William Shakespeare's presentation of the two pairs of lovers in Much Ado About Nothing "Much Ado About Nothing" would have been pronounced "Much Ado About Notice" in the days of Shakespeare. Noticing would mean seeing how things appear on the surface rather than how they actually are. This provides an immediate clue as to how the work and the presentation of the story of the two loving couples would have been received by audiences of the time, who lived in a patriarchal society based on social conventions and appearances. It can also be considered an early commentary by Shakespeare on that society, its values ​​and moral codes. The modern public, however, lives in a more sexually egalitarian society. While appearances are still important, values ​​depend more on self-analysis and self-knowledge. Significantly, the story of Hero and Claudio, the first of the pairs of lovers, is a story with which Elizabethan audiences would likely have been familiar. Ariosto and even Spenser in 'Faerie Queene' had presented this love story as a story of chivalry and high morality. Therefore audiences of the time would have been familiar with the conventional characters of Claudio and Hero. Hero displays all the qualities that Elizabethan audiences would have admired in a woman. He knows his place in society. Her father is there to be obeyed, and she herself recognizes how she should be punished if the charges against her are proven true, "O my father, prove to yourself that any man with me has conversed..." Reject me, hate me, torture me to death ." There is an absence of dialogue in... middle of the paper... following the violation of the conventions discussed. In "Much Ado About Nothing", it could be argued that Shakespeare decided to have two sets of lovers to provide to the audience contrasting perspectives on similar situations. It could also be argued that the two contrast between what was expected at the time and the unconventional In both cases, Shakespeare's presentation of the relationships between these two pairs of lovers implies a criticism of superficial society and its conventions. Perhaps he set the story in Italy because he did not want to upset his benefactors at home. Modern audiences can only perhaps gain an appreciation of this element in "Much Ado About Nothing" as a study of Elizabethan society. Their empathy and interest can therefore be based to a greater extent in the characterization of Benedick and Beatrice.