Don Pedro, Claudio, and Bendick are returning from a battle, and Beatrice mocks Bendick’s abilities as a soldier. Leonato invites Don Pedro to stay, and we see a new character Don John, who is Don Pedro’s brother. Claudio and Hero, Leonato’s daughter, have started to fall in love with each other. During the masquerade, Don Pedro pretends to be Claudio to help woo Hero for him. Later, Hero and Claudio have gotten their approval for marriage. Benedick and Beatrice also danced with each other, but it was under a mask. Benedick is hurt by how Beatrice spoke harsh words against him. Don Pedro and other men talk about how Beatrice loves Benedick, completely aware that he is listening. At the same time, Hero and Ursula talk about how Benedick is in love with Beatrice while she listens. Both of them meet with each other again, and they end up falling in love. Don John tricks Claudio and Don Pedro into thinking that Hero was unfaithful, and during the wedding, Claudio denounces Hero, causing her to faint. Hero’s death is faked, and a local man overheard Don John’s evil plan, which causes Claudio to feel terrible. He agrees to marry Claudio’s cousin, who is later revealed to be Hero in disguise. Don John is caught, but his punishment is put off so that Claudio, Hero, Beatrice, and Bendick can all enjoy their double wedding.
The title of this play Much Ado About Nothing is a double entendre. In other words, the title has two meanings. In Shakespeare’s time, the title was originally pronounced Much Ado About Noting, instead of Nothing. Both of the titles come into play in this story. The first one symbolizes that the people in the story are making such a big deal about something that is essentially unimportant. It is ironic, because, in the story, everything is very dramatic and emphasized, while the title implies that they shouldn’t all be getting so excited over something that’s supposed to be trivial. The second title is mainly seen when Beatrice and Benedick overhear their friends talking about there they are supposedly in love with each other. They both note this fact, and they start to believe it. Even though they were enemies before, one simple comment from their friends is enough to change their entire opinion about each other.
Another major theme in this story is the fact that “seeing is believing.” However, in this context, it is more like “hearing is believing.” Beatrice and Benedick both overhear their friends who are trying to set the two of them up. They talk about how the other person is supposedly harboring feelings for their friend, but they were just too nervous to say so. This manages to change both Beatrice’s and Benedick’s point of view about their relationship, and they end up together. Another incident is that Don John tried to sabotage Claudio and Hero’s wedding by convincing Claudio that Hero was unfaithful. Don John had one of his friends and Hero’s handmaiden to be in Hero’s room at the time Claudio and Don Pedro would be there. They both got the wrong message, seeing as they couldn’t tell who was who.
The story is heavily inlaid with rhetoric and literary devices, as well as wit and clever phrases. The witty banter between the characters brings in a sense of familiarity, as they all seem to be close with one another, which is why they can talk so carefree. Deception plays a huge part in the story. WIth Don Pedro and Claudio are confused with Hero’s situation, they end up unhappy, but Hero’s disguise brings them back together again. The story often has both negative and positive effects on this deception. Don Pedro woos Hero for Claudio, but Don John lies and Claudio starts to distrust Don Pedro, believing that Don Pedro is trying to steal Hero away. In this society, honor is very important. The more honor you have, the better graces you are in. When Hero’s fidelity is questioned, her father immediately tells her that he wished she were dead. They are ruined, because marriage is very important, and slandering someone’s name like that, especially a female, and be their ruin. A woman losing their honor meant that they could never get it back, and they were just ruined for the rest of their life.
In this story, we see that there is a lot of deception between the characters. They are all tricked, one way or another, whether it is good or bad. However, the story ends on a happy note, with the villain being caught, and the couples happily married. “Seeing is believing,” is also the theme of Shakespeare’s other famous play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and we can see that there is deception in both of them as well. The way the story is written with all of the banter between friends makes the audience know the personalities of the characters. Even the title of the story is a play on words, which shows us just what the story is about; deception.
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