“Much Ado About Nothing”, one of Shakespeare's best works, written between 1598 and 1599, is characterized by the presence of countless puns and a brilliant interpretation of gender roles. Much of this tragicomedy revolves around writing secret messages, spying and eavesdropping on confidential conversations. People constantly pretend to be other than they are, are mistaken for other people, or are constantly deceived.
The two protagonists of the work are Beatrice and Benedetto, they have linguistic tendencies that define them. Beatrice is seen - in the prejudice of the time - as a "shrew" due to her "sharp tongue". While Benedetto's metaphorical conversational style is what leads Don Pedro to call him "from the top of his head to the sole of his foot all cheerfulness." This is undoubtedly also what lies behind Beatrice's joke that defines Benedetto as "the prince's jester". “Much Ado About Nothing” is characterized by an ironic and effective comedy, but the text also contains much more complex reflections: how men and women are treated differently within society. The difference between relationships between opposite and equal sexes is at the center of Shakespeare's comedy which, due to some themes such as the violent language and the deceptive plot, seems at certain moments to swing towards the tragic. (In Italian)