Penance

Claudio offers to accept whatever penance Leonato chooses. However, his claim that he sinned only ‘in mistaking’ (Act 5 Scene 1) qualifies that offer. One reading sees sincere remorse from a man who was deliberately deceived; another sees him reducing his responsibility by treating cruelty as merely an error.

Claudio offers to accept penance, but adds, ‘yet sinn'd I not / But in mistaking’ in Act 5 Scene 1. This can express the truth that he was deceived; it can also sound like an attempt to limit his responsibility. Don John engineered the lie, but Claudio chose to shame Hero publicly.

Claudio offers to accept penance, but qualifies his wrongdoing with “yet sinn'd I not / But in mistaking.” This can suggest a distinction between deliberate malice and an honest error. It can also sound evasive: his mistake does not erase the cruelty of publicly shaming Hero.

Claudio offers to accept penance, but qualifies his guilt with “yet sinn'd I not / But in mistaking” (Act 5 Scene 1). He acknowledges an error while still defending his intentions. This leaves a question that matters throughout the ending: is he fully repentant, or does he still underestimate the cruelty of his actions?