Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, is a comedy play narrating the relationships between Beatrice and Benedick, and Hero and Claudio. The play opens with introducing Beatrice, Leonato's niece, and her war of wits against Benedick. Prince Don Pedro's two friends in battle, Lord Benedick and Claudio of Florence, have contradicting opinions on love. Benedick denies that he will marry a woman, while Claudio falls deeply in love with Hero, Leonato's daughter. After Hero happily accepts Claudio's marriage proposal, Don Pedro and Claudio conspire to set Beatrice and Benedick up. Meanwhile, Don John, Don Pedro's scheming and evil brother, conspires to ruin Hero and Claudio's relationship, with the help of his two followers. They create a scene that looks like Hero's interaction with her secret lover in front of Don Pedro and Claudio, attempting to trick them into thinking that Hero is an unfaithful young lady, unworthy of Claudio's hand in marriage. After Claudio publicly rejects and exposes Hero on the day of their marriage, Beatrice and Benedick, who realize that Hero was framed, think of a plan to solve the problem. In the process, Beatrice and Benedick confess their love to each other. Soon, after Don Pedro's two followers confess their schemes under the force of the authorities, Claudio continuously apologizes to Leonato and Hero, and later happily marries her. Meanwhile, Beatrice and Benedick also resolve their conflicts and decide to marry later.
Expectations and idealistic thoughts on love and marriage are highlighted throughout the novel by introducing two couples, Claudio and Hero, and Beatrice and Benedick. While Claudio and Hero's relationship is idealistic and can be seen as a traditional match dependent on social levels and appearances, Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship focuses more on mutual respect and understanding. It is inferred that the former duo most likely did not have many prior interactions or understandings between each other before Claudio announced to Don Pedro his love for Hero. Claudio’s attraction towards Hero is most likely a “love in first sight” scenario: “Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?” “In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on. I would scarce trust myself, though I had sworn the contrary if Hero would be my wife.” (Shakespeare, 1.1.). While the first phrase implies that it was Claudio’s first time seeing Hero, since he had to verify her identity with Benedick, the second phrase highlights his affection towards her, most likely over her appearance. On the other hand, Benedick and Beatrice were very familiar with each other, although not in a positive way, before they reached a level of mutual understanding and fell in love with one another. They often had a “merry war of wits”, which in other words, would be a quarrel, with each other. “You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them.” (Shakespeare, 1.1.). After some contribution and help from their friends, the two gradually started to get along and form their relationship as a couple. The relationships between the two pairs, Claudio and Hero, and Beatrice and Benedick, contradict each other because of the different purposes and expectations for their love.
Throughout one’s romantic relationship with another, human nature and the expectations for female roles can be reflected in different ways. For instance, Claudio and Benedick’s characters are emphasized once again through their relationships with Hero and Beatrice, respectively. While Claudio’s social level and manner make him described as a romantic and passionate person, his relationship with Hero highlights another factor of his personality. Claudio’s misunderstanding of Hero leads him to be emphasized as a person whose opinion is easily changed by external forces, and one who lacks trust in others and honors reputation greatly. These factors are shown after Don John tricks Claudio into thinking Hero is having an affair with a secret lover other than him: “Don John: If you dare not trust that you see, confess not that you know: if you will follow me, I will show you enough; and when you have seen more and heard more, proceed accordingly. Claudio: If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her to-morrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her.” “O mischief strangely thwarting!” (Shakespeare, 3.2.). Claudio’s opinion is greatly changed after witnessing a scheme set up by Don John and his followers, and most importantly, lacks trust in Hero. Within his idealistic relationship with Hero, he claims the spot as the superior and wishes Hero to always be faithful to him, even though he doesn’t trust her himself. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick both have strong personalities and characters, especially Benedick, who follows Beatrice’s every word after he falls in love with her. “Enough, I am engaged; I will challenge him. I will kiss your hand, and so I leave you. By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear account. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your cousin: I must say she is dead: and so, farewell.” (Shakespeare, 4.1.). Human nature and female roles are often highlighted and reflected in love, in which one can be either shown as a stable or unstable partner.
In Much Ado About Nothing, the author, Shakespeare, introduces wordplay and malapropism into the play in order to emphasize a comedy effect, matching with the comedy-romance genre of the novel. Malapropism is often shown throughout Dogberrie’s dialogues and conversations, because of his lack of knowledge and education, but attempts to seemingly enhance his social level and reputation, while in reality, he is only making a fool of himself in front of many people. For instance, when Dogberry said “Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons.” in Act 3, Scene 3, he used comprehended instead of apprehended and auspicious instead of suspicious. In the same scene, in “Is our whole dissembly appeared?”, Dogberry meant assembly instead of dissembly. Other examples of his malapropism include: “This is the most tolerable and not to be endured.” where tolerable should have been intolerable; “Adieu: be vigitant, I beseech you.” where vigilant was misspoken as vigitant; “O villain! Thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this.” where Dogberry messes up redemption with damnation. While not a malapropism, Dogberry again shows his lack of knowledge and irony when he says “But masters, remember that I am an ass; though it is not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass.” On the other hand, Benedick, Beatrice, and Claudio all cleverly use wordplay to show their wit and knowledge throughout conversations: “I will requite thee, taming my wild heart to thy loving hand.” Beatrice uses wordplay on heart and hart to describe her feelings for Benedick; “The count is neither sad, nor sick, nor merry, nor well: but civil count, civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion.” where the words civil and Seville are made into a pun; “Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?” where note refers to both nothing and noting, creating two meanings in the sentence. Malapropism and wordplay are often brought up in the dialogues by multiple characters to create a humorous atmosphere.
Much Ado About Nothing centers on the stories of two different couples, Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick who all face challenges and misunderstandings between each other before reaching a happy ending. While Claudio and Hero's relationship is idealistic and can be seen as a traditional match dependent on social levels and appearances, Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship focuses more on mutual respect and understanding. Claudio and Benedick’s characters are emphasized once again through their relationships with Hero and Beatrice, respectively. While Claudio’s social level and manner make him described as a romantic and passionate person, his relationship with Hero highlights his lack of trust and inconstant opinions. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick both have strong personalities and characters, especially Benedick, who follows Beatrice’s every word after he falls in love with her.
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