Intensity of the thematic resonance in Much Ado About Nothing 

In a Shakespearean play, the main plot provides the key thrust of the message, while interspersed between, are scenes designed to create thematic resonance and allegorical representations of the same meaning. These scenes expand on the message by highlighting aspects of the central theme, broadening its impact. They play a vital supporting role and prepare us for the finesse, usually delivered by the main plot at its climax.

The supporting scenes draw our subconscious into the message of the play through ever-repeating motifs and symbolical depictions. There are no extraneous scenes in a Shakespearean play. Both the main plot and the supporting scenes immerse us in the same message, establishing an atmosphere of meaning that touches our inner being.

The central theme of Much Ado About Nothing can be summarized by three complementary motifs:

• Our partiality—attraction or aversion—is an arbitrary projection based on imputed qualities not inherent in the object of our feelings.
• Our feelings of liking or hating are often conjured up by a misperception of reality.
• These arbitrary feelings, born of misperception, often create unnecessary strife and turmoil, and hence “much ado about nothing.”

Act II Scene 3 of the play provides an excellent example of Shakespeare’s use of supporting scenes to enhance the message of the main plot. Highlighting the motif of misperception in the form of a misunderstanding of words, the scene opens by with Benedick instructing his page to fetch his book. When the page answers “I am here already, sir,” Benedick says:

Benedick. I know that, but I would have thee hence and here again.

Benedick deliberately misunderstands the boy—who is only saying “it’s as good as done”—demonstrating how we can choose to misinterpret words. This imputation of meaning that is not inherent in the words themselves is analogous to how we impute our partiality that are not inherent in the entities concerned. The partiality is merely a subjective projection that does not actually belong.

This Scene 3 opens with a misinterpretation of words and, as we shall see, ends with another misinterpretation of words. Shakespeare has framed this scene between two passages of this kind. There is, however, a difference between the two instances: At the beginning of the scene here, Benedick, in a playful mood, deliberately “misunderstands”; at the end of the scene, he genuinely misunderstands the words of Beatrice, because his feelings have interfered with the process.

Shakespeare now highlights how feelings for any subject differ among people and even vary within the same person at different times because they are merely extraneous projections.

Benedick. I do wonder that one man, seeing how much another man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn by falling in love—and such a man is Claudio. … 

Benedick bemoans Claudio’s inconsistency in his attitude. He then also contemplates the possibility of himself transforming in like manner. Benedick, for all his bravado, does harbour doubts over his ability to resist the allures of the opposite sex. 

Spotting the Prince and Claudio arriving with Leonato and Balthasar, he decides to hide himself and listen in on them secretly. He hears Don Pedro requesting a song from Balthazar who modestly responds by saying that is voice is unworthy of it. Don Pedro however insists that it is excellent. So, even this talk between Don Pedro and Balthasar maintains the thematic resonance on how our likes and dislikes are variable extraneous projections.

Balthasar begins to sing, and we hear yet again the same theme resonating in the words of the song. Balthasar sings of man’s propensity to be unfaithful, maintaining the resonance on man’s partiality being an inconstant thing. Shakespeare’s thematic resonance is relentless and even now still continues unabated. As Don Pedro praises the singing, we hear Benedick muttering to himself contradictory words.

Benedick. [aside] An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him. And I pray God his bad voice bode no mischief. I had as lief have heard the night raven, come what plague could have come after it.

The thematic resonance on this nature of our partiality is inexorable. Shakespeare maintains it to move us—consciously or subconsciously—towards an entrancing rhythm of meaning that immerses our inner being into the message.

Finally, after the supporting scenes, the main plot re-emerges, a plot conveying yet the very same theme. The Prince, Claudio, and Leonato—aware Benedick is secretly listening—commences to trick the unsuspecting eavesdropper into loving Beatrice.

