Claudio And Benedick In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

From the mastermind of this tragic comedy, these once brothered bachelor's, wed to their mistress, slowly uncovering their differences. William Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, showcases characters, Claudio and Benedick, to further elaborate each other’s and the play’s features. The story follows townspeople of Messina, and their troubles which Don John places upon them. Claudio and Benedick foil each other in order to show the mishaps’ results and how it had affected the overall resolution from harmless gossip, which could have been avoided in the grand scheme of things, for a change of events. As a main character, Benedick is a man of traits that prove opposite of Claudio. He started as a hostile and self centered human, but
Throughout MAAN, he is following after a woman, Hero, to marry. He later betrays this woman from a rumor being tossed around, yet somehow circles back into their marriage ending up in a happy place. His words, “ For thee I’ll lock up all the gates of love, and on my eyelids shall conjecture hang”( Shakespeare 68). Then later, “ Choose your revenge yourself; Impose me to what penance your invention can lay upon my sin”(Shakespeare 90). Claudio also shows love, but his love was quickly altered as soon as one rumor was told about the love of his life. He hadn’t been true to his heart as he once had shown by his traits. Concluding the two characters’ traits, there are many differences to be seen clearly, in how they act. The contrast between the two embellish the play’s meaning, along with the title. The title, Much Ado About Nothing, foretells the gossip’s power for creating a whole situation that could’ve avoided. Having Claudio and Benedick’s foil added to the title, but also their tension’s unimportance, along with all the other’s in Messina. These characters have little to do with the message, but more to add onto the message, that although so much could happen, it’s condensed into