Even from its title, Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing embodies the modern phrase "to make a mountain out of a grain of sand." Comparable to today's celebrity gossip magazines, the work sheds light on the nature of gossip in Shakespeare's time and the Shakespearean community's receptiveness to rumors and humiliation. In this particular play, although there are no speaking parts, the implicit effect that society has on the overall picture of the play is enormous. By heightening the effect of the main conflict and conveying human nature's tendency to trust in deception, society and its thirst for the latest gossip recruits characters and readers as spectators, eagerly watching the scandal unfold. After the news of Hero's supposed affair, society reveals the true nature of Claudio and Don Pedro through the characters' manipulation of the Hero's public exposure to shame. This is evident in Act 2 when Borachio first presents his plan to Don John. From the beginning, Borachio had predicted the reaction of Claudio and the prince, and had instructed Don Giovanni to “…tell him that you know that Hero loves me; propose a kind of zeal both to the Prince and to Claudius (as love for the honor of your brother, who made this marriage, and for the reputation of his friend, which is as well as being deceived with the appearance of a maiden) that you found out so" (2.2.35-40). Although it is normally believed that, after being accused of disloyalty, Hero would be the only one to suffer the shame, Borachio makes it clear that the prince and Claudio will also suffer from their own humiliation. From his explanation, Borachio anticipates that the prince will be ashamed because society might consider him someone who judges badly for having done...... middle of the paper ......221-225). wanting to be laughed at by society, in which people believe they can predict his reactions. Determined to prove society wrong, Benedick also makes the hasty decision to love Beatrice. In the end it can be seen that throughout the play, the underlying presence of society exaggerates conflicts through shame and conveys ice that human nature is willing to believe deception about the truth. . Although it is clear that the gossip and news of Shakespeare's period and that of the present day differ in many different ways, both are indirectly related by their values ​​in the human interest-based society. In both the past and present, it is through society that both shame and humiliation, as well as evidence of the uninformed and reckless judgment of human beings, come to light. Works Cited Much Ado About Nothing