Much Ado About Nothing Comparative Essay

Much Ado About Nothing is yet another play created by renowned playwright William Shakespeare that has successfully maintained its relevance and adapted to a contemporary audience. The ability to relate to the characters, plot and the various themes continues to allow the audience to engage with these stories created over 400 years ago. Much Ado About Nothing revolves around two pairs of lovers; Beatrice and Benedick, and Claudio and Hero, and the obstacles they are faced with throughout the story. The character relationships that are built are a main component to the plot, and to the play. The universal themes of marriage and deceit carry an important role within both adaptations also. These elements within Much Ado About Nothing have been transformed into a contemporary film, hence proving the adaptability of Shakespeare’s work. The universal themes used in Much Ado About Nothing have been
The four main characters of Much Ado About Nothing are characters with obvious personalities that are easy to relate to. The witty banter that Benedick and Beatrice enjoy taking part in shows their independence and in Benedick’s case, conceded personality that these two characters share. Beatrice and Benedick renew their ‘merry-war’, each attempting to score points off the other, and trying to have the last word. Benedick calls Beatrice a “rare parrot teacher” (1, i, 103 – 107, p9). Beatrice responds to this and the banter is continued. The characters Hero and Claudio are a typical ‘love at first sight’ cliché. Consequently, this relationship lacked trust, which essentially broke up and destroyed their marriage. The four main characters in Much Ado About Nothing formed the basis of the plot, and essentially the production. Being able to relate to these characters from both versions of the play shows the successful adaption to modern