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What's up with Much Ado About Nothing? By CL Annie (eeyore815) | larrabee7@juno.com | Vienna/3734/
 Now I can tell what you're thinking ... Shakespeare? I never understand a word he writes! It's true that the language can be very confusing and the Elizabethan connotation of words isn't always the same today. Most books have footnotes, or in the case of the book I read, the entire left-hand page is set aside for definitions, allusions, explanations of puns, etc. Search around for a version you like. Shakespeare's comedies are really very fun. "Much Ado About Nothing" is a story about a sort of love "pentagon" and one who tries to destroy it all.
The play is set in Messina, Spain. Prince of Aragon, Don Pedro, is returning to Messina with his troops. He meets up with the governor of Messina, Leonato, and Leonato's brother. Here is where the first couple in love meet: Don Pedro's soldier, Count Claudio, falls madly in love with Governor Leonato's daughter Hero. Don Pedro agrees to woo Hero in Claudio's name. Meanwhile Benedick, another soldier and friend of Claudio and Don Pedro, goes on and on about the treachery of love, and gets into a battle of wits with Hero's cousin Beatrice. Together, they form the second couple destined for love. Enter Don John the Bastard (I'm serious, that's his name), Don Pedro's brother. Don John's reasons for hating Don Pedro are not totally clear to me, but maybe I missed that. Anyway, Don John and his thugs Conrade and Borachio plot to sabotage the Prince's plans to put Claudio and Hero together. At a costume party Prince Pedro woos Hero in Claudio's name (apparently Claudio is too chicken to do it himself), and the group decides to have some fun with their dear friend Benedick -- yes, you guessed it, they're going to trick Benedick and Beatrice into marrying each other. Claudio and Hero are now engaged, so why not make it two for one? Of course Don John is up to trouble. He starts by harassing Claudio at the party and now he's going to send Borachio to a woman named Margaret, and make it appear as though Borachio is actually wooing the fair Hero. Don John tells the Prince and Claudio that there is proof that Hero has been unfaithful. At the wedding, Poor Hero is so distressed by Claudio leaving her at the altar that she faints, and the priest decides it is in their best interest to tell everyone that Hero has died from the stress of being called unfaithful. Claudio mourns the loss and berates himself for killing her, and agrees to marry Leonato's "niece." But remember, this is a comedy and a Shakespearean comedy will not end unhappily. Hero's innocence is proved and she is indeed the "niece" that Claudio is meant to wed. Benedick and Beatrice wind up marrying each other out of pity. A song and dance celebrates all. Guess it was all just much ado about nothing.
Source:
http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Atlantis/9140/
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ReviewsNovember 1998 | |
