Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing, comedy by English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, written in 1599. Some scholars have called Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare's masterpiece in high comedy. The playwright was familiar with various works that would have provided him with the main plot of his play. This plot, which was a variation on a popular theme of the Elizabethan era, involves an accusation by the soldier Claudio of infidelity on the part of his fiancée, Hero. The rumor of Hero’s unfaithfulness is begun by the malcontent Don John, who revels in causing suffering for other people. True to the plot used in other versions, Shakespeare’s Claudio rejects Hero initially, but when the accusation of infidelity proves false, the two are reunited.

The play’s subplot is often considered the more compelling and original of the two plots in the play. This “underplot” consists of an elaborate and witty verbal war between the characters Beatrice and Benedick, who repeatedly profess their disdain for each other. They later discover that they are secretly in love, and by the end of the play they are united. The roles of Beatrice and Benedick are favorite parts for actors because of the dynamic nature and final union of these characters. The wrangling lovers are original creations, and their character types are unprecedented in major sources.

Along with the main characters mentioned above, there are several other characters of note in Much Ado About Nothing. One of the most memorable is the town constable, Dogberry. According to an old tradition, the character of the pompous Dogberry was drawn from Shakespeare's observation of the work and daily life of a real village constable. In contrast with Beatrice and Benedick, whose clever use of language successfully reveals the depths of their emotions, Dogberry bungles and misuses words and creates hilarious linguistic tangles.