Much Ado about Nothing

Introduction

Much ado about nothing is a tale of different people having close acquaintances with each other. It's a story where two people fall in love with each other while others out of enviousness try to apart these two lovers by creating misunderstanding. On the other hand there are two other characters in the play who don't want to confess their love for each other and they want to remain bachelors for their lifetime. But destiny plays its role to bring first pair together and urging other pair to confess love for each other.

Characters

Don Pedro, prince of Arragon

Don John, his bastard brother

Claudio, a young lord of Florence

Benedick, a young lord of Padua

Leonato, the governor of Messina

Hero, Leonato's daughter

Beatrice, Leonato's niece

Dogberry, a constable

The Plot

In the play, young lovers Hero and Claudio are set to be married but, to pass the time, they plan a little mischief with Don Pedro concerning confirmed bachelor Benedick and confirmed bachelorette Beatrice. In the meantime, Don John has a little mischief in mind for the original couple (Williams, p.37).

Benedick is a confirmed and bitter bachelor who scorns all men willing to enter the married state. No less opposed to men and matrimony is Leonato's niece, Beatrice. These two constantly spar with one another, each trying to show intellectual supremacy over the other.

Don Pedro makes a plan to set both Beatrice and Benedick up in a relationship using a little deception. When Benedick is close by, thinking himself unseen, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato talk of their great sympathy for Beatrice, who loves Benedick but is unloved in return. The three tell one another of the love letters Beatrice had written to Benedick and had then torn up, and how she sheds tears for her unrequited love. At the same time, on occasions when Beatrice is nearby but apparently unseen, Hero and her maid tell each other that poor Benedick pines and sighs for the heartless Beatrice. The two gullible young people decide not to let the other suffer. They decide to scarify their rules and accept the relationship with each other.

The night before the wedding of Hero and Claudio, Don John is ready to execute his villainous plan. Everyone was preparing for the wedding of Claudio and Hero, but Don John has decided to ruin everyone's happiness. He tells Claudio of Hero's impurity. His companions, Margaret and Borachio, disguise Margaret as Hero in the darkness of the night. Claudio and Don Pedro, misunderstands Margaret as Hero and consider her to be unfaithful. Infuriated, Claudio humiliates Hero by revealing her infidelity in front of everyone. She is shocked by the accusation and faints in the public. Hero's family believed her and thought her to be innocent and decide to hide her and pretend that she is dead while waiting for the truth to come in front of everyone. Assuming, that Hero is dead, people start turning against Claudio. He is blamed for accusing Hero and is being held responsible for her death. Then Dogberry removes ...