Much Ado About Nothing is a play written by William Shakespeare first performed in 1612 – telling a story of backstabbing, deceit, manipulation, and most importantly; love. Much Ado About Nothing was adapted from Shakespearean literature to film in 1993 by Kenneth Branagh. Much Ado About Nothing is based in the Italian town of Messina where Leonato, a respectable nobleman welcomes prince Don Pedro home from a war along with two of his fellow soldiers; Claudio and Benedick. Claudio hastily falls in love with Leonatos daughter Hero – whilst Beatrice, niece of Leonato, and Benedick pursue a war witty of insults with one another until they confess the lingering love that they have for one another. The plot is based around the relationship of these two couples, whose relationships are polar opposites; Claudio and Hero portraying a ‘love at first sight’ relationship, whilst Benedick and Beatrice portraying a ‘blind true love’ relationship. Using quotes from the film adaptation, this essay will discuss and analyse the difference of the relationships between Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero; whilst finding links to the fundamentals of writing literature.
According to Brown & Yarbrough the plot is considered the foundations of writing any story or poem. The plot is the basic action of a narrative, leading to the series of events that occurs to tell the story. The plot can also be viewed as the basic ‘skeleton’ beneath the body of the story – which, similarly to the human anatomy is the deep structure beneath the skin, veins, arteries and skin to make an organism (Brown & Yarbrough, 51).
Most narratives written follow Freytag’s pyramid formula, whereby the pyramid follows the chain of events that a plot will have in order to tell a story: the introduction, a rising action, a conflict, a climax; and the downward slope following as the falling action (or otherwise known as the denouement). The introduction aims to hook the audience into the world in which the author has created, and the characters that reside in it. The rising action of a story is the series of events that occur after the audience are invested in the narrative, aimed to create suspense and tension in the narrative. A conflict is used to create challenge in the narrative, where a climax is the part of the story in which the tension will reach its highest point of the narrative. Without these elements in writing, the narrative will stay cheerful with no real story to tell. The falling action of the story is where the conflict is resolved, the element in writing which concludes a narrative (Brown & Yarbrough, 51-52).
The main plot of Much Ado About Nothing is set when Don Pedro intends to set up Claudio and Hero, followed by Leonato’s blessing for Claudio to marry her. However, conflict arises when Don John – Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother becomes aware that Don Pedro has planned to have the couple married. Don John stages an affair between one of his henchmen, Borachio and one of Hero’s serving women, Margaret at Hero’s bedroom window the day before Claudio and Hero’s wedding. Don John then calls Don Pedro and Claudio over to watch the chaos that he has organised, succeeding in driving a wedge between Claudio and Hero. Claudio leaves Hero at the altar, which is the climax of events in the film. All actions building towards Claudio and Hero’s wedding sets the tone of the type of relationship that they share: that in which a lot of people have arranged, or attempt to stand between.
Claudio and Hero’s relationship resembles young love; where both are shy, and must have others arrange to have it all set up. Scenes in the film show very minimal interaction between the two, but they are often confessing their feelings for one another to their closest companions.
“Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?” “I noted her not, but I looked on her.”
“Is she not a modest young lady?”
Do you question me as an honest man should do for my simple true judgement or would you have me speak after my custom, being a professed tyrant to their sex.”
“No. I pray thee speak in sober judgement.”
“Why, faith me thinks she is too low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise and too little for a great praise. Only this commendation I can afford her, that were she other, she is she were unhandsome and being no other, but as she is – I do not like her.”
“Thou thinkest I am in sport. I pray thee, tell me truly, how thouest like her?”
“Would you buy her, would you enquire after her?” “Can the world buy such a jewel?” “Yay, and a case to put it into.”
“In mine eye she is the sweetest lady I’ve ever looked upon.”
“And yet without spectacles and I see no matter… there’s her cousin, an’ she were not possessed with a fury that exceeds her as much in beauty as the first of May doth the last of December. But I hope you have no intent to turn husband… …have you?”
