Much Ado about Nothing Short Summary

This is a play by the famous William Shakespeare.

Here is a Quick Overview of the Piece

Leonato lives in Messina with his daughter Hero, his niece Beatrice who is clever and her father Antonio, who is his older brother. Leonato plans to receive some friends from the war, Don Pedro, a prince, and his close friend and two other soldiers; a respected one called Claudio and a clever Benedict who is known for wittiness. Don John is also among them and is the bastard brother of Don Pedro.

The soldiers get to Leonato’s house, and Claudio falls for Hero. Beatrice and Benedick engage in witty insults they used to have in the past. Hero and Claudio decide to get married. They decide to play a game sometime before their wedding. They intend to make Benedick and Beatrice fall for each other instead of arguing. They succeed, and Beatrice and Benedict become secretly in love.

Don John decides to ruin everyone’s happiness. He makes Borachio get intimate with Margaret, Hero’s servant and gets Claudio and Don Pedro to watch through a window. Claudio believes Hero is unfaithful and humiliates her at the wedding then abandons her. The family of Hero hide her away and pretend she is dead as they wait for the truth to be revealed. Beatrice and Benedict profess their love for each other. Later on, Borachio is overhead bragging about what he had done. He is arrested. Claudio learns that Hero was innocent and grieves for her since he believes she is dead.

Leonato demands punishment for Claudio: that Claudio had to tell everyone in the city that Hero was innocent. Leonato wants Claudio also to marry his niece, whom he claims looks like the departed Hero Claudio agrees and gets to the church to marry the mystery woman. The woman is masked, and when she reveals herself as Hero, Claudio is filled with joy. Benedick proposes to Beatrice and after they argue she agrees. The lovers dance in celebration of a double wedding.