Much Ado About Nothing

The most important aspect of any relationship is communication, which is what Claudio and Hero lacked.  All relationships are based on trust and the only way people can learn to trust each other is if they’re honest with their thoughts.  The other couple, Beatrice and Benedick, are a foil to Claudio and Hero’s relationship because of how they properly communicate their feelings.  Depending on how well we communicate with each other, our relationships with others will change.

The miscommunication between Claudio and Hero drive the story forward and serve as the main conflict in the play.  A simple conversation before the wedding would’ve cleared everything up, but Claudio’s ignorance and anger led him to disgrace Hero publicly on their wedding day.  Now everyone who witnessed that scene thinks that Hero is an adulterous and unworthy woman for marriage. It was significant for Claudio to go in front of everyone to explain his misunderstanding, otherwise Hero and her family would’ve been scorned by society.  On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick communicate their feelings better overall.  Their rivalry at the beginning of the play gives a hint that they’ve known each other for a long time and have grown fond of one another.  Though it takes some urging from their friends, they eventually realize their affection for one another.  Their chemistry is clearly stronger than that of Claudio and Hero’s because in the face of adversity, Benedick chose to honor Beatrice’s wishes and fight his best friend.

Within my own life, there have been many times where miscommunication led to a damaged relationship.  Most notably in middle school, I started to like a boy but he actually didn’t like me back.  But when I told him my feelings, he told me he felt the same way about me.  Eventually when the truth came out, I was understandably hurt and mad at him for lying about something like this.  It’s hard to avoid or prevent situations like this, but transparency would’ve been really helpful on his part.  In the end, time healed the relationship, and we were able to put our past behind us to become great friends.  The only way that could’ve happened was with forgiveness, since we both made mistakes.  Being able to admit your wrongdoings and communicate to your partner is vital to a healthy relationship.  We see that with Benedick and Beatrice, and as the play wraps up, Claudio and Hero forgive one another as well.

Writing Process

Reflection:

The movie Much Ado About Nothing was a fun piece to look into. I enjoyed watching and relating to the characters, especially since the movie was so well acted. The character Beatrice quickly became my favorite as I grew to admire her confidence in herself, but also finding more happiness with Benedick, who she had so much chemistry with. The way their relationship developed throughout the film seemed more or less organically to me was the perfect juxtaposition to Claudio and Hero’s relationship. He seems to start liking her out of nowhere and she just accepts it, so the relationship never felt authentic or convincing to me.