Much Ado About Nothing THEMES

Much Ado About Nothing THEMES

1. nothingness

   • 'Nothing' in the title implies that the concerns of the play don't have a lot of value.
     • This is shown in the opening of the play. The play opens up with light-hearted jokes between Beatrice and Benedick. the comedy used in this part will support the trivial events that will happen later in the play.

2. noting

   • The word 'nothing' in Shakespeare was pronounced as 'Noting'. This would therefore make the tittle a 'pun'
   • Claudio falls in love with Hero and asks Benedick on whether he has noted her as well. "Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?" (Act 1 Scene 1). The theme of noting is made clear when Claudio asks for his friends approval.

3. slander

   • Spying, eavesdropping, gossip and misprision is the main cause of slander in the play.
     • The information is being constantly passed on from character to character making. Some characters misunderstand the information and then pass on their own interpretation of it. This therefore causes slander.
       • For example, Antonio and Borachio have misreported Don Pedro's plans on Hero.

4. deception and disguise

   • The plot of 'Much Ado About Nothing' is based upon deliberate deceptions. In the play it is difficult to figure out whether the deceptions are good or bad.
     • For example, when Claudio has shamed and rejected Hero, Leonato and his household “publish” that Hero has died in order to punish Claudio for his mistake. When Claudio returns, penitent, to accept the hand of Leonato’s “niece”, a group of masked women enters and Claudio must wed blindly. The masking of Hero and the other women reveals that the social institution of marriage has little to do with love.
   • The theme of disguise runs along the theme of deception. At the masquerade, Don Pedro uses a disguise to woo Hero on behalf of his friend Claudio. When Don Pedro finds out that Claudio is in love with Hero, he says, "I will assume thy part in some disguise / And tell fair Hero I am Claudio."

5. honour

   • "Death is the fairest cover for her shame That may be wished for."
     • Leonato exclaims that he’d rather his daughter die than live with the shame of dishonor. In this society, the tenets of honor are so stringent they can overpower a parent’s love for their child in an instant.

6. love

   • The theme of love is one of the key themes of the play. it is shown through character partnerships such as Claudio and Hero as well as paternal love that Leonato has for Hero and Beatrice.
     • For example, Claudio declares his love for Hero to Benedick. "In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on." He is in love at first sight, showing that he is romantic and, it might be argued, superficial.

7. jealousy

   • This theme is very powerful, however it can be easily undone by love.
     • For example, Benedick's jealousy was clearly shown when Claudio wants to marry Hero. This makes him dislike Hero because the marriage would make Claudio less of a man. This could also suggest that Benedick feels like he might lose his friend which makes him jealous.

8. gender

   • Both genders were treated very differently during Elizabethan times. Women at that time were supposed to be silent, gentle and passive. Women were living in a Patriarchal society and therefore had to obey men. In the fist few scenes women were put down by male characters. Leonato orders Hero to accept whoever courts her and she must do so because she is controlled by her father.

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