Inconstancy in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) explains inconstancy as the recurrent and generally unexpected or impulsive change from one condition to another. It is the state or quality of being fickle and unfaithful as unreliable or deceitful. Set in Messina, Sicily, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a very popular play generally considered one of his happiest comedies and is often performed in theatres. However, the playfulness and cheerfulness of the work are haunted by a cloud of melancholy that tells readers of the potential dangers and pain that can arise from miscommunication, deception, and betrayal. This play has two intertwined plots; one revolves around Claudio's courtship of Hero, who is momentarily disturbed by Don John, the play's villain. The other plot revolves around Beatrice and Benedict who are in love with each other but continue to engage in witty arguments and “merry warfare” (Cook 190). The show mainly focuses on the problematic relationship between Claudio and Hero unlike the one between Benedetto and Beatrice which is more reliable. False news, rumors and rumors play an important role in the development of the play's dual plots. This article examines the subsequent theme of the inconstancy of human nature in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and highlights how a person can make foolish and regrettable decisions when they fail to make sober considerations. In this play, women continually receive poor judgment from men and are portrayed as victims of inconstancy. Despite Don Pedro's great admiration for Hero and Beatrice, he is completely ready to accept that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio based on very little evidence presented by Don... middle of paper... first half. He justifies his hasty decision by saying that initially, his “soldier's eye” never looked at a Works CitedAuden, Wystan Hugh. “Much ado about nothing.” In WH Auden: Lectures on Shakespeare, reconstructed and edited by Arthur Kirsch, pp. 113-23. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.Bevington, David. "The Complete Works of Shakespeare." Fifth edition, New York: Pearson Longman, 2004, 218. Cook, Carol. “‘The Mark and Appearance of His Honor’: Reading Gender Difference in Much Ado About Nothing.” Publications of the Modern Language Association of America (1986): 186-202. Print.Daalder, Joost. “The 'prehistory' of Beatrice and Benedetto in Much Ado About Nothing.” English Studies 85.6 (2004): 520-527. Premier of academic research. Network. April 3, 2014.Shakespeare, William. Much ado about nothing. vol. 12. Classic Book Society, 2001.