Is Claudio justified in deserving Hero as his life partner?

I would echo the sentiments of the previous Educator and also say that no, Claudio does not deserve Hero. For one thing, he's way too immature. Just look at how he's so easily manipulated by the scheming Don John, who makes Claudio think that Don Pedro is wooing Hero. As well as immaturity, Claudio's reaction to Don John's blatant lies indicates naivety and insecurity—certainly not character traits that any self-respecting woman would want in a life partner.
Even worse, Claudio is way too emotional, forever going ballistic at the slightest provocation. Once again, he's putty in the hands of Don John, who effortlessly makes him believe that Hero's been cheating on him the night before their wedding. Claudio is so furious at what he thinks is his intended's infidelity that he angrily confronts his blushing bride on their wedding day, publicly humiliating Hero by making all kinds of outrageous slurs and accusations against her.


I am going to go out on a limb here and say something that might be unpopular. No, I do not think that Claudio deserves Hero. If she were my friend in real life, I would absolutely tell her to dump him after the stunt he pulls. The fact that he could believe something so ugly about her—that she was so foul as to choose to sleep with a man for the first time on the night before her wedding—shows that Claudio does not have much trust in her at all. If there is one thing needed for a successful and fulfilling relationship of any kind, let alone a marriage where one chooses to live with and love another person forever and ever, it is trust. Not only does Claudio not trust Hero enough to believe her when she denies any knowledge of an affair, but he also ruins her publicly and cruelly. Yes, he feels bad about it after he thinks she is dead, but that would do her little good if she actually had died of shame.

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