Shakespeare’s comedies are notorious for ending in marriages. A light hearted, happy forever-after fits the comedic bill quite perfectly. The idea that true love will find a way, through all the confusion, misidentification, and nonsense that seem to muddle the plot, the ultimate prevailing of love leaves the audience more pleased than they would be left in, say, a tragedy or a drama. However, at the end of “Much Ado About Nothing,” Shakespeare makes the decision to leave the marriages ambiguous in an almost “to be continued” sense. He seems to making very clear claims about impassioned loved that speak both to the nature of the particular lovers in context as well as love itself.
At the end of the play, Benedick says to his soon-to-be bride and his friends, “Come, come, we are friends. Let’s have a dance ere we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts and our wives’ heels” (V.iv.115-117). In this scene, Benedick speaks of love with still a sense of possibility, of the future. And while his attitude is certain, so have been the minds of many lover’s follies throughout the entire play. Claudio, for example, was twice convinced that Hero was being unfaithful to him, and moreover, twice proven wrong. While these characters are different men, they keep the same company, implying a similarity in personality and value. Therefore, it is not outrageous so assume that Benedick might have a clear notion of the truth, or of reality, and be wildly mistaken, such as his close friend was. His well intentions do not overshadow the truth that human beings are flawed and mistakes are often made in love out of passion. Shakespeare’s choice not to end the play concretely in a marriage leaves the ending up to the viewer, allowing the audience’s own personal experiences affect how they expect a turnout.
The openness of the play’s ending, however, does not necessarily imply hopelessness; or a sense of impending doom since everything to this point has steadily gone wrong, whether at the hands of chance or orchestrated by separate characters. The play is full of growth for many of the characters, quite painstakingly so, and while there is no implicit continuation of this growth at the end, the lack of a concrete marriage implies there will be. Benedick and Beatrice’s love has, up to this point, been very back and forth and dependent on circumstance. Perhaps Shakespeare is implying with this uncertain ending that there is more to occur between now and the happy ending that they’ve only just begun chasing after. Moreover, it is perhaps not only a commentary on the nature of their relationship, but rather a commentary on the nature of love, particularly passionate love, in general. If ever there were a love of passion, it would be between Beatrice and Benedick. Their love, as opposed to another such as Romeo and Juliet’s though that were also driven by passion, is instilled in wild emotion outside of just love. They’ve experienced the entire spectrum with one another, having loved, then hated, then loved again. This suggests that Shakespeare’s is remarking on the nature of such a passionate affair and the tendency it has to go through ups and downs before a determined end point, or solution. Or perhaps he was just preparing the audience for a sequel that would never come.
Ultimately, Shakespeare’s decision not to end the play in a marriage is a purposeful one. Whether remarking on the nature of love or the habits of the characters, the ending is left ambiguous for a reason. Love goes on, for better or for worse. But passion, be it good or bad, drives people to do crazy, unpredictable things. This is the genius of these occurrences, the plot is entirely dependent upon the emotions and sanity, or lack thereof, of the characters. Round and Round they go, where they stop, only Shakespeare knows.
