Much Ado About Nothing

Friar Francis officiates Claudio and Hero’s wedding ceremony. Apart from Benedick, he is the only male character to believe in Hero’s innocence, remarking that “and in her eye there hath appeared a fire / To burn the errors that these princes hold / Against her maiden truth” in Act 4 Scene 1. He devises a clever plan to restore Hero’s good name and make Claudio feel remorseful. While Beatrice and Benedick help to recover Hero’s honour, it is ultimately the Friar’s wisdom which casts out the demons of despair and seals the happy ending with two marriages. Thus, religion is a moral instrument which exists in opposition to deceit.