Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet

Much Ado About Nothing: Shakespearean Techniques

In Much Ado About Nothing, the plot is built around false appearances and the confusion they cause. The writer tells us about a young couple's adventures and calamities, whose path to the altar heavily depends on their knowledge of reality. It is precisely the lack of awareness, provoked by fake appearances, that blocks the lovers' happiness. Generally, the most common onset of identity is done through masks and disguise.

The Play's Title

The title of this comedy contains an ironic suggestion. There is a homophonic pun that alerts us to this play's substantial concerns: in Shakespeare's English, the word “nothing” was pronounced the same as “noting” (meaning “to take note”). The play dramatizes much ado about how much of the action is done, as well as the critique of others, spying, and writing messages. In fact, many events in this work turn on false or erroneous noting and misunderstandings.

Themes, Main Characters, Symbols

In this play, we can notice different topics related to infidelity, deception, criticism, and marriage. However, we are only mentioning those related to love, mistaken identities, and masking, while analyzing the main characters and symbols that appear in the play – always in relation to the topics we have emphasized.

Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet

• Death: Two murders provoke enmity between the major characters: the murder of Mercutio in a dispute (Romeo and Juliet) and Hamlet's father's assassination (Hamlet). These events are the outbreak of a series of tragedies that will happen throughout the whole work. Nevertheless, while Romeo immediately feels the thirst for revenge, Hamlet will be led to this feeling.
• Suicide: Both Romeo and Juliet commit suicide for love.
• Revenge: It is more emphasized in Hamlet. Revenge can be perceived throughout the whole story. From the very beginning, Hamlet is asked by his father's ghost to take revenge for his assassination.
• Love: Love is not such an important topic in Hamlet, but it is essential in Romeo and Juliet. In fact, it is the major theme of this second work. In addition, we can distinguish between different kinds of love, which would be family love and true love. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, they both fall instantly in true love. They promise everlasting love to each other, and as proof of it, they decide to get married the following day. Family love is almost imperceptible as it is in the shadow of true love, but it actually plays an important role.

In the case of Hamlet, love also plays a very important role. Nonetheless, it is not so much true love but family love; that is, what Hamlet feels for his father is the key to the whole story. True love is not so evident in this story, but we could notice it between Hamlet and Ophelia.

Debate: Romeo and Juliet

Is the love of the protagonists a crazy young love, or is it mature?