Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
The action takes place in Sicily, where Prince Don Pedro of Aragon recently defeated his half-brother Don John in a military conflict. Apparently, reconciling, they return to the capital Messina as guests of Governor Leonato. There, Count Claudio, a young nobleman who served in Don Pedro's army, falls in love with Leonato's daughter Hero, on whose behalf Don Pedro is acting on his behalf. The main plot of the play shows how Don John cruelly cheated on Claudio, believing that the Hero had taken a lover on the eve of his marriage, and forcing Claudio to openly reject him at the altar.
