Gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing".

The first 200 words of this essay...

Gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing"

By: Liran Morav

Gossip plays a major role in "Much Ado About Nothing". It is displayed in several ways including intentional gossip, malicious gossip, and innocent gossip. Most of the gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing" appears in the first half of the play. The second half, on the other hand, consists of the consequences of gossip. Of course, some consequences can be found in the first half of the play, however, Shakespeare made sure these didn't have a central role in the plot. It seems he wanted the play to be divided between gossip, and its effects. The results of gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing" include: a ruined marriage, a family crisis, damaged friendships, a damaged reputation, minor misinterpretation of people's feelings, and the forming of love. All of which were, and still are, central themes, which probably attracted Elizabethan audiences to plays such as "Much Ado About Nothing". These consequences will be dealt with in this essay.

Despite the many consequences of gossip in "Much Ado About Nothing", it seems there's only one 'good' consequence. It's the forming of love between Beatrice and Benedick. At first,