William Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing

"Much Ado About Nothing," a play by William Shakespeare, is a play that hinges on language. The witty dialogue serves to aid the reader by painting a picture of a villa in the countryside of Sicily, full of people celebrating their recent victory at war. Throughout the play the witty batter between Beatrice and Benedick brings a smile to the reader's lips while the malapropisms of Dogberry, the well meaning but incompetent constable, are laugh out loud funny. Benedick and Beatrice are engaged in a "merry war"; they both talk a mile a minute and proclaim their scorn for love, marriage, and each other. In contrast, Claudio and Hero are sweet young people who are rendered practically speechless by their love for one another. By means of "noting" (which sounds the same as "nothing," and which is gossip, rumor, and overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar. However, Dogberry, a Constable who is a master of malapropisms, discovers-unbeknownst to himself-the evil trickery of the villain, the bastard Don John. In the end, Don John is captured and everyone else joins in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples. If you are willing to take to time to look past the phrases that would have meant something 400 years ago but are less understandable today, "Much Ado About Nothing" is a rewarding play to read.