Much Ado About Nothing Themes

Chastity and Honor

The honor of Hero and her suspected infidelity is what lends drama to the play. In the Renaissance time, the honor of a woman was connected to her chastity. If this came to be suspected, not only would the woman be dishonored, but the shame would befall the entire family, leading to a fall from social grace. When Hero is publicly humiliated by Claudio for her loss of virginity, the audience witnesses the harshness in his language, which offers her no benefit of the doubt. Even her own father is quick to denounce her and moans the fate of the family when he says, “O she is fallen / Into a pit of ink, that the wide sea / Hath drops too few to wash her clean again.” Leonato would rather have her dead than live with this dishonor. Such is the destructive power of this scandal that Hero has to pretend to die to salvage her honor and retrieve social grace.

Men, on the other hand, depended on their valor and their powerful alliances to defend their honor. Unlike a woman, a man could fight and protect his name and his family. Hero cannot fight to defend her honor, but Benedick can duel with Claudio to avenge her insult and thus get her honor back. Hence, while a man has agency and can defend his honor actively, a woman lacks this agency and needs to use deception to protect her name.

Eavesdropping or “Noting”

Much of the action of the play revolves around characters eavesdropping on conversations and the misunderstandings that stem from there. We see Antonio’s man eavesdropping first, which leads to Leonato and Antonio believing that Don Pedro intends to woo Hero. Again, Borachio eavesdrops, which helps him conspire against Claudio and Hero. Finally, it is the Watch’s eavesdropping that finally leads to the truth and the eventual restoration of honor and happiness for Hero. The significance of eavesdropping is emphasized in the play’s title, which is considered to be a deliberate pun as during Shakespearean time, the word “nothing” would have been pronounced in the same way as the word “noting.” Thus, all that takes place in the play can be considered as “much ado” about nothing, as Hero was always blameless and all the fury and grieving didn’t ever have a point.

Deception as a Means to an End

Much of the action of the play stems from a series of deceptions—some benevolent and some evil. We see Don Pedro using deception at the masquerade ball to woo Hero for Claudio, which kindles romance between the pair. Similarly, he hatches a plan to deceive Benedick and Beatrice into believing that they are in love with each other—a deception that leads to a happy ending for two kindred souls. Don Pedro’s deception unveils the greater truth, where Benedick and Beatrice realize that their mutual hostility is only a mask, and they are capable of greater emotions for each other. However, Don John uses deception to spread disharmony and get his revenge on his half-brother and his comrades. This deception achieves the opposite where it replaces love in Hero and Claudio with a sense of betrayal and rage. The final deception is executed by Leonato when he has to pretend that his daughter is dead so that he can evoke remorse and guilt in Claudio, which eventually leads to the reunion of Hero and Claudio. Hence, we see that deception is not inherently bad or good—it is a means to an end, a way to create an illusion that helps one succeed socially.