Although considered light and delightful entertainment, Shakespeare's comedies often address serious issues by confronting Elizabethan values ​​of social propriety and decorum. Anti-Semitism, death and homosexuality are frequent themes intertwined in his plays and the latter is addressed in Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice. In exhibiting the intrinsic bonds between males, Shakespeare substantiates their acts of loyalty and devotion with measures that test men's love; it is then that the reader understands Bassanio and Claudio's desire to prefer their male relationships to romantic ones. Battling through mutual experiences, the men in both Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice are bound by bonds of loyalty, devotion, and love that far surpass the strength of heterosexual marriages in the plays. Shakespeare cleverly draws this divide between the sexes to shatter the conservatism of Elizabethan notions of propriety. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The homosocial bonds in Much Ado About Nothing are established immediately in the play's introduction. The men are announced to the women of Messina as a group of brave gentlemen arriving from a well-fought war. War itself is a highly masculine affair, an event in which passionate, testosterone-filled men fight side by side and are killed by one man's sword or saved by another's hand. Blood and sweat are shed and shared, forming a viscous bond for a brotherhood where members are confounded in trials of pain, defeat and triumph. Don Pedro, the prince of Aragon, is the president of his brotherhood. Loyalty, deference and respect are the advantages of his alpha station and the male hierarchical structure brings order to the homosocial bonds of the work. The notion of war as a masculine activity is also prevalent in The Merchant of Venice, but must be considered on a smaller, more subtle scale between individual characters. Shakespeare uses the images of blood, pain and money as traits of the image of Antony and Shylock. contracted in The Merchant of Venice as all three characteristics are exceptionally phallic and masculine in nature. The arrangement symbolically displays two rudiments of homosocial bonds. The motivation for both parties involved is heavily male-driven. After learning of Shylocks' extreme collection deadlines (in case of non-payment) Antonio demonstrates his deep devotion to Bassanio when he agrees to act as his guarantor. It is unclear whether or not Antonio's love is homosexual in nature, however his loyalty and strong affection may not be interpreted as purely platonic. At one point he declares himself ready to give up to Bassanio his "purse, my person, my last means. Lie all open for your chance" (1.1.140). Shylock's incentive to enforce such a ruthless harvest of Antonio's flesh is motivated by his hatred of Antonio as a man, a man who has bruised Shylock's pride with his publicly slurred anti-Semitic epithets. Only because of his bloody harshness can it be assumed that Shylock would never have established such a frightening consequence on a female borrower. The pain of cutting off a pound of flesh is unthinkable for a woman to endure but not for a man. Antonio's inability to repay the debt triggers a declaration of war between Shylock and himself and evaluates Bassanio's loyalty to Antonio. Antonio's ability to sacrifice his flesh and blood for Bassanio's happiness speaks volumes about thehis love, and his acts of loyalty are unrequited. Bassanio's abandoned pride in accepting Portia's funds for the excursion to Venice, coupled with his willingness to leave his new bride, demonstrates his loyalty to Antonio. Loyalty is a priority in homosocial relationships, and at one point in the play Portia speculates whether Bassanio or they would lose their love for Antonio. Following Antonio's release from Shylock's bond, Bassanio wishes to pay Portia (dressed in a manly disguise) compensation for her legal services in freeing Antonio. Initially resistant to Portia's request for her wedding ring arguing that "on this depends more than value" (4.1.439), Bassanio is finally persuaded by Antonio to "leave him the ring. Let his merits and my love be with me. Be brave." against your wife's commandment" (4.1.454-456). In this scene Antonio clearly asserts his dominance over Portia. He successfully assures Bassanio that their love and loyalty take precedence over Bassanio's marriage to Portia, and that no ring is worth not paying for services rendered in saving their homosocial relationship. Portia's response to Bassanio's surrender of the ring is comparable to that of a lover scorned by infidelity; anecdote about his own infidelity in an attempt to punitively hurt his emotions. Portia's rejoinder confirms that she is threatened by the breadth and depth of the homosocial bond between Antonio and Bassanio. It is this loyalty between the two men that is similarly established also in the relationship between Don Pedro and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. The homosocial bond between the young Claudio and Don Pedro is analogous to that between father and son, or between male brothers. Don Pedro is his mentor and advisor in everything it's about love and life. Don Pedro gives Claudio his approval for Hero and provides Claudio a service by wooing the young maiden for him. Claudio, young and impressionable, is so impressed by Don Pedro that he believes his advice, whatever the outcome. As an illustration one must consider Claudio's reaction upon hearing Don John's accusation of Don Pedro's attempts to woo Hero for himself. Claudio rationalizes Don Pedro's behavior by stating, "Friendship is constant in all other things. Except in office and in affairs of love" (2.1.153-154). However, it is interesting to note that when Claudio proclaims this, he simultaneously decides to cease his attempts to acquire Hero, essentially deferring to Don Pedro's whim. He also contradictorily selects Don Pedro's friendship over Hero's quest, even as his proclamations that love trumps friendships. Also note who Claudio mates with after learning of Hero's alleged infidelity: It's no coincidence that Don Pedro is the backbone supporting Claudio. Benedick's willingness to challenge Claudio to a duel to avenge Hero's honor may appear to be a decision influenced by women. His disposition has changed dramatically in regards to his homosocial loyalty towards his crew. When Beatrice begs Benedick to kill Claudio, he initially refuses and Beatrice resorts to attacking the strength of his love, stating: "I am gone even though I am here. There is no love in you. --- No, please, leave me go" (4.2.291). He further appeals to Benedick's desire to "prove" his love by stating, "Use your love in a way other than swearing to it." (4.2.320). These challenges to Benedick's declaration of love, along with his lustful desires for Beatrice, force Benedick to challenge his homosocial bond with Claudio. Even if he may have been convinced of it at the time, it is not love that motivates the duel. At the end of the work the reader discovers that.