Much Ado About Nothing — William Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599 The play was included in the First Folio published in 1623 The play is set in Messina and revolves around two romantic pairings that emerge when a group of soldiers arrives in the town The first between Claudio and Hero is nearly scuppered by the accusations of the villain Don John The second between Claudio s friend Benedick and Hero s cousin Beatrice takes centre stage as the play continues with both characters wit and banter providing much of the humour Through noting sounding like nothing and meaning gossip rumour overhearing Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other and Claudio is tricked into believing that Hero is not a maiden virgin The title s play on words references the secrets and trickery that form the backbone of the play s comedy intrigue and action