The fool in Shakespeare’s
comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” is Dogberry. The role of fools is to speak the
truth to the characters and the audience, but no matter how harsh the truth
they speak is, no one ever believes them – as they are only the fools.
Dogberry, even though not smart, is the only one to comprehend and reveal the
theme in comedy: the appearance versus reality by showing that none of the city’s
leaders are what they appear to be. As Isaac Asimov said in “Guide to Shakespeare”:
“That, of course, is the great secret of the successful fool – that he is no
fool at all.”
The phrase “Much Ado
about Nothing” means that a great deal of fuss ("much ado") is made
of something which is insignificant ("nothing"). In this comedy the
title implies to the unfounded claims of Hero's infidelity and claims that
Benedick and Beatrice are in love with one another.
