a modesty oungl ady?" he
a characterw hoseh iddend epthss he can read and asks Benedick;a nd he thene xhortsh im, "I pray
sometimesa s a symbolt hatf unctionass pures ur- thee tell me trulyh ow thou lik'st her" (161-63,
face; but in effectt he play itselfd oes the same 165, 177-78). Even when told what he wantst o
thing.I ronically,t he attemptt o read Hero as a hear, Claudio has misgivingsW. hen Don Pedro
psychologicallyre alizedc haracteri,n thisf eminist assures him that "the lady is veryw ell worthy"
approacht o the play,l eads Frencht o adopt a no- Claudio responds" You speak thist o fetchm e in,
tion of Hero's "seeming" that concursw itht he my lord" (221-23). Claudio furtherr evealsh is
one Claudio takes up in his most misogynistic anxietiesi n the firsts cene of act 2: anticipating
moment( 4.1). To avoid thisd ifficultyit, seemst o his later behaviorb y believingw ithoutq uestion
me, one mustb e willingt o regardH ero as a kind Don John'sa ssertiont hat Don Pedro has won
of ciphero r space, whicho therc haracters-and Hero, Claudio givesv entt o his sense of betrayal
perhapsc riticsa s well-fill withr eadingso f their in a brief,t ellings oliloquy:
own.
In the opening scene, wheret he personalities,
'Tis certainso . The Princew oosf orh imself.
roles,a nd relationso f thec haracterasr e largelye s-
Friendshiips constanitn all othert hings
tablished,H ero has only one line, seven words,
Save in theo fficea nd affairosf love;
and these are to explain a remarko f Beatrice's. Thereforaell heartsin loveu se theiro wnt ongues.
Thought he actorp layingt he parth as recourset o Let everye yen egotiatfeo ri tself,
some nonverbaml eanso f establishintgh e charac- And trustn o agent;f orb eautyi s a witch
Carol Cook 193
Against whose charmsf aithm eltethi nto blood. Johnc omes to Claudio withh is accusationt hat
This is an accidento f hourlyp roof, "the lady is disloyal" (104). He offerso cular
Which I mistrustedn ot. Farewellt hereforHe ero! proof,a nd Claudio, who had earlierr esolvedt o
(174-82) "let everye ye negotiatef or itself,"s wallowst he
bait: "If I see anythingto -nightw hyI shouldn ot
Abdicatingt he use of one's own tongue,C lau- marryh er,t o-morrowin the congregationw, here
dio laments bitterlyl,e aves one vulnerablet o I should wed,t herew ill I shameh er" (123-25). It
treacheryt; o be representedb y anotheri s to be is not so much on Claudio's eye,h owevera,s on
wounded. What is perhaps more revealing, his mind'se yet hatD on Johnp racticesd eceit.U s-
though,i s the way in which the speech subtly ing subtlys exuall anguaget o describew hatC lau-
shiftst heb lamef ort he supposedb etrayafl romi ts dio will see "Go but withm e to-nighta,n d you
ostensibleo bject, Don Pedro,t o the "witch,"f e- shall see her chamber-windoewn tered"( 112-13)
male beauty.'0T hough not specificallya ccused, Don Johnr aisest he figureo f a witchlikeb, etray-
Hero is subsumedi ntoa n archetypoef destructive ing,s exualH ero in Claudio's imaginationa,n d the
femalep ower-of the sorceressw ho deprivesm en image of the "sweet" and "modest" Hero gives
of theirw illsa nd dissolvest he solidarityo f mas- way beforei t. Claudio believest he ocular proof
culineb onds intot he "blood" of passiona nd vio- beforeh e sees anything "O mischiefs trangely
lence.L ike Benedick,C laudio associatesl ove with thwarting!"h e cries (132), as he goes off to spy
a loss of blood, not the woman'sl oss of hymenal on her window.
