Much Ado About Nothing – from Act 5 Scene 1, lines 52 to 79
In this extract, Leonato challenges Claudio to a duel.
CLAUDIO
Who wrongs him?
LEONATO
Marry, thou dost wrong me, thou dissembler, thou!
– Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy sword:
I fear thee not.
CLAUDIO
Marry, beshrew my hand 55
If it should give your age such cause of fear.
In faith, my hand meant nothing to my sword.
LEONATO
Tush, tush, man, never fleer and jest at me!
I speak not like a dotard nor a fool,
As under privilege of age to brag 60
What I have done being young, or what would do
Were I not old. Know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou hast so wronged mine innocent child and me
That I am forced to lay my reverence by,
And with grey hairs and bruise of many days 65
Do challenge thee to trial of a man.
I say thou hast belied mine innocent child.
Thy slander hath gone through and through her heart,
And she lies buried with her ancestors –
O, in a tomb where never scandal slept, 70
Save this of hers, framed by thy villainy!
CLAUDIO
My villainy?
LEONATO
Thine, Claudio; thine, I say.
DON PEDRO
You say not right, old man.
LEONATO
My lord, my lord,
I’ll prove it on his body if he dare,
Despite his nice fence and his active practice, 75
His May of youth and bloom of lustihood.
CLAUDIO
Away! I will not have to do with you.
LEONATO
Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast killed my child.
If thou kill’st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man.

Explore how Shakespeare presents the character of Leonato in this extract.
Refer closely to the extract in your answer.

In the extract from Act 5 Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing,” Leonato, a respected elderly character, challenges Claudio to a duel. Shakespeare presents Leonato as a passionate and grieving father who is determined to seek justice for the wrongs done to his innocent child, Hero. Through his words and actions in this extract, Leonato is portrayed as a complex character with a mix of emotions, including anger, grief, and determination.

Firstly, Shakespeare portrays Leonato as a grieving father who is deeply hurt by the accusations against his daughter. He refers to Claudio as a “dissembler” and accuses him of wronging Hero, calling him out for his slander and villainy. Leonato’s grief and anger are evident in his emotional language and his challenge to Claudio, indicating his strong sense of duty to protect his family’s honor.