Similarities between Romeo And Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.
"Much Ado About Nothing" is not, really about nothing. It is a great comedy with many similarities between Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Even though Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, and Romeo and Juliet, is one of his saddest tragedies, the two plots share many common incidents. In both of his dramatic plays, love is the main them of the story. In both plays the Masque is a key element furthering the infatuation of the lovers. Also the balcony scenes in both plays are crucial because without them the plot could never have reached its denouement. It seems that God came into both of the plays in the spirit of the friars, because they had good plans to keep love together. .
In both plays, the masque functions as a dramatic device, which initiates the love, plot. It occurs in a social gathering, but not without the help of costumes. If it were not for costumes the result of love might have been drastically different. In these to plays, the masque used to get lovers together. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo hears about the masque and decides to go, thinking that he might be able to get away with this scheme. Upon entering he sees Juliet and right away, he knows it is love. If he had not worn the costume, the hosts might have ejected him from the party and he might not have met Juliet. Much Ado About Nothing has a similar but also different approach towards love at the masque. In Much Ado, Count Claudio is not able to gather the courage to court Hero. Instead Don Pedro, who is one of Claudio's very close friends, offers to go and woo Hero for his friend. This point is illustrated by Don Pedro for his great plan to get Claudio and Hero together "Thou wilt be like a lover presently/ and tire the hearer with a book of words. . That thou are gan'st to twist so fine a story? "1 Don Pedro's costume allows him to woo Hero, posing as Claudio.
