It is said that "love is blind," yet the emotions that oppose it are equally as blinding and powerful, obscuring the truth that was evident before. These opposing emotions create a chaos that Shakespeare portrays as the fickleness of love. Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing illustrates how anger, jealousy, and betrayal can fashion love to be fickle.

Beatrice and Benedick have an ongoing "merry war" (1.1.59), yet it is not very "merry." The words they exchange are consistently witty, cruel, and directed at each other's hearts. Benedick calls Beatrice "Lady Disdain" (1.1.114) and thinks that she is indefinitely "possessed with a fury" (1.1.185), whereas Beatrice calls Benedick a "disease" (1.1.82). Although the arguments appear to be in jest, one of them always takes it personally. These word wars are quickly forgotten and the fog of anger is cleared from their eyes the moment they overhear that they are loved. Don Pedro, scheming...