blood but the loss a man sufferfs romt he castrat- Criticsd issatisfiedw ithM uch Ado have com-
ing wound love inflicts.C laudio's referencetso plainedt hati tsn eart ragicc atastrophve iolatest he
Hero heret ake on sexual overtonesw hollyl ack- comic mood of the resto f the play (see, e.g.,P et-
ing in his earlier "noting" of her modestya nd tet 132-35 and West). The naked emotionst hat
sweetnessH. e perceivesh era s a sexualb eingo nly erupt in act 4 among the hithertoh ighlyc ivil
in herc apacityt o betraya nd thenp erceivesh era s charactersa re calculated,I think,t o be startling.
a powerfutl hreat,s uggestingth ati n his imagina- Yet what makes this behaviora lmost inevitable
tion he has desexualizedt he Hero he wishes to has been implicitf romt he firsts cene. The witty
marry.W hen he learns that Don Pedro has, in discourset hat givest he play its vitalitya nd the
fact,h onoredt heira greementan d thatH ero is to Messinans much of theirc harmc onsistsm ainly
be his, he revertst o his romanticp erceptiono f of tendentiousjo kes-covert expressionso f ag-
her.T he patterne stablishedi n thise arlye pisode gressiono r sexualh ostilityT.h e polishedb ehavior,
is repeated,a s we shall see, in the catastropheo f the elegantc ourtesies,a nd the verbals ophistica-
acts 4 and 5. tion of the charactersh ave servedt hrought hree
acts of thep layt o covero r containt hesee nergies.
III In the scene at the church,h owevero,n ce the sur-
faceo f decorousr itualh as been strippeda way,t he
The firstt hreea cts of Much Ado clearlye stab- violenceo f the emotiona nd the language,e spe-
lish the capabilitiesa nd limitationso f Messina's cially Claudio's, becomes explicita nd shocking.
aristocratimc ilieu:i ts sophisticatedg, racefula, l- Though the manner Claudio displays here
mostc horeographisco cial formsi; ts brilliantla n- differsd rasticallyf romh is reverencfe orH ero in
guage and aggressivew it; and the tightr eink ept the sceneso f his courtshipan d betrothalh, e is not
on emotions,m akingt hemd ifficulotr dangerous inconsistentT. he self-protectivree servea nd the
to express.W hetherw e are morec harmedo r put conflictedp erceptionso f Hero underlyingh is
off by Messina's genteela rtificialityt,h e violent earliers entimentaelx pressionsn ow motivateh is
outbursti n the catastrophicc hurchs cene comes scathingc astigationo f her.K erbyN eill,w ritingan
as a shock (4.1). We have,o f course,s een trouble "acquittal"f orC laudio, emphasizesS hakespeare's
brewingD. on John'sm aliciousi ntentionas re re- departuref romh is sourcesi n "removinga ll trace
vealed early( 1.3), and we know fromh is firsta t- of carnalityf romt he hero'sl ove" (97). "If any-
tempta t sabotagingC laudio's love thatC laudio's thing," he argues, "the bitternesso f Claudio's
distrusto f the witchlikep owerso f femaleb eauty denunciationo f Hero shows an abhorrenceo f
is close to the surfacea nd easily triggeredI.n a * . . carnality.. The . . . effectis to ideal-
scene parallelingt hate arlierd eception( 3.2), Don ize Claudio even as he denounces the innocent
194 Reading GenderD ifferencein Much Ado about Nothing
Hero. He remainsa good man, althoughd eceived To witnesssi mplev irtueW? ouldy oun ots wear,
. . . " (97). Neill,i n effectt,a kesC laudio at his All yout hats ee her,t hats he werea maid,
own valuation-claimingt hath e "sinnedn ot but By thesee xteriosrh ows?B ut shei s none.
