Act 2, scene 3 & Act 3, scene 2

AO2- Language, Structure and Form

In act 2, scene 3 there is a quibble when Don Pedro and Balthasar have a conversation and the word ‘note’. A quibble is a wordplay that uses as many different meanings to a word in a smallest amount of time possible. They also have a word play when they use the word ‘crotchets’ this is because it is also a type of note.

Don Pedro: . . . Do it in notes.
Balthasar: Note this before my notes;
There's not a note of mine that's worth the noting.
Don Pedro: Why, these are very crotchets that he speaks.
Note notes, forsooth, and nothing!

Structure and Repetition

Also in act 2, scene 3 there is another wordplay when Benedick has a monologue and uses several structural variations repeating the same thing over and over in different ways.

". . . one woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well" and "rich shall she be, that's certain: wise, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel."

AO3- Critical Interpretation

Both scenes are a deception of each other. In act 2, scene 3 Benedick ‘notes’ that Beatrice is in love with him and in act 3, scene 1 the other way round. These are both contrived and forced scenes are needed within the play otherwise a lot of the following events may not happen.

AO4- Social and Historical Context.

The word nothing has many different meanings; Shakespeare may or may not have put ‘nothing’ in the title for a reason. He might have done so that people could interpret it in many different ways using the different meaning of ‘nothing’ or he may not and it was only after it was written that it was realised that it had double meanings.  In Shakespeare’s time the word nothing was pronounced as ‘noting’ allowing many different interpretations.  Nothing has 4 main meanings:

nothing (as in present parlance): not anything, zero, zilch,nada
nothing: In Shakespeare's time, "thing" and "nothing" ("nothing") were slang words for referring to a sexual organ; thus phrases with the word "nothing" sometimes had sexual or erotic connotations
noting: writing musical notes
noting: observing, overhearing, perceiving

In both act 2, scene 3 and act 3, scene 1 there is a lot of noting within the meaning over observing, overhearing and perceiving. This is because both Benedick and Beatrice overhear other peoples conversations, and are told that each other loves them. This may show that Shakespeare deliberately put the word nothing in the title to imply what it is to come within the play.