In the play Much Ado About Nothing, the concepts of love and romance are concretized in two different forms, represented by the relationship between Claudio and Hero, and the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick. These two couples express their love in contrasting ways, with Claudio and Hero’s relationship representing the more traditional lust filled romance, and that of Beatrice and Benedick representing a much more unconventional relationship. At first, this unconventional romance seems to lack love but in the end, it endures longer than Claudio and Hero’s does. The issue with the latter relationship is that it seems to be forced by tradition and even though there is much love or. lust at the surface of the relationship, it’s substance proves to be quite shallow. This is why trust quickly becomes a major issue. In Beatrice and Benedick’s lackluster relationship, the key factor is that although there seems to be less love in the romantic sense, there is much more thinking which overpowers the emotional aspect. This is why the shallow issues which usually befall a conventional couple are not a problem for Beatrice and Benedick. In a sense, Shakespeare is using irony to make the statement that conventional love, filled only with emotion is what leads to a faulty relationship.