Much Ado About Nothing - Play Review

Much Ado about Nothing

The play Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare is a romantic comedy. The play contains many examples of tricks and schemes that are used to direct the thoughts of characters. This play includes several important personalities to discuss such as the main character Claudio and Benedick. In the play Benedick is a warrior who has won many battles in his life. Benedick had a very unique personality than others such as that he did not believe in love and prefers to stay bachelor. Later in the play, he starts to love a character named Beatrice. In the play, Benedick behaves very immature way and listens to others and sees what they try to show it to him

Benedick is a very sharp guy and always is ready to reply to anyone's comments. At the beginning of the play he insults Lady Beatrice verbally. He and Lady Beatrice have never been social to each other. Benedick tells Beatrice that, "you are a rare parrot teacher" (Much Ado about Nothing I.1 132). He calls Beatrice a bird because she talks too much and he does not like that. They both have lukewarm feelings for each other. According to McCollom, "In Act I Beatrice sometimes attacks Benedick in terms so unsubtle as to amaze-unless we realize that the insults express a half-conscious anger over his past treatment of her" (The Role of Wit in Much Ado About Nothing 6). The author introduces the idea that Beatrice and Benedick might have had a past relationship with each other. All clues led to that conclusion because they fought with each other in order to look strong in front of everyone and each other eyes. Benedick tells Claudio that he was behaving in a very unintelligent way because Claudio was falling in love with Hero. Benedick tells Claudio that he does not believe in love and would always remain bachelor in his life. When Claudio asks him about what he thinks about Hero, he replied, "she's too low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise, and too little for a great praise ... I do not like her" (I.1 163-168). From his reply, we can say that Benedick doesn't want Claudio to get married and ruin his life. But as the play goes on, we see him falling in love with Lady Beatrice.

Benedick has a lack of self knowledge and he sees what others wish to show him. After Benedick hears Claudio and Don Pedro talking about Beatrice loving Benedick, he says, "It is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her" (Act II.3 Ln 222-223). According to Hockey, "Each tricked character at some time or other insists won-the validity of his own observation" (Hockey 2). As the author is saying by listening to other people you start to believe in them, which is one of the main themes in this play. For example, Claudio listens to Don John and starts to believe that Hero is guilty. Leonato tells her daughter to die, when he hears Claudio saying that Hero already knows the heat of luxurious bed ( MAAN Act IV.1 40). Benedick is so much in love with Beatrice that he's ready to leave his friend because of his love.

Benedick is loyal to his friends but he shifts his loyalty from Claudio to his love Beatrice. Beatrice tells