Shakespeare Series: Much Ado About Nothing

Many classify "Much Ado About Nothing" as Shakespeare's romantic comedy. The play begins when native of Messina, Leonato, invites Prince Don Pedro and his mission to stay a month in celebration of their heroic work. Upon receiving the invitation, Count Claudio falls for Leonato's daughter, Hero. Instantly, Hero and Claudio love each other. On the contrary, the head of the household's niece, Beatrice, finds herself in the repulsive presence of Claudio's comrade, Benedict. This duo uses their equally matched wits against one another. Beatrice and Benedict repetitively entertain the whole company with their public arguments. Don Pedro speculates the possibility of Beatrice and Benedict falling in love, and he hatches a scheme with Claudio to trick them into performing this action. The prince and count find Benedict eavesdropping on them from afar, and they pretend not to notice. Claudio and Don Pedro trick Benedict into thinking Beatrice adores him, and Margret and Ursula, Beatrice's waiting ladies, do the same to her. Later, Hero and Claudio agree to wed each other. The prince's less fortunate brother, Don John, utilizes their marriage as a way to carry out his own evil plan. Don John hires Borachio to frame Hero for cheating on her fiancé. The rest of the play includes Benedict and Beatrice denying their consensual love and the hilarious watchmen lead by their incompetent master, Dogberry.

Unlike my last endeavor with a Shakespeare comedy ("Taming of the Shrew"), "Much Ado" frequently made me laugh out loud. I often feel Shakespearean comedies start off with a very clever part and exposition, and they conclude in a witty way that provides closure to the audience. On the contrary, I find the middle of these comedies lacking luster, for the characters either repeat their punchlines. In this play, the middle of the play contains a number of funny moments. Throughout the third act, Dogberry and his watchmen make humor out of the play. As Don John dramatically ruins Claudio and Hero's wedding day, the watch comes to investigate. Akin to many members of Shakespeare's working class, the watchmen's uneducated nature causes a hilarious sequence in the core of this play. Of all the comedies, the text of "Much Ado" surpasses that of "Comedy of Errors" and "Midsummer". This play's themes touch a reader on a deeper level, yet they entertain as much as Shakespeare's other lighter works. Speaking from experience, I greatly enjoyed acting in this play. In performance, the play emits this aura forces the audience to smile, relax, and enjoy watching Beatrice and Benedict bicker over the most trivial matters.

I highly recommend "Much Ado About Nothing" for anyone at least slightly interested in Shakespeare. I find the plot easier to comprehend than some of Shakespeare's other comedies. "Midsummer" requires a higher level of understanding the characters as Puck begins to mismatch their love interests for one another, and even experienced Shakespeare readers confuse the twin protagonists in "Comedy of Errors". Even though this play reads very well, I recommend seeing the play in performance as a supplement to the text. Some of these lines stand humorous on their own, yet the expressions and inflections actors bring to each part further increases the magnificence of this play. To fully experience the goodness of "Much Ado", one must imagine a stage and the scene on it while reading. For those who like Shakespeare and a decent laugh, "Much Ado About Nothing" appeases both cravings.