Much Ado About Nothing:"A Masked Comedy"of Laughter
Shakespeare presents a masked comedy of laughter in Much Ado About Nothing:appropriating the old Italian comedy story of Claudio and Hero in a reversed way;shaping Benedick and Beatrice,the nihilist lovers who desire marriage;presenting Friar Francis and clown Dogberry's kindness and authenticity.Shakespeare employs Claudio as the leading actor and correlate shim with other sub-plots and minor characters mainly.Francis and Dogberry highlight the depth of humanity.