Shakespeare shows a variety of male characters’ attitudes towards women in Much Ado About Nothing. Some characters, like Claudio, have misogynistic views towards women, but others, like Benedick and the Friar, advocate for more liberal viewpoints.

Claudio exhibits one of the most egregious displays of misogyny in the play. He does not see women as people with agency and autonomy, but rather as things to be possessed and controlled. In Act 1 Scene 1, he declares his intention to marry Hero, stating, “In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on. I can see yet without spectacles, and I see no such matter.