In the play “Much Ado About Nothing”, William Shakespeare describes how a person can do a lot of things out of nothing. There are four main characters in this play that find a lot to do about stupid things and it can make things very difficult. The main characters are: Benedick, Claudio, Beatrice, and Hero. Shakespeare explains the roles of these four different characters and how relationships work. It’s amazing what he knew 400 years ago about relationships and how it is very similar to today’s relationships. Benedick is the young Lord of Padua, and is a man who will never get married nor settle down with one woman.
Benedick is what we would call in the nineties, a bachelor. He likes to play the field and is a typical male, Benedick thinks that no woman can hold him down and he will never fall in love. Benedick will also never listen to a girl or do what she says either. Then he comes into the town of Messina and Claudio and Don Pedro decide to play cupid and match up Benedick and Beatrice. Benedick thinks that Beatrice is in love with him and wants to wed him, which is somewhat untrue and this changes Benedict’s mind completely.
He is now flustered with emotions and is in love and he wonders how this could be. Now Beatrice is a very pretty woman but the old Benedict didn’t care, he’s a man and no woman can hold him down. The new Benedict, on the other hand is head over heels in love and would do anything for sweet Beatrice. This is very ironic on how a person can change completely when falling in love. A great example is when Beatrice tells Benedick to kill Claudio, his best friend, and he ponders it and then says I will draw him to a duel.
That is when the audience knows for sure that Benedick is in love and it is also the changing point in the play for Benedick. Claudio is the young Lord of Florence, and he is a handsome young man and has a thing for Hero, and in fact proposes to her and marries her. Claudio is like a Tom Cruise in today’s society, he is every woman’s dream man. Claudio is also a good man, as Leonato, Hero’s father, just adores Claudio with all his heart. Leonato thinks Hero is a lucky woman since Claudio is a perfect man.
Claudio is also Benedick’s best friends and they get along very well together despite their differences in takes on women. Claudio is the gentleman and Benedick is the macho man, the jock of that time. Although they both have great looks and woman adore them, Claudio plays the role of the polite guy who is very respectful of Hero. But his thoughts change as he is the victim of a terrible rumor started by Don John the Bastard, the evil brother of Don Pedro. The rumor was that Hero was cheating on Claudio and Don John showed them proof, which was all set up the night before the wedding.
Now Claudio didn’t take liking to this and at the wedding told Hero it was over and made a fool of her. It all works out in the end as he finds out it was all a lie and he betrayed his love Hero. As a true man he takes responsibility and gives his remorse and things turn out happily ever after. Beatrice is Benedick’s love, and Leonato’s niece. She is just like Benedick just from a girl’s side of view. Those to bicker back and forth at each other so much that a person would think how could they ever fall in love together.
Beatrice has a small little crush on Benedick, but it is hard to tell because she makes fun of him all the time. Before Benedick comes into Messina she asks how he is and if he is injured or in other words okay. That is Beatrice’s way of dealing with men, she may be a little immature in relationships. Beatrice’s views change suddenly also when she overhears the gossip that Benedick has a thing for her and wants to wed her. Now she is also a caught in the middle with the gossip and believes that this is true, that Benedick does have thing for her.
Now Beatrice is in love and it is much ado about nothing because neither where saying something about the other. It was all a plan of Don Pedro and Claudio to hook them up and let the bachelor and bachlorette find true romance. It is very much like today’s society when a friend hook’s up another friend with a boy or a girl. It is also a very much high school, college relationship between best friends and their women. Hero is Lenato’s daughter and lives in Messina. Claudio is coming into town to see her and she can’t wait to see him.
The men are all coming back from war, no one is hurt and it was a good war. Hero is a prize woman, she is very attractive with a stunning beauty. She is caught in the middle of Don John little game of break up. She didn’t do anything wrong and the rumor comes around and slaps her in the face. Leonato, her father, doesn’t even believe his own daughter and thinks that the rumor is true since Claudio is such a great guy. Leonato thinks Claudio can do no wrong. Leonato also disrespects his daughter by slapping her and taking Claudio’s side without even letting her explain.
Hero is a beautiful woman caught in the middle of high school rumors and it really hurts her and her father. When they find out that Hero is right with her story the friar has to come up with an idea on how to get her back with Claudio. The plan is that Hero killed herself and she has a cousin who is almost identical as Hero(which is truly Hero) which Claudio will marry cause he feels so bad about his love. So Hero and Claudio end up happily together. This play is a great example of a relationship where best friends date two woman who are close and something bad is bound to happen.
But in “Much Ado About Nothing”, William Shakespeare ends it with a two couple wedding which is usually in his plays. Claudio and Hero have a beautiful wedding and Benedick and Beatrice also do have a fine wedding. Everything turns out okay despite the rumors that were stirred up by Don John the Bastard. I think this play is a great example of relationships and how people act and can change in them. It is amazing how Shakespeare writes this play as if it was in today’s time period with relationships, but then I guess love doesn’t change and people may always act this way when in love.
