Don John: The Villain Who Announces Himself
First appears: Act 1, Scene 3
Don John tells you exactly what he is in his second scene: 'I am a plain-dealing villain.' He was defeated in a rebellion against his brother Don Pedro, and his resentment has curdled into something almost impersonal. He does not hate Claudio specifically. He hates that Claudio is happy.
His plot against Hero is simple and it works, which says more about the men around him than it does about his ingenuity. He provides the lie; Claudio and Don Pedro do the rest themselves. Conrad and Borachio carry out the deception.
He is caught offstage, arrested when Borachio confesses everything, and brought back in Act 5. Shakespeare does not give him a speech of defiance or regret. He just disappears from the comedy, a practical problem for the new order to deal with.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“I am a plain-dealing villain.”
Don John — Act 1, Scene 3
“I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace.”
Don John — Act 1, Scene 3
Themes
Other Characters in Much Ado About Nothing
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