Blog #4: Claudio Blew It!

From the beginning of the play, it seems evident that Claudio is enfatuated with Hero. Unfortunately for the two parties, enfatuation and love are two totally different things. One can question Claudio's true feelings for Hero on more than one occasion. For example, his interest in Hero being the only heir to Leonato leads to questions of whether there are other motives that spark Claudio's interests in the young lady. Also, the fact that Claudio is so easily manipulated by Don John, without seeking CONCLUSIVE evidence on two separate occasions, leads me to believe that he does not feel strongly enough for Hero to actually love her. If he did, he would have had Don John prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the woman having sexual relations with Borachio. He also shouldn't have believed that Don Pedro would make a move on Hero for himself at the masked ball.
It becomes obvious that Claudio is shallow and insincere in Acts 4 and 5. First, at the wedding ceremony in Act 4, Claudio's outburst was out of line. He tells Leonato, "Take her back again. Give not this rotten orange to your friend." Claudio's rejection of Hero is designed to inflict as much pain as possible, and Hero's and Leonato's reaction to it seem to make things worse.
The last straw is in Act 5. After falling into a state of shock and anger, Leonato challenges Claudio to a duel, as an attempt to avenge his daughters death. Claudio mocks this challenge, claiming that Leonato is too old to fight. He then adds fuel to the fire when he tells Benedick of his recent encounter with Leonato (Act 5. Scene 1, Claudio says to Benedick: We had like to have had our two noses snapped off with two old men without teeth).
Perhaps Claudio has become jaded from war, but his suspicious nature and passion for revenge makes him an unsuitable match for the kind, gentle Hero. He does not deserve a second chance.