The use of suggestion had been known to be a powerful tool. In Much Ado About Nothing this idea is used, and in conjunction with the gullibility of the characters it shows that the characters as created by Shakespeare, believe either what they most want to believe or what they most fear to believe.

Bene*censored* and Beatrice are two very similar characters that have the same views and opinions on marriage and of the opposite sex, and both want to remain single. However their minds are easily swade by the mere suggestion that they really are in love. Wanting to believe this, they too believe that they are in love with the person they had originally made clear to be an adversary.

In contrast to this are Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato who all fear that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio and yet believe it so blindly without accurate proof. Claudio believes what he hears and accepts this with just a few seconds of what he assumes he sees and he makes assumptions that produce negative results, in particular ruining the reputation of an innocent girl.

Throughout the play the statement made is

Even before Bene*censored* arrives in the first scene, Beatrice is straight away displaying her wit and in line 28 of Act I Scene 1 she refers to Bene*censored* as "Signor Mountanto." Bene*censored* likewise refers to Beatrice as "Lady Disdain" in line 110 of the same scene. From this opening scene it is quite clear that these two characters believe their relationship is far from love or affection. Beatrice's uncle, Leonato, describes their relationship as "a kind of merry war" depicting a love-hate relationship.

Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

The first to fall victim to this is Bene*censored*. During his soliloquy in II.3 after hearing that Beatrice loves him he admits that he " did never think to marry," inferring that the true thoughts and meanings of marriage had not crossed his mind. He also states "doth not the appetite alter?" indicating that he is at least thinking of changing his opinions of marriage. In his monologue, his final remarks is that he sees "marks if love in her," suggesting that he wants to believe that there really is an inkling of love between them. Even after Beatrice leaves the scene Bene*censored* remains pondering on this thought and attempts to twist her words in the hope of uncovering a secret message of love.

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Beatrice agrees with Bene*censored*'s view on marriage. She feels that the institution of marriage is not the course that she herself wishes to take. At line 24 of II.1 she says that she prays morning and evening that "He [God] send me no husband." She also jokes that married people go to hell and that "the heavens is where the bachelors site." The conversations the two have show that both the characters want to believe that remaining single is the best course of action. Such expressions are contradicted by their later behaviour providing the basis of the comic element in the play.

During the banquet we see a preview of the kind of gullibility that Claudio displays. Beforehand, Claudio had discussed his feelings, towards Hero, with Don Pedro and became confident that Pedro would "woo in thy name" and that Hero would "be won." After conversing with Don John at the banquet, Claudio is convinced, when he sees the "hourly proof," that Don Pedro wooed for himself. After the suggestion by Don Joh

Some common words found in the essay are:
Don Pedro, Bene*censored* Beatrice, Pedro Leonato, Don John, Hero Leonato, Claudio Hero, Hero Claudio, John Claudio's, Lady Disdain, Ado Shakespeare, don pedro, don john, bene*censored* beatrice, fear believe, believe fear, shakespeare believe, believe fear believe, believe believe, claudio believes, claudio don pedro, claudio don, bene*censored* loves, shakespeare believe believe, don pedro leonato, believes don john,
Approximate Word count = 1585
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)