Written in 1598/1599 England, 'Much Ado About Nothing' is one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies. Although it is a fantastic comedy it still contains important themes, the most major theme in the play is love . In 'Much Ado About Nothing', Shakespeare depicts different kinds of loving relationships, i.e. romantic love (love between a man and a woman), loyal friendship and family support - and shows how various characters react to love and marriage.The main plot of 'Much Ado Ab ...view middle of the document...
They fell in love at first sight when they met at Leonartos welcoming home celebration, for his soldier friends who are returning home from a heroic battle.Hero and Claudios story deals with the realities of relationships based on love at first sight. Claudio only had to see the pure face of Hero once, for him to declare his undying love, and seek her hand in marriage. People could see this gesture / action as the perfect picture of romantic love. However, I feel Claudios infatuation for Hero comes across as a school-boyish crush, rather than true deep love and respect for her.Claudio asks the opinion of his solider friends to back up his judgment on Hero, this shows that he is not convinced of his own feelings. Also Claudio sees Hero as a "flawless angel", this is a naive, boyish assumption.All of the characters in 'Much Ado About Nothing' seem to develop a personality of their own from the very first scene. After I read scene one I felt as though I knew the characters and their personalities. I knew that Beatrice was a fiery character with a strong mind. Benedick was the comedian / jester of the play. Hero was the shy but typical woman of her time, and I felt as though Claudio was a charming gentleman. But as I read on into the play, my ideas about the characters drastically changed!