in mistaking," as Claudio says of himself She knowst heh eato f a luxurioubs ed;
Her blushi s guiltinesns,o tm odesty. (33-42)
(5.1.273-74)-and in so doing accepts implicitly
the dualismi nherenitn Claudio's viewo f Hero: it
In a sense Claudio is correcti n calling Hero
is his "abhorrenceo f carnality"t hat allows his
"the signa nd semblanceo f herh onor."H er place
romantici dealismt o coexistw itha powerfulm i-
in the worldo f thisp lay is most apparenti n this
sogyny.I n the firsts cene of act 4 the thought
scene, where,n earlys ilenta nd finallys ubsiding
that,d espiteh is caution,h e was nearlyt akena d-
into unconsciousnessu nder the onslaught of
vantageo f kindlesi n Claudio a hot,s elf-righteous
abuse, she becomesi n effecta signt o be read and
resentmenTt.h e "witch"f emaleb eauty,h e thinks,
interpretebdy others.C laudio sarcasticallyre jects
almost made him the victim of her "exterior
her "authority"t o be perceiveda s she presents
shows." This time he is well guarded with
herselfH. e has, he thinkst, hec lue thata llowsh im
elaboratel anguage,w ittierin his crueltyt han he
to read her true wortha nd nature.I t is particu-
had everb een in jest:
larly the "blood" visible in Hero's face that is
takent o signifyth e stateo f hers oul. "Comes not
0 Hero!W hata Heroh adstt houb een,
that blood as modeste vidence/ To witnesss im-
If halft hyo utwardg racesh ad beenp laced
ple virtue?"h e asks witht he ironicj ubilance of
Aboutt hyt houghtasn d counselso f thyh eart!
But faret heew ell,m ostf oul,m ostf air!f arewell; a readero nto them eaningo f a text,t het rutht hat
Thou purei mpietyan d impiousp urity! (100-04) her "blush is guiltiness,n ot modesty." His
descriptionosf thep olaritieso f Hero'si dentitybe -
Claudio's radicallyd ivideds enseo f Hero'si den- come morea nd moree laboratea nd literarya,n d
tityi s most fullya pparent in this scene. When he returnst o the significanceo f her "blood" in
Leonato suggestst hat Claudio himselfm ight,i n this depictiono f opposing femalea rchetypes:
a bridegroom'sn aturali mpatience,h ave "made
defeat of her virginity,C" laudio denies it with You seemt o me as Dian in hero rb,
priggishd istaste: As chastea s is theb ud erei t be blown;
Buty oua re morei ntemperaitne y ourb lood
ThanV enuso, r thosep amp'redan imals
I knoww haty ouw oulds ay:I f I havek nownh er,
Thatr agei n savages ensuality. (57-61)
You wills ay,s he did embracem e as a husband,
And so extenuatteh e' forehansdi n.
No, Leonato, Having foundt he keyt o readingw omen,C laudio
I nevert emptehd erw ithw ordt oo large, suggestsa s he exits,h e will knowh ow to apply it
But as a brothetro his sisters,h ow'd in the future:
Bashfusl inceritayn d comelylo ve. (48-54)
For theeI 'll locku p all theg ateso f love,
EitherH ero mustb e the unthreateninsge xless And on mye yelidssh allc onjecturhea ng,
recipiento f Claudio's "comely" fraternallo ve,o r To turna ll beautyin tot houghtosf harm,
she becomest het reacheroubs eautyw hose witch- And nevers halli t moreb e gracious. (105-08)
like powers destroym en.1' But where Claudio
had previouslyr espondedt o alternativep ossibil- Leonato,t hrownin toa n anguisho f uncertainty
ities for Hero's identityh, e now imaginest he di- by Claudio's outburstc,h argesh is daughtert o an-
chotomyt o be one betweenh er surfacea nd her swerh era ccusers,b ut he hardlyh earsh er simple
hidden nature.H e is most outragedb y what he denial. Quicklyp ersuadedw henC laudio's claims
takes to be her "seeming": are seconded by Don Pedro, and by Don John,
who hints darkly at the unutterablen ature of
She's butt hes igna nd semblancoef herh onor. Hero's crimes( "There is not chastitye nough in
Beholdh owl ikea maids he blushesh ere! language / Without offense to utter them"
0, whata uthoritayn d showo f truth [97-98]), Leonato grasps Claudio's method of
Can cunningsi nc overi tselfw ithal! readingh is child. He believest hath ers urfaceh as
Comesn ott hatb lood as modeste vidence been strippeda way to expose the secretf oulness