The theme Betrayal is seen at the very beginning of the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and continues to be displayed throughout the play in many ways. Further, the betrayal affects many persons/ characters in the play but only one character is affected the most by this betrayal. The outcome of the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is affected in a way because of this betrayal and an unexpected happy ending is read.
According to the Oxford Pocket School Dictionary Betrayal is to ‘be disloyal to a person or country.’ The betrayal in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ begins between the characters Don Pedro and Don John. It is believed that the war that Don Pedro was fighting and had victory over was on the account of Don John trying to get revenge on Don Pedro his brother to dethrone him. It continues in varying degrees to the rising action where the character Hero was being used as the ultimate sacrifice for revenge. Don John due to his disloyalty to his brother Don Pedro executes a plan of revenge by abusing Claudio’s trust in Hero and turning that trust into hate. With the assistance of his accomplice Barachio and one of Hero’s maids Margaret, he convinces Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero has betrayed Claudio by committing cuckoldry. Cuckoldry according to the Random House Webster’s College Dictionary is ‘the act of making someone’s husband a cuckold.’(Cuckold – the husband of an unfaithful wife) due to this betrayal of trust and love Hero is seen as not being the innocent, sweet and pure girl that she is acclaimed to be and her love for Claudio was seen as false. Also, she is affected because on her wedding day Claudio disgraces her and falsely accuses her of not being a virgin. Hence, her reputation is spoiled and in the Elizabethan Era a woman with this reputation was better off dead than alive. This is exactly what Hero had to do in order to redeem her ruined reputation.
Moreover, the outcome of the play is affected in a way because it is seen that the character Hero who is dead is actually alive. As well, the happy ending of the play in which Don John’s treachery of betraying Claudio’s trust in Hero is resolved, by allowing her to ‘die” in order for her name to be cleared as innocent. As a result, during the course of the play after Hero was pronounced as dead was seen as no sense of hope for redemption of her name; until Hero is reintroduced as Leonato’s niece to marry Claudio.
In conclusion the theme betrayal is seen as a major theme in which the character Don John uses the other characters in the play to get revenge on his brother Don Pedro. The affect the betrayal had on the outcome of the play gives a sense of relief and joy that over all love prevails even though there is much ado over nothing.
