Inconstancy in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

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Inconstancy in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) explains inconstancy as the recurrent and generally unexpected or impulsive change from one condition to another. It is the state or quality of being inconstant and unfaithful by virtue of being undependable or deceitful. Set in Messina, Sicily, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is a very popular play generally viewed as one of his happiest comedies and is often performed in theatres. However, the playfulness and cheerfulness of the play is haunted by a cloud of melancholy which tells readers of the potential dangers and pain that can result from miscommunication, deceit and treachery. This play has two entwining plots; one revolves around the wooing of Hero by Claudio, which is momentarily disturbed by Don John, the villain in the play. The other plot revolves around Beatrice and Benedict who are in love with each other but keep engaging in witty arguments and “merry war” (Cook 190). The play mainly focuses on the problematic relationship between Claudio and Hero unlike that of Benedict and Beatrice which is more reliable. False reports, hearsay and rumours play a major role in the development of the play’s dual plots. This paper looks into the successive theme of inconstancy of the human nature in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and remarks on how a person can make foolish and regrettable decisions when they fail to make sober considerations.
In this play, women continuously get poor judgment from men and are portrayed as victims of inconstancy. Despite the great admiration that Don Pedro feels for Hero and Beatrice, he is completely ready to accept that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio based on very little proof presented by Don ...

... middle of paper ...

... first time. He justifies his rush decision by saying that initially, his “soldier’s eye” has never looked upon a

Works Cited

Auden, Wystan Hugh. “Much Ado About Nothing.” In W. H. Auden: Lectures on Shakespeare, reconstructed and edited by Arthur Kirsch, pp. 113-23. Princeton N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Bevington, David. “The complete works of Shakespeare.” Fifth Edition, New York: Pearson Longman, 2004, 218.
Cook, Carol. “‘The Sign and Semblance of Her Honor’: Reading Gender Difference in Much Ado about Nothing.” Publications of the Modern Language Association of America (1986): 186-202. Print.
Daalder, Joost. “The ‘pre-history’ of Beatrice and Benedict in Much Ado about Nothing.” English Studies 85.6 (2004): 520-527. Academic Research Premier. Web. 3 April, 2014.
Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Vol. 12. Classic Books Company, 2001.

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