Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing

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The Negative Affects To Impulsive Behaviors In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Leonato’s quick judgments result in a great deal of unnecessary confusion and turmoil. Leonato’s impulsive disposition gets him into many predicaments over the course of the play. Unfortunately, individuals who rush to conclusions often make flawed decisions and do not think about the awful consequences that follow their premature actions. Leonato’s erroneous habit of making false accusations gets him into trouble when he believes that Don Pedro wants to woo Hero, he dismisses Dogberry, and he assumes Hero’s guilt and feels as though she should die for her costly sin. Out of excitement, the beginnings of Leonato’s hasty actions are first exhibited in Act I, Scene II, when Leonato suspects that Don Pedro will be wooing Hero for himself, when in actuality, he will be wooing her in the name of Claudio Once Antonio informs him of this news, Leonato immediately jumps to conclusions and calls his men to seize Hero and inform her of the miraculous news he has to share with her. When asked if Antonio should contact Don Pedro in order for the governor to question him of his intentions, Leonato replies, “No, no; we will hold it as a dream till it appear itself: but I will acquaint, my daughter withal, that she may be the better prepared for an answer, if peradventured this be true. Go you and tell her of it” (Shakespeare 9). At this point in the play, the reader is fully aware of the fact that Don Pedro is not actually wooing Hero for himself. Therefore, Leonato’s impulsive actions are completely unnecessary and cause complications that could have been easily avoided. Leonato believes the information Antonio presents to him was indeed true because Antonio is such a trusted figure in his life. Although, if Leonato took Antonio’s offer to question Don Pedro himself instead of just wishing the
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