William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom in 1564. He was born into a middle class family to John and Mary Shakespeare. During his early age, Shakespeare attended The Stratford Grammar School, but following that he was unable to afford University due to financial struggles. In 1590, he married an older woman named Anne Hathaway and together, they had three children. Around 1590, he left his family behind and relocated to London to pursue his career as an actor and playwright. Throughout his life, William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and roughly 150 sonnets. Much Ado About Nothing, written between 1598-1599, is known to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest works because of the intertwining mix of tragedy and comedy. The hidden meaning behind the title Much Ado About Nothing, is showing how misunderstandings can create a big fuss that in turn, have no importance.
Different perspectives can be taken from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. For this play the theme of love stood out to me the most because in the play during the part of the two characters when arguing, but since this past they ended up actually being together. In my opinion, when someone thinks of love they automatically think of an unconditional feeling for someone and pure happiness. Although, love can be a beautiful thing it is not always the easiest route. Love can turn ugly, therefore love is patient and kind, love is seeing someone’s flaws and still wanting that person.
The characters, Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, have unconditional love for each other but despite the circumstances they are not together. From the beginning, Beatrice and Benedick have cordial back-and-forth arguments, but due to stubborness they never come to endpoints in their arguments. Between interactions from the characters, the audience can infer that there was a past relationship between the two. For instance, when Beatrice says “you always end with a jade’s trick, I know you of old.” Beatrice implies that they have an in depth past and that she had thought he changed. Beatrice and Benedick’s history adds density to their newly acquainted relationship.
With the constant back and forth of smart remarks, both of their friends begin to suspect that they are more than acquaintances and plan to deceive them. Benedick’s friends, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato, go to the garden and speak loudly so that Benedick can overhear their conversation. They go on to discuss how Beatrice loves Benedick and that she has loved him forever. The same thing happens to Beatrice; her cousin Hero, along with Margaret and Ursula, tell Beatrice that the king had told them that Benedick confessed his love for her. Once they both find out that the love they had for each other is still there, Benedick gets the courage to ask Beatrice if what everyone was saying is true; if she really loves him. Beatrice denies it and Benedick angrily shuns her and says he never loved her. They both agree to be civil with one another, but then Claudio and Hero continue to meddle in their lives. They find uncompleted love letters from long ago and continue this journey to involve themselves in their love lives. Beatrice and Benedick wrote these love letters from long ago, but never sent them. Their fake hatred towards each other is eventually called out by friends and Beatrice and Benedick soon realize that Claudio and Hero set them up. Instead of turning their back on each other, Benedick silences Beatrice with a kiss. Their love is genuine and strong and despite their differences with one another, they were able to put that behind them and move forward together.
The reader can label Hero and Claudio’s relationship as idealist, unlike Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship which is realistic, because of the lack of communication and trust. For example, Claudio asked Don Pedro to talk to Hero as if he was Claudio, and make her fall in love with him. This represents that communication is not present seeing as they have to go behind each other’s backs to get what they want. Another reason why their love is not genuine, is the fact that Hero’s dad tried to get Claudio to marry Hero by speaking highly of her so he would want to. They were noble people, so therefore the father gives his daughter to a man of power which is what he was trying to do by speaking so highly of his daughter. Leaving the true meaning of love behind, their relationship was more of less, a set up. They were infatuated by the idea of being in love, until their relationship was put to the test and almost ceased because of miscommunication and lack of trust in each other. To illustrate, Claudio was tricked by Don Pedro into thinking that Hero was being unfaithful to him, with another another man. He never physically sees her with someone else, however, what he sees is Margaret at the window with a man which leads him to believe what he has been told. Don Pedro set this up the night before the wedding to ruin Hero’s reputation and for Claudio not to marry her.
The next day at the wedding, while everyone is inside the church ready to celebrate, Claudio and Hero’s wedding takes a turn for the worst. When the Priest asked Claudio whether he wishes to marry Hero, Claudio breaks into an outrage and goes on to tell Leonato and everyone else present in the church that Hero has cheated on him with another man. After calling Hero an unfaithful whore, he sent her back to her father, where they both ask in confusion what is going on. Claudio explains that the night before the wedding, Hero cheated on him as Don Pedro, Don John and himself watched. Leonato tells Benedick and Beatrice to let Hero die since that would be better than her living in shame with herself. However, Beatrice remains convinced that her cousin has been set up.
Suddenly, the priest steps in and he determines that Hero is not guilty of unfaithfulness due to her expressions of anger and hurt. Hero claims she is a virgin and has no idea what her accusers are talking about. Benedick immediately realizes that this is all a deception and that Don John must have something to do with this situation, considering he never wanted them to be happy together. To further the point that communication and trust is not present in their relationship, Claudio did not have the decency to ask her about this before the wedding, but rather call her out in front of everyone before knowing the real truth. Now Hero’s reputation is tarnished and her father despises her for the misconstrued idea of being unfaithful and ruining his reputation. Everyone now catches on to the fact that their relationship was never true, and it was arranged.
In conclusion, love can ruin lives, like Claudio and Hero, but love can also resurrect lives such as Beatrice and Benedick’s. To understand the differences between Beatrice and Benedicks love and Hero’s and Claudio’s love, is that even though Beatrice and Benedick do not always get along there is mutual respect towards each other, trust and communication; unlike Hero and Claudio. Furthermore, knowing their flaws, Beatrice and Benedick’s love overcomes everything and that is something that cannot be broken. As for Hero and Claudio, they were infatuated with the idea of being in love, but never experienced this with each other.