Post 3: After reading the whole play

                                         

The most important ideas or themes in the play are:

Love

Although Claudio and Hero’s courtly marriage is central to the plot, their relationship is the least interesting thing in the play. Instead, our attention is drawn to Benedick and Beatrice’s unromantic backbiting – it is this relationship that seems more believable and enduring.

By contrasting these two different types of love, Shakespeare manages to poke fun at the conventions of courtly, romantic love. Claudio uses highly contrived language when speaking of love, which is undermined by Benedick and Beatrice’s banter: “Can the world buy such a Jewel?” says Claudio of Hero. “My dear Lady disdain! Are you yet living?” says Benedick of Beatrice.

As an audience, we are supposed to share Benedick’s frustration with Claudio’s transparent, pompous rhetoric of love: “He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an honest man and a soldier … His words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes.”

Deception

The most obvious example is when Don John falsely slanders Hero for his own mischief, which is countered by the Friar’s deception of pretending Hero is dead. The manipulation of Hero from both sides renders her a passive character throughout the play – she does very little and only becomes an interesting character through the other character’s deceptions.

Deception is also used as a force for good in the play, as in Beatrice and Benedick’s overhearing scenes. Here, the deception is used to great comic effect and to manipulate the two lovers into accepting each other. The use of deception to manipulate these characters is necessary because it is the only way they could be convinced to allow love into their lives.

It is interesting that all of Much Ado’s characters are so willing to be deceived – Claudio doesn’t stop to suspect Don John’s actions, both Benedick and Beatrice are willing to completely change their world view after the overhearing scenes, and Claudio is willing to marry a complete stranger to appease Leonato. Deception is weaved so closely into the play that it becomes second nature to its characters.

Power of words

Several times, throughout the play, visible turning points in the play have been achieved by a few words. Firstly, the power of Beatrice's words changed Benedick's mind from thinking of their exchanges as a game to a serious, in love commitment. Further on though, in perhaps what was the most catching scene, is where Hero's reputation as a moral, pure girl is destroyed as she is accused of having an affair. This is so serious to the point where her own father, Leonato disowns her. This shows that through a few words, the love of a family can be changed and the thoughts about another person can be reversed.

The title is very suitable because  it implies that a great fuss (“much ado”) is made of something which is insignificant (“nothing”), such as the unfounded claims of Hero’s infidelity. Indeed, much of the action of the play revolves around interest in and critique of others, written messages and  spying. 

What surprised me most about this play was how it shows standards of men very clear. Because they see unmarried women in one of only two ways: as innocent and pure, so ready to be married, or dirty and to be used solely for sex. The men themselves have very different standards. They might look for sex with a prostitute when they are young, but then expect to marry later in life (and insist on marrying a virgin). 

The play made me think about how easily we can manipulate or be manipulated by other people.

I would ask the writer: "Why doesn’t Hero defend her innocence more passionately at her wedding?". Because I tought she was going to do it in a different form...