In these quotes, Claudio is inquiring to Benedick what he truly thinks of Hero. This is an example of how he feels of her, by only laying his eyes upon her in a little interaction. Rather than speaking to her himself, he asks one of his closest friends, Benedick for advice.
However, Benedick being the bachelor himself, attempts to speak Claudio out of his feelings. Telling him essentially that he can find a better love, and that she is not good enough according to his standards, and that he should not think about marriage. In the last lines of this quote, Benedick expresses his feelings about Beatrice as she enters the frame. His lines express disinterest, referring her appeal to the same of the season of winter, that she makes him feel irritated and uncomfortable. This scene closely shows the differences of interest in regards to love between Claudio and Benedick. That Claudio is ‘head over heels’ in love with Hero, and Benedick even if he does not admit it at this stage, is in love with Beatrice.
“Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end? I will go on the slightest errand now to the Antipodes… …that you can devise to send me on. I will fetch you a hair off of the Great Cham’s beard… …do you embassage me to the Pigmies… …rather than hold three words’ conference with this Harpy.”
This quote comes from a scene where Don Pedro attempts to set Benedick up with Beatrice, where Benedick further explains his disinterest in regards to falling in love with her, that he would rather go on suicide missions than to fall in love with her. This is following a conversation between Don Pedro and Hero, where Don Pedro would convince Hero to consider becoming Claudio’s wife.
Don Pedro is attempting to do the same for his other nobleman, so that his closest friends may find happiness with their spouses. However, the differences between his noblemen is that Claudio is desperately seeking love with Hero, whereas Benedick is attempting to avoid anything to do with love.
Shortly following the agreement between Hero, Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro on the marriage of Claudio and Hero, the group plot against Benedick and Beatrice to further attempt for them to fall in their inevitable love. Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio plan to have a conversation loud enough for Benedick to eavesdrop – where they would talk loudly, lying about how Beatrice had confessed the passion and love that she has for Benedick.
“When I said I would die a bachelor I did not think I would live… …’til I were married.”
Hearing these words convinced Benedick that he truly loves Beatrice, that he had not known what love was until this moment. Benedick speaks to himself following this scene, expressing his happiness to the news that he had just heard. Beatrice comes to invite Benedick to dinner and engages in her witty comments as she would prior to this moment in the film, but all Benedick does is laugh and accept her request. This shows the character development change, and Benedick appears to be a different man from this moment onwards.
Following this scene, Hero engages in a loud conversation with ___ for Beatrice to hear, telling one another that Benedick loves Beatrice. Hero comments of her cousins disinterest of falling in love, which makes Beatrice desire the love with Benedick even more.
“Rather I will go to Benedick, and counsel him to fight against his passion.”
Beatrice had heard this from Hero, and immediately disliked the idea – showing her character development from an independent woman who is incapable of love, as she cannot find a man of class to satisfy her needs; to craving love from Benedick. This is the point in which they both completely fall in love with each other. In conclusion, the couples are vastly different. Hero and Claudio immediately fall in love from first sight, but the love is so strong that they cannot bare talking to each other – so they ask for their companions to talk to one another instead. Whereas with Benedick and Beatrice’s first interactions with one another they do not hold back from insulting each other, and share the same opinion that they are each incapable of love. However, throughout the film the couples remain as polar opposites – when Hero and Claudio confess their love and become engaged, Beatrice and Benedick cannot stand each other – whereas when Beatrice and Benedick confess their love for one another, Hero and Claudio are heartbroken and cannot stand one another. Finally, the couples have very different types of love; Hero and Claudio share a traditional love, where Claudio would ask permission to have Hero’s hand in marriage before he would even confess his love to her.
This can also be viewed as a ‘young love’ relationship, where both would fall deeply in love with each other hastily, but would both be hurt from the relationship. Whereby Benedick and Beatrice both endured a self-love about themselves before being convinced to fall for one another, this can be viewed as a blind true love.