The next comic scene involving Dogberry and his Watch is Act 3 Scene 5 where Leonato is preparing for his daughter's wedding when Dogberry and Verges come to talk about the arrest of Borachio and Conrade. This is crucial but Dogberry and Verges continue to ramble and Leonato doesn't understand anything. At one point Leonato says 'Neighbours, you are tedious.' which is not a compliment; however Dogberry thinks it is one ('It pleases your worship to say so')! Leonato grows impatient and asks Dogberry to get to the point but he doesn't realize the importance of what Dogberry is actually trying to say. Leonato also instructs Dogberry to conduct the trial himself. Therefore,the deception of Hero is allowed to continue.
This leads us to the trial (Act 4 Scene 2). This a comic part of Much Ado About Nothing since Dogberry doesn't know how to make trials and the Sexton has to remind him who to summon ('Master Constable [...] you must call forth the watch which are their accusers'). The Sexton seems to be the only one to know how to conduct a trail properly. Dogberry also continues his malapropisms ('Is our whole dissembly appeared' he means 'assembly'). At the end of this act, Dogberry is called an 'ass' by Conrade. This insult really affects Dogberry and he defends himself by flattering himself ('I am a wise fellow'; 'a pretty piece of flesh as any in Messina'; 'and one that knows the law'; 'a rich fellow enough'; 'one that hath two gowns' (symbol of wealth); 'and everything more handsome about him').
The next comic part of the play is the deception of Benedick (Act 2 Scene 3) and then of Beatrice (Act 3 Scene 1). During the deception of Benedick, Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro talk about Beatrice's many qualities and how she loves Benedick but she doesn't want to tell him of her passion for him ('DON PEDRO : Hath she made her affection known to Benedick? LEONATO : No; and swears she never will: that's her torment.'). This is comic because Benedick believes what the three men are saying immediately (speech) and because at the end, Beatrice comes to bod him to come to dinner : he tries to find a sign of affection and amazingly finds one ('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. 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.) As for Beatrice, Margaret is sent to tell Beatrice that Hero and Ursula are talking about her in the orchard. She immediately goes to see and learns that Benedick is in love with her.
However, the tactic used by the women (Act 3 Scene 1) and by the men (Act 2 Scene 3) is different : the men compliment Beatrice (her virtues) whereas the women talk about Beatrice's proud nature.
I am now going to talk about the tragic moments of the play. The three main characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy are the following:
- a fatal flaw
- death of the protagonist
- the main character (Claudio) has a high status (count)
Surprisingly, Much Ado About Nothing contains all of these.
We can see Claudio has a flaw in Act 2 Scene 1 during the masked ball. Borachio and Don John attempt to make Claudio think that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself instead of for Claudio ('Sure my brother (Don Pedro) is amorous on Hero'; 'he is enamoured on Hero'). This also one of the tragic parts of the play. Claudio believes immediately what Don John said (' 'Tis certain so, the prince woos for himself'). Therefore, Claudio is naive and jealous.
In the next scene, Don John's second evil plot is revealed (his first one against Claudio has failed). It is Borachio who proposes a much more dishonest scheme to prevent Hero and Claudio's marriage. He plans to make Don Pedro and Claudio think Hero has an affair with an other man ('offer them instances; which shall bear no less likelihood than to see me at her chamber-window, hear me call Margaret Hero, hear Margaret term me Claudio; and bring them to see this the very night before the intended wedding').
In that same scene, we see that Borachio is paid 1,000 ducats which is pretty sinister. This scene is obviously a tragic one.
The last scene I am going to talk about is Act 4 Scene 1 where Claudio violently reject Hero as a common whore ('Sweet prince, you learn me noble thankfulness. There, Leonato, take her back again: Give not this rotten orange to your friend;She's but the sign and semblance of her honour. Behold how like a maid she blushes here! O, what authority and show of truth. Can cunning sin cover itself withal! Comes not that blood as modest evidence To witness simple virtue? Would you not swear, All you that see her, that she were a maid, By these exterior shows? But she is none: She knows the heat of a luxurious bed; Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty.'). He accuses her of having a relationship with an other man and Don Pedro supports him. Hero is absolutely innocent of course but she is so surprised by Claudio's words that she faints (in many productions...). Leonato doesn't believe Claudio at first but when he sees that even Don Pedro supports his views, he himself turns against his daughter claiming she lost her reputation. The friar then advises that Hero should be reported dead until the affair is uncovered. This is the most tragic moment of the play.
There are also more serious ideas in the play such as revenge. At the begging of the play, we learn that Don John had fought against his brother Don Pedro. The plots against Hero and Claudio he imagine s along with Borachio (which I have mentioned earlier) is revenge for his defeat against Don Pedro.
Also in this play the police is never taken seriously mainly because of Dogberry's many malapropisms and because of his incompetence.
All this shows the Much Ado About Nothing is not only comedy but also tragedy because of the Don John plot, Hero's death and Claudio's flaw. This play is more like tragi-comedy.
