Much Ado About Nothing Video Summary

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Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare in 1598. Unlike the majority of Shakespeare’s plays, which are composed in blank verse, Much Ado About Nothing is written in prose. The play tells the story of Claudio and Hero, who marry despite attempts to sabotage their union, and of the unlikely romance between Benedick and Beatrice. Importantly, the “nothing” in the title was pronounced “noting” in Shakespeare’s time and refers to eavesdropping and gossip as much as it does a lack of substance.

The play opens with Leonato, the governor of Messina, preparing to receive Don Pedro, a prince and military commander, after his army’s recent victory. A messenger confirms that two soldiers, Claudio and Benedick, are among the men arriving with Don Pedro. Leonato’s
niece, Beatrice, mocks Benedick as a witless soldier, but Leonato surmises that the reason for her jabs is the “merry war” at play between her and Benedick.

Soon, Don Pedro, Benedick, and Claudio arrive to greet Leonato, who invites them to stay in Messina for a month. During their meeting, Claudio notices—and quickly falls in love with—Leonato’s daughter, Hero. Later, Benedick privately ridicules Claudio for falling in love and insists that he will never be so foolish as to get married. But when Don Pedro learns of
Claudio’s infatuation, he offers to woo Hero on Claudio’s behalf at the masked ball that evening. Claudio agrees to the plan.

Little do they know, a manservant employed by Leonato’s brother, Antonio, has overheard part of their conversation and mistakenly informs Antonio that Don Pedro plans to woo Hero that night. Antonio conveys this to Leonato, who is thrilled by the match. Making matters worse, Don Pedro’s bastard brother, Don John, has also learned of the plan. He devises a ploy of his own, designed to convince Claudio, his enemy, that Don Pedro plans
to woo Hero for himself.

That night at the ball, Don John and his friend, Borachio, lie to Claudio that Don Pedro wants Hero for himself. At first, Claudio is furious and storms out. But when he returns, Don Pedro reveals that he has convinced Hero to marry Claudio, and that Leonato has agreed to the union. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice share a dance, during which Beatrice irks Benedick by calling him a jester. Once again, Don Pedro hatches a plan to make the pair fall in love.

Following the ball, Don John is furious that his plan to thwart Claudio has failed. But Borachio suggests another ploy: since he is close to Margaret, one of Hero’s servants, he could approach her in Hero’s chamber, tricking an observing Claudio into thinking that a man is there with Hero. Don John likes the idea, promising Borachio a thousand ducats if the plan succeeds.

Meanwhile, while soliloquizing about the foolishness of love, Benedick spots Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio approaching and quickly hides. Aware that Benedick is listening, the trio stages a conversation about how Beatrice is madly in love with Benedick but would die before admitting it to him. Stunned, Benedick remarks to himself that he cannot allow his
reputation to suffer by refusing her. He vows to love her back.

Similarly, Hero and her other servant, Ursula, send Margaret to tell Beatrice that she heard the others whispering about her in the garden. Beatrice rushes to eavesdrop on the women, who are discussing Benedick’s love for her, again with the caveat that Benedick will never confess his love to Beatrice for fear that she will shame him. Privately, Beatrice worries her
reputation will suffer if she refuses Benedick and vows to return his love.

That night, a watchman overhears Borachio bragging to Conrad, Don John’s sidekick, about having tricked Claudio. The watchman arrests Borachio and Conrad, reporting them to his superior, Dogberry. But when Dogberry reports them to Leonato the following morning, Leonato insists that he does not have time to interrogate the men, as his daughter
is set to marry Claudio that day. He orders Dogberry to handle the issue on his own.

At the wedding, Friar Francis, the officiating clergyman, asks Claudio if he will take Hero as his bride. But Claudio refuses, alleging that he saw Hero with another man the previous night, an allegation that causes Hero to faint. When she awakens, Hero insists that she has no idea what Claudio is talking about, and Leonato swears revenge if he is lying. Convinced
that Hero is telling the truth, Friar Francis advises Leonato to pretend that Hero has died in order to win sympathy and make Claudio feel guilty.

As the wedding breaks up, Beatrice and Benedick remain in the church and confess their love for one another.