Masks and Marriage: Gender Roles in Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing, a mature romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, focuses on couples. The presented couples – Beatrice and Benedick, as well as Hero and Claudio – portray gender roles, since the main plotline depends on the false accusation of Hero’s chastity. The play introduces Hero as the obedient daughter who meets the expectations of the patriarchal society as an exemplary female. Quite contrary to the portrayal of Hero, Beatrice poses as the shrewd female that needs to be tamed. Such stereotypical roles attributed to Hero and Beatrice are strengthened through the use of masks. While the resort to masks appears in the play as an element of comedy, it gains further significance in the discussion of gender roles. Therefore, this study intends to associate the function of masks with the representation of gender roles in Much Ado About Nothing. Furthermore, the specific choice of the veil in Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation, instead of the more traditional use of the mask, complicates Hero’s and Beatrice’s gender roles. The use of the veil supports the constructed identities of both female characters based on the expectations of their patriarchal society. Hence, the taming process of not only Beatrice but also Hero will be discussed in line with stereotypical gender roles in a patriarchal society.