and like all Shakespeare's comedies,it is also a love story. all of the action in the play takes place in the city of Messina,a port in the north-east of Sicily,which was then governed by Spain. the main story,or plot,is about two young lovers,Count Claudio and the rich and beautiful Hero,whose father is the Governor of Messina. they love each other very much and planto get married.their story nearly ends veryunhappily,and such a sad ending would have turned the comedy into a tragedy. the same romantic story can be found in several Italian and French books of the time and Shakespeare borrowed it for the plot of his play. however,Shakespeare added another ploy,which made Much Ado About Nothing one of Shakespeare's cleverest comedies.