Boy- Meets-Girl Boy Romances Girl Boy Gets Girl Girl Loses Boy Boy and Girl find each other again Comedy or Tragicomedy?

Much Ado About Nothing Key Facts William Shakespeare AUTHOR Comedy GENRE DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION 1600 TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN 1598, England

Messina, a city on the island of Sicily in southern Italy, sometime in the 16th century The men returning from battle with Don Pedro would likely view Messina as a welcome respite from the battlefield. The whole point of the soldiers coming to Messina is that they’re in an idyllic setting, away from the action of the war.

She is cousins and good friends with Hero, Leonato’s daughter. She is the niece of Leonato, a wealthy governor of Mesina. High born lady. She loves to participate in a “merry war” of wits with Benedick. “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man swear he loves me.” Feisty, cynical, witty, and sharp. Her comments suggest that she and Benedick may have tried to have a relationship in the past but Benedick may have “led her on.” Now she is wary of him. Single by choice.

Beatrice has a relentless and brilliant wit that could easily be mistaken as the role of a jester in the play, but her barbs are laced with insightful commentary and often inspired by penetrating understanding. Beatrice as comic relief. Instead of being melancholy or sad, she chooses to laugh at it, which is a sure sign of wisdom. “He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man. He that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.” She sees the absurdity of the world.

Benedick Mountanto is in the service of Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon. He is young lord of Padua. He is a good soldier, but a bit unprincipled. He is a good friend of Count Claudio. While Beatrice thinks no man will ever be good enough for her, Benedick seems to be more hung up on not being tied down. “When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.” He vows that he will never marry. “ Shall I never see a bachelor of three-score again?“ Shall I never see a bachelor of three-score again?”

Claudio has distinguished himself as a soldier under Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon. He is a young Count from Florence. He’s a friend of Benedick, and the groom, of Hero. When Claudio loves Hero, he loves her to distraction. When he hates her, he hates her with fury. Passionate Claudio’s actions throughout the play reveal that he has quite a bit of growing up to do – he quickly falls in love with Hero and can’t even court her on his own. He is a little immature.

Don Pedro Don Pedro most often uses his power and authority toward positive ends. But like his half- brother, Don Pedro manipulates other characters as much as he likes. He is the Prince of Aragon He is the noblest character in the social hierarchy of the play, and his friends Benedick and Claudio, though equals in wit, must always defer to him because their positions depend upon his favor.

Hero A gentle, loving girl. Female lead? Hero is Leonato’s daughter. She is Beatrice’s cousin. The beloved (and slandered) fiancé of Claudio. She gives many of her big decisions over to other people. Though she is supposed to be the female lead of the play, Hero has the fewest lines of the four primary characters.

The illegitimate brother of Don Pedro; sometimes called “the Bastard.” Don John operates as a plot-device more than a fully fleshed out character. Don John He does give us a little speech about how he’s a bad guy – and likes being a bad guy – but there’s not much that we say about him because we never really know his motivations, or even his reaction to all of the chaos he’s caused. The Dispossessed Son He is second to his older brother. He is recently back in his good graces but doesn’t like the burden of “behaving” properly. Second Best Villains

Leonato A respected, well-to-do, elderly noble at whose home, in Messina, Italy the play is set. Leonato is the father of Hero and the uncle of Beatrice. As governor of Messina, he is second in social power only to Don Pedro.

Margaret Balthasar Antonio Hero’s serving woman, who unwittingly helps Borachio and Don John deceive Claudio into thinking that Hero is unfaithful. A waiting man in Leonato’s household and a musician. Balthasar sings the song, “Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more” about accepting men’s infidelity as natural. Leonato’s elderly brother and Hero's uncle. He is Beatrice’s father.

Borachio He is a “henchman” of Don John. Borachio is the lover of Margaret, Hero’s serving woman. He conspires with Don John to trick Claudio and Don Pedro into thinking that Hero is unfaithful to Claudio. Conrad One of Don John’s more intimate associates, entirely devoted to Don John.

Dogberry He is he constable in charge of the Watch. He is chief policeman, of Messina. Dogberry is very sincere and takes his job seriously. He has a habit of using exactly the wrong word to convey his meaning. Verges The deputy to Dogberry Chief policeman of Messina. “Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.”

Themes, Motifs & Symbols Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes. Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The play pokes fun at the fanciful language of love that courtiers used. The Ideal of Social Grace When Claudio falls in love, he tries to be the perfect courtier by using intricate language. As Benedick notes: “His words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes.” Language of Love Themes

Deception is used as a means to an end. Deception In Shakespeare’s time, a woman’s honor was based upon her virginity and chaste behavior. For a woman to lose her honor by having sexual relations before marriage meant that she would lose all social standing, a disaster from which she could never recover. The Importance of Honor for Women For men, on the other hand, honor depended on male friendship alliances and was more military in nature. The Importance of Honor for Men Themes

Hero’s public shaming at the wedding ceremony is too terrible to be ignored. Shame is also what Don John hopes will cause Claudio to lose his place as Don Pedro’s favorite. Public Shaming In Shakespeare’s time, the “Nothing” of the title would have been pronounced “Noting.” Thus, the play’s title could read: “Much Ado About Noting.” Many of the players participate in the actions of observing, listening, and writing, or noting what others do and say. Noting Motifs

The characters of Much Ado About Nothing spend much of their time engaging in elaborate spectacles and entertainments. Beatrice compares courtship and marriage to delightful court dances. “There was a star danced, and under that was I born.” Entertainment The idea of counterfeiting, in the sense of presenting a false face to the world, appears frequently throughout the play. After Claudio thinks he is betrayed, he says of Hero: She’s but the sign and semblance of her honour. Behold how like a maid she blushes here! O, what authority and show of truth Can cunning sin cover itself withal (IV.i.31–34) Counterfeiting Motifs

Symbols In the case of the courtship between Beatrice and Benedick, the symbol of a tamed savage animal represents the social taming that must occur for both wild souls to be ready to submit themselves to the shackles of love and marriage. “In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke.” Taming of Wild Animals Leonato relates to the other characters that there is a “merry war” between Beatrice and Benedick: “They never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit between them.” War She must symbolically die and be reborn pure again in order for Claudio to marry her a second time. Hero’s Death