Much Ado About Nothing – Plot summary

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Much Ado About Nothingis a comedic play by William Shakespeare about misunderstandings, love and deception.

Benedick, Claudio and Don Pedro arrive at Leonato’s house in Messina. Beatrice and Benedick bicker with each other and Claudio, a soldier, falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero.

Don John, who is Don Pedro’s evil half-brother, tricks Claudio into believing that he has seen Hero being unfaithful.

Meanwhile, Don Pedro and others plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together. Claudio accuses Hero of infidelity and refuses to marry her. Leonato is persuaded to pretend that she is dead.

Hero’s innocence is proven and Claudio repents. He agrees to accept Antonio’s daughter in marriage and she turns out to be Hero after all! The trick to make Benedick and Beatrice fall in love succeeds and he proposes to her at the end of the play.

Plot summary

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare is a comedic play about love and misunderstanding.

Part of

Key plot details

1. Benedick, Claudio and Don Pedro return from the war and arrive at Leonato’s house.

2. Benedick and Beatrice tease each other and Claudio falls in love with Hero.

3. Don John and Borachio plot to deceive Claudio at the masked ball.

4. Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio trick Benedick into believing Beatrice loves him. A similar trick is played on Beatrice by Hero and Ursula.

5. Don John tells Claudio his wife-to-be is unfaithful.

6. Claudio refuses Hero at the altar. The friar advises Leonato to announce that his daughter is dead.

7. Don Pedro and Claudio discover they were wrong about Hero. Claudio agrees to make amends by marrying Antonio’s ‘daughter’ without seeing her.

8. At the wedding Claudio is delighted to unveil his new bride and find Hero.

9. Benedick and Beatrice agree to marry.

Detailed plot summary

The soldiers return from war

The play begins with the soldiers, Benedick, Claudio and Don Pedro, returning from the war. When they arrive at Leonato’s house in Messina, Beatrice meets them and she and Benedick wittily banter back and forth. They appear to have known each other previously.

Claudio falls in love

Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero on sight as both her looks and her nature appeal to him. Don Pedro offers to disguise himself as Claudio at a ball that evening to win Hero’s hand for his friend.

Don John plots to deceive Claudio

Borachio overhears Claudio’s declaration of love and reports back to Don John, the villain of the play. Don John plots to deceive Claudio.

Don Pedro plans to trick Benedick

The matchmaking plan for Hero and Claudio is a success and Leonato sets their wedding date for one week’s time. Don Pedro has an idea to make Beatrice and Benedick fall in love as well.

Detailed plot summary – Part 2

Don John plans to deceive Claudio

Meanwhile Borachio and Don John devise a plan to trick Claudio. They will persuade Margaret to pretend she is Hero and invite Claudio to witness her expressing her love for someone else.

Tricking Benedick and Beatrice

Beatrice overhears Hero and Ursula discussing Benedick

Benedick hides in the orchard when his friends Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio arrive. He overhears them discuss how Beatrice is in love with him. He realises that he also has feelings for her. Beatrice is also tricked by overhearing a conversation between Hero and Ursula about Benedick’s love for her. She admits to herself that she is in love with him.

Don John tells Claudio Hero is unfaithful

The night before the wedding, Don John tells Claudio his wife-to-be is unfaithful. Dogberry and the Watch arrest Borachio and Conrade when they boast about their trick on Claudio.

Claudio rejects Hero

The next day, Claudio rejects Hero at the altar calling her a ‘rotten orange’. Suspecting that foul work is at play, the friar advises Leonato to pretend his daughter is dead.

Detailed plot summary – Part 3

Don Pedro and Claudio discover they were wrong

Beatrice and Benedick bicker good-naturedly

In response to Claudio’s false accusations against Hero, Beatrice asks Benedick to ‘Kill Claudio!’ and Leonato later challenges Claudio to a duel. When the Watch (led by Dogberry) appear with Conrade and Borachio, Don Pedro and Claudio find out that they were mistaken. Claudio is apologetic and agrees to make amends by proclaiming Hero’s innocence and singing songs at her tomb. He also consents to marrying Hero’s uncle’s unseen ‘daughter’.

Claudio and Hero marry

At the wedding, Antonio’s ‘daughter’ is revealed and Claudio is delighted to discover that his new wife is in fact Hero.

Benedick and Beatrice agree to marry

Benedick asks for Beatrice’s hand in marriage and after some more witty banter, she agrees. News arrives via a messenger that Don John has been captured. The play ends with music and dancing.

Practice questions for self assessment on Much Ado About Nothing (MAAN):

1. What type of work is MAAN?

2. Mention three major characters in MAAN.

3. Mention two themes in MAAN.

4. Give a synopsis of MAAN.

5. Explain allusion and give an example in MAAN.

6. Explain the sequence of events (plot) in MAAN.

7. Identify two features that make MAAN a comedy?

8.

TUTORIAL QUESTIONS: Ist Session

You should tackle these questions after 33% of the course outline has been covered; that is, after completion of UNITS 1 and 2

1. Examine three major features of the Elizabethan era and show how they influenced Shakespearean writings.

2. Discuss three features of Shakespearean comedies.

3. Examine the role played by the major characters in Much Ado About Nothing.

4. Examine the contributions of minor characters to the development of the plot of Much Ado About Nothing.

5. Discuss two major issues/themes in Much Ado About Nothing.

REFERENCE: https//ioetlrs.ucc.edu.gh