Post 3: After reading the whole play

I consider honour is the central theme in this play, not honour form a broad perspective but particularly in connection with virginity. Related to this, Leonato says:

“O Fate, take not away thy heavy hand!

Death is the fairest cover for her shame

That may be wished for.”

Clearly he is wishing for his daughter’s death immediately after he is told she is not a virgin, which brings shame not only on Hero but also on the whole family, ruining their reputation.

As regards the title, I want to consider 2 different interpretations of it. The first and more literal one is the one explained by Mariel (Loreto) which refers to a phrase used to describe a situation in which there has been a lot of excitement about something that is not really important. In this case, there is a frustrated marriage and a lot of suffering around a fictitious situation, i.e. Hero’s unfaithfulness to Claudio.

The second interpretation I want to mention is that, by the time this play was written, the word “nothing” was pronounced in the same way as “noting”. This meaning of the title refers to the fact that the characters spend the whole play noting what the others do and that leads to the development of the main events. Consequently, at that time there probably was a more evident wordplay.

What surprised me most about the play and made me think a lot about it is the way in which love is presented. As we discussed in class, Hero and Claudio almost don’t know each other but they agree on getting married. On the other hand, although Beatrice and Benedick apparently have had a sort of relationship in the past, they are (at first) too proud to admit their love for each other. In both cases...are we really talking about true love???

If I had the chance to ask William Shakespeare one question I would ask him what he really thinks about the central themes of their plays: marriage, love, the role of women, among others. I am interested in knowing if he considers these issues as he portrays them in his plays or if it is a sort of criticism intending people reflect on them.