They speak of Beatrice being secretly in love with Benedick, and how she is terribly tormented by it. Hiding behind the arbors, and listening in, Benedick is struck with amazement. Hearing how desperately he is loved, the perplexed Benedick cannot help but be moved. The plotters then conspire to make Benedick feel guilty for supposedly inflicting this anguish upon poor Beatrice by saying how she is fearful of revealing her love because he would torment her further because of it.

And so it is that Benedick, fed with these deviously planted false perceptions, finds awakening in himself, a sense of affection towards the Lady Beatrice, as well as a kindling of his sense of justice that her long-suffering love should be well requited.

This central plot, of course, drives home Shakespeare’s message that our partiality is merely an imputed property, and demonstrates how aversion can be transformed into attraction without any real change in the subject concerned. 

The plotters eventually end their grand performance and leave to send Beatrice herself out to invite Benedick in for dinner. Alone, the newly besotted Benedick now emerges from hiding.

Benedick. This can be no trick: the conference was sadly borne. They have the truth of this from Hero. They seem to pity the lady: it seems her affections have their full bent. Love me! why, it must be requited.

Benedick now even rationalizes away his previous proclamations against marriage. His aversion for Beatrice has disappeared, replaced with growing affection—a transformation that comes not from Beatrice herself. Nothing has changed with Beatrice. The change arises from within Benedick, a change kindled by misperception. 

This is the point in Shakespeare’s message: our feelings are not only arbitrary embellishments but are often the result of false perceptions. Strife and suffering consequent upon such feelings are truly much ado about nothing. The entire play—every part, with no exception—has, up till this point, focused on this central message.

Beatrice now enters, sent by the Prince and Leonato to call Benedick in for dinner. In their dialogue, we find Benedick remarkably misinterpreting the words of Beatrice because of his newfound affection for her, and he declares in the end:

Benedick. Ha! ‘Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner.’ There’s a double meaning in that. ‘I took no more pains for those thanks than you took pains to thank me.’ That’s as much as to say, ‘Any pains that I take for you is as easy as thanks.’

Here, at the end of this scene, we have a reprise of the misunderstanding of words that began the scene. Then, Benedick deliberately chose to misunderstand; now, he genuinely misunderstands. Benedick is trying to fit the words to match his feelings for Beatrice because he wants the words to justify his newfound affection for her.

Shakespeare now closes Act II with some remarkable words from Benedick, words that reiterate yet again, but now in a strikingly bizarre manner, the central theme of the play:

Benedick. If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain. If I do not love her, I am a Jew. I will go get her picture.

These words are replete with underlying meaning. After deriding Beatrice all though the play, Benedick now considers himself a villain if he does not pity her. This alteration in attitude has occurred without any change in Beatrice herself—it is all due to feelings Benedick has imputed upon her, feelings conjured up by misperception.

Benedick then utters what would amount to a flagrantly politically incorrect statement: “If I do not love her, I am a Jew.” Benedick has not only again projected his partiality, but has, this time, imputed it upon an entire group of people, a partiality that does not inherently belong to the group. Racism is nothing other than imputed partiality—and that is Shakespeare’s point.

Benedick then concludes with some intriguing words: “I will go get her picture.” Lovers at that time were inclined to carrying pictures of their beloved. Here is a brilliant symbolical depiction of the central theme of the play. The picture is not the reality. Yet lovers carry pictures of their loved ones around because they are made into a thing of pleasure by the imputations projected onto the picture. This symbolizes the situation we are often in in the real world—what we perceive is a representation created by our minds (like the picture) and not the reality itself.

Much Ado About Nothing provides overwhelming evidence of Shakespeare’s use of thematic resonance. Up till this point, every part of the play has focused on one and the same theme, and this focus continues, without respite, right to the end of the play. The intensity of the thematic resonance in Much Ado About Nothing is nothing short of astonishing!

A full exploration of the thematic resonance in Much Ado About Nothing can be found in my book, The Mystical Art of Shakespeare Volume I.