Much Ado About Nothing - Act I

Much Ado About Nothing (Act I)

In Act I of Much Ado About Nothing we are opened into the house of Leonato, the governor of Messina, and told of a man named Don Pedro who has long been at war and thusly returns. Don Pedro is a brave man who “hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lab the feats of a lion.” (lines 11-12) Further in we are introduced to Beatrice, the niece of Leonato, who is quite witty for a woman of that time. Beatrice particularly interested me because of this feature – she openly scolded Signor Benedick of Padua and insisted that her accusations were quite true of him. This came as a bit of a shock due to the fact that women back then were usually not permitted to speak of men in that way, nor did women usually speak with wit to match a man’s. Beatrice’s independence and intelligence is openly shown through her actions and words, which leads me to believe that she will prove to be the most unique character in this play.

Later in Act I, we find out that Claudio is in love with Beatrice, but requires assistance in telling her in which Don Pedro volunteers to help him woo her. Funnily enough, one of Antonio’s (Leonato’s brother) men over hears this conversation between Claudio and Don Pedro, but misunderstands and reports to Antonio and Leonato that it is Don Pedro who is in love with Beatrice, not Claudio. From this short conversation between Leonato, Antonio, and his messenger, I find it peculiar that the messenger heard wrong, when another man, Borachio, heard the same conversation and knew that it was Claudio who is in love with Beatrice. I wonder whether or not the messenger for Leonato and Antonio truly did hear wrong, or if there is a scheme in the making.

Don Paul is the bastard brother of Don Pedro and, as we learn in the end of Act I, truly dislikes (I’d even say hates) Don Pedro. Thus, when he learns of Claudio’s love for Beatrice he decides to create trouble amongst this arrangement. However, I’m intrigued by why it is that he has such a hatred for Don Pedro and his right hand, Claudio. Surely, it cannot just be because he is Don Pedro’s bastard brother and there must be another reason. But, this reason is unknown and leaves me wondering what happened and why it is that Don John desires to cause such trouble for the two of them.