1. Through lyrics like “Gimme some of that cold cash,” this song emphasizes the intentional, artificial, and economic nature of Claudio’s desire for Hero. While Claudio expresses his absolute love for Hero throughout the play, he does so in objectifying ways that focus on her looks, status, or reputation, calling her a jewel or asking the Prince if Leonato has an heir, for example. Most of the dialogue surrounding Claudio’s marriage to Hero is very transactional, focusing on the monetary and social value of marriage rather than love or desire; Claudio often speaks over Hero to her father, apologizing to Leonato after learning of Hero’s innocence and remaining eager to be his heir, no matter the wife. In fact, Hero and Claudio have very little dialogue together, and never appear alone onstage. With its focus on money, this song consequently raises the question of Claudio’s intentions in marrying Hero, which are later corroborated by his inability to trust her multiple instances throughout the play.
2. Through passionate and enamored lyrics like “My love is your love, now and forever” or “Baby, you’re the one that I love,” this song centers around Claudio’s infatuation for Hero as described in the beginning of the play. The Vogues sing of absolute and unconditional love, emphasizing Claudio’s initial regard for Hero as ‘the only one’ as well as his promises of love, marriage, and commitment. As such, the song serves as a dramatic form of irony and criticism when compared to Claudio’s severe mistrust of Hero and his volatile behavior throughout the rest of the play (immediately referenced in the following song). Furthermore, this mistrust is foreshadowed through the poignant line “Ooh, never leave me, please don’t deceive me.” Finally, the more dated nature of this song (as compared to the other ones in the playlist) highlights the classical concept of the ‘Renaissance Woman’ which Claudio aspires for, loves, and sees in Hero.
3. This song reflects the sentiments and reactions that Claudio embodies after supposedly seeing Hero sleep with another man in the window of her room. Translated to “Cheater,” “Traicionera” recounts the angry reactions of a man who has heard from others that his partner is cheating on him. The lyrics of the song, as well as its rhythmic and energetic qualities, highlight Claudio’s emotional and volatile nature, expressing brash and charged accusations that dramatically contrast the previous love song. Lyrics like “Traicionera, no me importa lo que tú me quieras/Mentirosa” (Cheater, I don’t care about what you want from me, liar) and “Solo te importa el pantalón-lon-lon/Y se te nota desde lejos tu maléfica intención” (All you care about is what’s in your pants/and your evil intention can be seen from afar) express Claudio’s severe anger and desire to shame Hero in a violent manner. Moreover, the line “Si me dices que me amas, no te voy a creer” (if you tell me you love me, I won’t believe you) highlights Claudio’s quickness to mistrust Hero and women in general, not even considering to consult his ‘beloved’ before publicly accusing her.
4. This song represents Claudio’s actions at the wedding scene as he publicly and passionately shames Hero. The emotional rage and energy of the song parallels the self-righteous and premeditated violence of Claudio’s behavior. The lyrics further reflect this blame and fury through lines like “There’s no room for you here,” “Crawl and beg and plead, sing:/ ‘You’ve got the power and control,’” and especially “Cause your body’s a message/Send my regards to hell.” Such lyrics parallel many of Claudio’s lines in the play as he slanders Hero, crying out, “Give not this rotten orange to your friend/She’s but the sign and semblance of her honor” or “Fare thee well, most foul, most fair. Farewells/Thou pure impiety and impious purity” (4.1.32-33, 108-109). Finally, the lyrics “I can hear your pulse racing from here” parallel Claudio’s comments about Hero’s blushing, which he considers an indication of guilt rather than modesty.
5. While its lyrics still center around cheating and accusations, this song is much quieter and less passionate than the previous one, having more of an attitude as opposed to unrestrained anger. As such, this song reflects Claudio’s desire for revenge and his self-righteous conviction during the aftermath of the wedding scene. Though challenged by Leonato, Antonio, and even Benedick, Claudio maintains his attitude towards Hero, standing by the slander and actions he committed during the wedding. These ideas are expressed through lines like “Now it’s your turn, to cry/Cry me a river” or “It wasn’t like you only talked to him/And you know it/ (Don’t act like you don’t know it),” which demonstrate Claudio’s conviction of Hero’s guilt, despite her insistence on innocence. The lines “You don’t have to say what you did/I already know, I found out from him/Now there’s just no chance for you and me” further emphasize Claudio’s inability to trust Hero (and women) as he instantly believes males like Don John without even consulting his lover.
6. This song marks Claudio’s discovery of Hero’s innocence and his consequent realization of the error of his ways. Rather than being energetic or emotional, this song evokes the blues, having a semi-playful sound that juxtaposes melancholic lyrics such as “My trusting her has gone much too late.” The choice to convey Claudio’s reaction and behavior through this musical tone calls into question his care for Hero, implying that his reaction is more of an ‘oops’ than all-consuming guilt. The lyrics “Oh, what a fool I’ve been tonight” and “I’ve sent away the girl I love” correspond with Claudio’s lamentations about Hero: “Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear/In the rare semblance that I loved it first” (5.1.263-264). Moreover, lines “The girl I love is out of sight” and “She well gone, people crying” correspond with Hero’s perceived death that resulted from Claudio’s behavior.
7. Finally, this song serves as a critique of Claudio’s path to repentance for his actions. Just as the first line pointedly expresses, “I’m not a perfect person,” Claudio excuses his actions as being uninformed and thus deflects the blame for his behavior and choices. While he does convey regret and accepts punishment, declaring, “Impose me to what penance your invention/Can lay upon my sin,” he immediately follows with, “Yet sinned I not/But in mistaking” (5.1.285-287). This idea is reflected through lyrics like “There’s many things I wish I didn’t do,” followed by “I never meant to do those things to you.” As such, despite his violent treatment of Hero, Claudio is instantly forgiven and all returns to the way it was before. He still gets his way, marries Hero, and becomes Leonato’s heir.