How Does Shakespeare Present the Theme of Love in His Play 'Much Ado About Nothing

How does Shakespeare present the theme of love through the pairs of lovers in Much Ado About Nothing?

In the play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents his views of love in quite a few different, and sometimes very contrasting ways.He uses well thought out and life like characters to explore his views on love and marriage, and especially uses Hero and Claudio to show the problems of love and relationships in those times.These views of love are presented using dramatic dialogue, and many different language techniques- including the use of imagery and comic context-all of which make a very intriguing and funny play.
      In the play, there are two main pairs of lovers; Benedick and Beatrice, and Hero and Claudio. Shakespeare portrays Hero and Claudio as the obvious   love-struck-couple, who fall instantly in love with each other. He presents Beatrice and Benedick quite differently,as a couple who are constantly fighting and who the intended audience wouldn't necessarily put together, whereas now, in the modern society, we would pick up on the fact that they will fall in love. This not necessarily the audience Shakespeare intended; he may have expected that people, in those times, wouldn't   realise they were going to end up together, bringing the element of surprise into his play.
      I think that the main view of love that shakespeare shows is that he believes love to be fickle; in the play people are passionately in love when only the day before they loathed each other. When Beatrice and Benedick fall in the trap that was by the prince,Leonato,Claudio,Hero and Ursula,they then believe that the other is in love with them. Earlier on,at the start of the play, Beatrice remarks to Benedick ' A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours'. She is saying to him that sh would rather be a bird than an animal like him; this is insulting him. It is clear from the way they speak that they have no respect for each other, neither any plans to be civil or...