An analysis of Much Ado About Nothing Written between 1598 and 1600 at the peak of Shakespeare's ability to write comic works, Much Ado About Nothing is the one of Shakespeare's wittiest works. In this comedy, Shakespeare's drama satirizes love and human courtesy between two couples who take very different paths to achieve the same goal: bridging the gap between inner and outer beauty. Much Ado About Nothing shows different ways in which people are attracted to each other, and how their realization and definition of "love" relates to their perceptions of inner and outer beauty. The play is set in Messina, Italy, a small province facing the Strait of Messina in northeastern Sicily, on the estate of Messina's governor, Leonato. Towards the end of the play, Bene*censored* proposes to Beatrice and kisses her before Claudio and Hero's wedding, this shows that they have come a long way, with a little help from their friends. Claudio sees Hero's inner beauty when he learns of her innocence, but Shakespeare makes it much less dramatic than that of Bene*censored* and Beatrice. It could be said that Claudio fell in love at first sight, then glimpsed her inner beauty when her innocence was revealed, but his love for her wealth cannot be overlooked either. After learning of Hero's innocence, he agrees to marry one of Leonato's nieces and says he would even have an Ethiope for a wife. This could be interpreted as a desire by Claudio to marry to make his fortune, pursuing his romantic wealth obscured by beauty. Both couples see inner and outer beauty by the end of the play, although they both end up learning virtually opposite lessons of love (Brown 118). When we don't have confidence in our thoughts and ideas, we hesitate and don't translate them into actions. The initial spark dies and we are blind to what could have been..