Comic and Serious Aspects in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Comic and Serious Aspects in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

In Much Ado About Nothing there are many intersecting deceptions

between the main plot and the sub plot. For example, there is the

deception of Claudio and Don Pedro by Don John which at first seems

separate from the comical deception of Benedick by the male tricksters

until Act 4, Scene 1 where the consequences of the comical deception

turn serious. Each type of deception gives a lighter or graver aspect

to the play, whether it is from the characters reactions or from who

is doing the deceiving. All deception are centred around love, which

is the antithesis of reason, this could be why we see some desperate

reactions or changes in characters. The only characters that stay the

same throughout are the minor characters as they are not in love with

any of the major characters like Hero or Beatrice. The comic

deceptions are mainly for benevolent intentions and the serious

deceptions are mainly for malevolent intentions.

In Act 2, Scene 1, there is a masked ball which has both comic and

serious aspects of deception. This is important as the audience will

be reminded that the play is a comedy from the minor characters and

the joke that Beatrice makes of Benedick. This is all comical as the

men are masked and try to deceive the women without much look.

Shakespeare put this in the middle of the deception of Don Pedro

wooing Hero and Don John’s first plot of deceiving Claudio, which

creates bathos. Antonio tries to deceive Ursula who can guess who he

is (Ursula: “…you are Signor Antonio”, Antonio: “At a word, I am

not.”). Beatrice deceives Benedick, this i...

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...his true feelings for her), there

is no comic deception in this scene and there doesn’t appear to be any

sign of a marriage as it has just been broken off. Benedick is the

first one to state that if anyone one do such an evil act as this it

would be Don John, “The practice of it lives in John the bastard”.

Leonato is so disgraced that he would rather be led than be the leader

and is no longer ther key figure in Hero’s life. The consequences of

the deception of Beatrce and Benedick are also shown in this scene as

Benedick chooses his love of Beatrice over his friendship of Don Pedro

and decides to challenge Claudio. He is no longer the jester. Also

because of Don John’s deception Leonato accuses Claudio of being a

“dissembler” in Act 5, Scene 1 which is the first time when somebody

has actively accused in the play.