Don John appears in one scene in Act III -- scene ii. It
is important to note that, earlier in the play, Don John tells the audience that he
plans to bring down his half brother Don Pedro's friend, Claudio. Don John calls
himself a "plain dealing villain" (I, iii, 30), and so he operates as the villain of
this comedy, creating complications for the other characters to
untangle.
It is also in Act I, scene iii that Don John
gives his reason for villainy. He nurses a vague sort of hatred towards Claudio, giving
his rationale in lines 61-63:
. . .that young start-up [Claudio] hath all the
glory of my overthrow. If I can cross him any way, I bless myself every
way.
These remarks about his
jealousy over Claudio's promotion within the military is reminiscent of the jealousy
harboured by Iago in Othello, which comes, at that play's
conclusion, to a much more tragic resolution.
So, in Act
III, scene ii of Much Ado, Don John is preparing both his half
brother and Claudio to witness a charade he has devised to "prove" to Claudio that Hero
(whom he intends to marry) is "disloyal." He invites the two to stand beneath her
window and witness her being unfaithful. There isn't much to analyze here, as Don John
is direct and pointed in his accusation, and Don Pedro and Claudio are more than willing
to follow him.
I would say that, in this scene, Don John is
bold and confident in his self-assurance. He accuses Hero in no uncertain terms,
saying:
The
word [disloyal] is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say she were worse;
think you of a worse title and I will fit her to
it.
And Claudio and Don Pedro
accept this without protest or question. Don John has, ultimately, quite an easy job to
lead the two gullible men to the set-up he has devised under Hero's window, and they
fall for his ruse hook, line and sinker, as the audience is told by Borachio in the very
next scene.
For more on Don John and Act III, scene ii,
please follow the links below.
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