Note Notes, Forsooth, And Nothing: Themes in Much Ado About Nothing Anonymous

At first glance, the reader is not likely to notice the immediate clue which presents itself in the title of William Shakespeare's comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. If one, however, would follow the example of a Shakespearean player in Elizabethan times and pronounce the word "nothing" as "noting," he would be introduced to a pun that is very significant because the ideas of noting, or observation, and nothing, are important themes in this story. Noting is something which motivates the characters to take actions which greatly affect the plot, and it is an idea which reflects the theme of reality versus appearance, in which reality is nothing and appearance is due to noting.

First of all, it is the characters' noting which drives them to take actions which influence the plot. The earliest example of this is when Claudio falls in love with Hero. The relationship between these two characters plays a major role in the story, and it originates with Claudio noticing Hero - "Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?" (Act 1:1, l. 158-59) Claudio then asks the Prince to woo her for him. The important chain of events which follows - the pastime of formulating a romance between Beatrice...