Reread Act 1 Scene 3. How does Shakespeare make this such a dramatic and significant moment in the play? Support your answer by close reference to Shakespeare’s writing

At the start of Act 1 Scene 3, we understand that Don John is a very sad, discontent and evil man. From previous scenes, we have already learnt that Don John is not a man of many words. In this scene, Shakespeare further develops Don John as a character allowing us to learn more about him and we learn that Don John will wreak havoc on Don Pedro and Claudio making this a dramatic scene. Also, important themes are introduces in this scene making it significant.

In the scene, the melancholy of Don John is noted by Conrad who says, "why are you thus out of measure sad?". Sadness, a recurring theme in the book is represented by Don John. This makes this scene significant as a important theme sadness is introduced. Further into the scene, we learn that there is no real motive for the evil Don John commits and is due to his bad nature something he willingly admits, “though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain” Yet, Don John being Don Pedro’s bastard brother serves as a reason for his evil nature as he has a much lower social status then his brother and has no chance of rising in society due to his “bastard” status. Although Don John has just became reconciled with Don Pedro it is obvious that he does not acknowledge it at all.

Even after Conrad’s persuasions, Don John says,” I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace" Here, Shakespeare uses many metaphors to emphasize Don John’s hatred toward his brother and that he would rather be an outcast of society then pretend to be part of it making this scene very dramatic as his jealous and hatred towards his brother may be what causes him to mess with Claudio and Don Pedro. Furthermore, he says, “ I make all use of it, for I use it only. This implies that Don John is a person, who lives to scheme and plot evil things, his sole intention to harm others around him. He complains that he is not trusted at all and not given any freedom and seems to want to take out his frustrations by manipulating and hurting other people for his own amusement

When Don John learns about Claudio’s affection for hero, he asks,” will it serve for any model to build mischief on?”. This implies that Don John is planning to cause a great deal of trouble for Claudio, emphasizing his ways of plotting and scheming. This is a very significant part of the play as this is the start of the many troubles and misunderstandings in the future. Don John claims that he is doing this because of his jealousy; of Claudio and his brother’s relationship. However, the previous things we have learnt about Don John makes his motives questionable as it seems like Don John just hates anyone who is happy or joyful as he is not and will do anything to prevent or stop people from being happy.
In conclusion, Shakespeare makes this scene dramatic and significant by developing Don John as a character as well as making this the starting point of all the troubles bestowed upon Claudio and Don Pedro in the future. Lastly, important themes were introduced making this scene significant.