In Shakespeare's play, Much Ado About Nothing, why doesn't Don John want Claudio to marry Hero? Why does he sabotage their wedding? There are a couple of reasons why Don John tries to sabotage Hero's wedding.

The main reason is that Don John blames Claudio for preventing him from overthrowing his brother. Apparently, when Don John tried to end his brother's rule, Claudio, as Don Pedro's right-hand man, devised some clever tactics to prevent any overthrow. Claudio therefore saved Don Pedro from losing a civil war. Now, Don John would love to get even with Claudio by actually hurting him.

Don John feels good when he is successful in using another's prank. He is able to have Claudio publicly shame Hero by revealing that she has lost her honor to another man. Hero, of course, is innocent, but only a few people will believe her. All hope for Hero is lost. No one will believe her over the word of a man.

This play was one of Shakespeare's later comedies. Unlike his earliest comedic works, the humor of this play does not depend upon funny situations. While it shares some standard devices with earlier plays by Shakespeare (misperceptions, disguises, false reports), the comedy in Much Ado derives from the characters themselves and the manners of everyone in living a highly-mannered society.

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