Much Ado About Nothing
讀書樂編號：6153
推介人： 鄧幸瑩校友
Author: William Shakespeare Publisher: The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. The story begins when the prince of Aragon, called Don Pedro, is visiting Messina, which is governed by Leonato. One of Don Pedro officers, Claudio, fall in love with Leonato's daughter, Hero, at first sight. Don Pedro knows that and helps Claudio to win the permission of their wedding from Leonato. But Don Pedro's brother, Don John, decides to destroy the relationship between Claudio and Hero because he wants to hurt his brother and Claudio. Claudio has a good friend, Benedick, who is also an officer of Don Pedro. He is famous for his humor; he tells all his friends that he will never get married because he is determined not to fall in love. Therefore, Don Pedro and Claudio play a trick on him by making him believe that Leonato's niece, Beatrice, is in love with him. They do the same thing to Beatrice, who also hates Benedick. Claudio is very furious when he thinks that Hero seems to have a lover, and he tells it to all people to make Hero feels ashamed at the wedding ceremony, and refuses to marry her. She faints in the church, and Claudio and Don Pedro believe that she is dead. Luckily, the local constables catch Borachio and Conred, who design a plan for Don John to destroy Claudio and hero's wedding. Leonado tells Claudio that he is responsible for Hero's death, and asks him to marry one of Hero's cousins. Claudio agrees to do this. At last he is amazed to discover that the cousin is really Hero herself. Benedick interrupts the events that happen at the formal ceremony to ask it he will marry Beatrice. So they get married and they story ends happily with all problems gone. I like Don Pedro most in this story. He makes different plans, tricks an ideas, which can make good effects (it is different from his brother, Don John, who always makes the plans for ruining something). If there was no Don Pedro, Claudio wouldn't meet Hero, and Claudio wouldn't get permission to marry Hero from Leonato; Benedick wouldn't be tricked and married Beatrice. As Claudio never met Hero, Claudio wouldn't humiliate Hero in from of the guest and she wouldn't faint in the church; sure, he wouldn't think Hero was dead and discover that the "cousin" was really Hero herself. Don Pedro also brings a good ending to this story. Although this story talks bout Claudio & Hero, Benedick & Beatrice, and also Don John's wicked plan, Don Pedro is also a very important person in the story. Therefore, I like him most in this story.
