A Response on Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is one among the most creative and steamy plays written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare utilizes humour to illustrate various sensitive topics. Moreover, Shakespeare makes use of familiar themes, such as love and family, in a complicated way to make the play relevant to a wide range of people. The play brought to the screen by Kenneth Branagh displays and teach people on various themes such as social grace, deception, honour, love, family etc. Hence, Shakespeare utilizes Much Ado About Nothing as a humorous way to depict questions and opinions on sensitive topics such as honour, court politics and shame.
The play mainly circles around the two protagonists, Beatrice and Benedick. With a number of other important characters, it is easy for the readers to deviate on the main characters on focus. Although Benedick and Beatrice argue from time to time and even one time swears to leave each other, it is simple for the reader/viewer to detect that the two have undying love to each other naturally. Their friendship can be described as “insecure” rather than madly in love which illustrates a different form of emotion that can still be classified as true love. Shakespeare illustrates the concept of love as being vulnerable and insecure, and the best way to attain that kind of love is by confessing one’s fears to remove the insecurity and allow love to reign just as Beatrice and Benedick do at the end of the play.
Moreover, Shakespeare illustrates another type of love which exists between Hero and Claudio. This love can be classified as “love at first sight” since the two fall in love the first time they see each other. Claudio says “In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on” (Shakespeare). Their love is passionate, and they are brave to express their love for each other. The passionate love further grows into jealousy when Claudio is made by Don John to believe that Hero is unfaithful in his plot. It is incredible how Claudio is even willing to marry a look-alike of Hero, after learning the truth, but ends up marrying Hero who he assumes to be dead.
Much Ado About Nothing is more than comedy as Shakespeare provides an insight into the different kinds of love that exists between people. The quality, class, and the usage of different literature styles such as metaphors, idioms (etc.) associated with the play displays Shakespeare as a genius in the literature world. Most important, it is hard for the readers and viewers to fail to fall into the play of emotions presented by the play.
References
Malone, Edmond. The plays and poems of William Shakspeare. Vol. 7. RC and J. Rivington, 1821.
(Edmond, )
Shakespeare, W. (1997). Much ado about nothing (Vol. 2). Cambridge University Press
Shakespeare “Shakespeare Homepage” Much Ado About Nothing. Accessed on 17 October 2020 http://shakespeare.mit.edu/much_ado/full.html
(Shakespeare)