Much Ado About Nothing Research Paper

In literature, Shakespeare is known for many of his notorious comedies such as The Comedy of Error, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, and much more. Much Ado About Nothing is supposedly a comedy: Beatrice and Benedick trade insults for professions of love, and Claudio and Hero fall in love, out of love, and back in love again. But the play contains many darker, more tragic elements than a typical comedy. The play, Much Ado About Nothing is tragic because of when Benedick challenged Claudio, Hero’s death and when Borrachio was sent to jail. The themes of the play are love, deceit, and reputation.
First, the first theme of the play is love. In the play, Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick challenges Claudio for the love of Beatrice. “ Benedick: Beatrice,— Beatrice: In faith, I will go. Benedick: We'll be friends first. Beatrice: You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy. Benedick : Is Claudio thine enemy? Enough, I am engaged; I will challenge him. I will kiss your hand, and so I leave you. By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear account. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your cousin: I must say she is dead: and so, farewell.” This quote means that Benedick will do anything to have …show more content…
In Much Ado About Nothing Claudio humiliates Hero in front of the entire society, which means he figuratively killed her. When the play continues, Claudio’s feelings towards Hero changes tragically, “ Out on thee, seeming! I will write against it.You seem to me as Dian in her orb, As chaste as is the bud ere it be blown. But you are more intemperate in your blood than Venus, or those pampered animals. That rage in savage sensuality. ” This is tragic because Claudio did not come to Hero and ask her what happened. Instead, he embarrassed Hero in front of the society, which is disrespectful. The theme and tragedy go together because in this play, men do not confirm lies and have more rights than