Near the middle of William Shakespeare’s career, he penned the play, Much Ado About Nothing. It is a tale of two romantic love stories with their very distinct journeys to comedy’s happily ever after. Claudio and Hero fall in love virtually at first sight. However, malice enters the play through Don John, who is determined to crush their love. The only hope of Hero’s restoration, and their love, comes from a bumbling watchman named Dogberry. Then there are Benedick and Beatrice, whose story is very different. They are kept apart by the pride in their own mutual antagonism, brilliance, and distrust. They both find particular pleasure in attacking the other, and both express a distaste to marriage. To many they seem like an ideal pair, and eventually fall in love. There are “many” themes Shakespeare incorporates into the pages. …show more content…
In short, one of the main focus’s of the play, is how “nothing” influences the way people live their lives. Reality is always being molded and affected by “nothing”. The characters make decisions in response to tricks, lies, rumors, and deceptions. They act on the foundation of their hopes and fears, and of what they believe is true. However, many of these hopes and fears prove baseless in the end. Their lives are affected by beliefs that are not true, and their actions and choices are shaped by “nothing”. In addition, another aspect is added; a pun lies in the title of the play. The word “nothing” would have been pronounced like “noting” in Elizabethan English. In Shakespeare’s day, “noting” had the interpretation of “overhearing” or