Much ADO about Nothing

by William Shakespeare

Overview

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare is considered to have been written in 1598 or 1599. The play was recognised in the First Folio, distributed in 1623. The play is set in Messina and revolves around two heartfelt lovers that arise when a gathering of fighters shows up in the town. The first, between Claudio and Hero, is almost changed by the allegations of the reprobate, Don John. The subsequent sentiment, between Claudio's companion Benedick and Hero's cousin Beatrice, becomes the overwhelming focus as the play goes on, with the two characters' minds and exchanges providing a significant part of the humour. Through "noticing" (seeming like "nothing", and significant tattle, gossip, catching wind of), Benedick and Beatrice are fooled into admitting their adoration for one another, and Claudio is fooled into accepting that Hero is certainly not a lady (virgin). The title's figure of speech references the privileged insights and guile that structure the foundation of the play's parody, interest, and activity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789394973442
Publisher:	Double 9 Booksllp
Publication date:	04/22/2022
Pages:	114
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.27(d)
Age Range:	Up to 1 Year

About the Author

William Shakespeare (April 1564 – April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard").

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Table of Contents

	Life and Background of the Author	5
	Introduction to the Play	8
	A Brief Synopsis	9
	List of Characters	10
	Critical Commentaries	14
	Act I--Scene 1	14
	Act I--Scene 2	17
	Act I--Scene 3	17
	Act II--Scene 1	19
	Act II--Scene 2	21
	Act II--Scene 3	22
	Act III--Scene 1	23
	Act III--Scene 2	24
	Act III--Scene 3	26
	Act III--Scene 4	27
	Act III--Scene 5	28
	Act IV--Scene 1	29
	Act IV--Scene 2	32
	Act V--Scene 1	34
	Act V--Scene 2	36
	Act V--Scene 3	37
	Act V--Scene 4	38
	Character Analyses	39
	Critical Essays	45
	About the Language and Literary Style	45
	About "Nothing"	50
	Introduction to the 1993 Film Much Ado About Nothing	51
	Review Questions and Essay Topics	56
	Selected Bibliography	58

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5-These series titles aim to make the Bard's words accessible via free-prose adaptations. The formulaic retellings convey the plot lines of two popular comedies, but all evidence of his poetic genius is missing. Instead, modern slang expressions and/or cliches, such as Toby Belch's complaining of Olivia's "mooching around gloomy rooms" and Andrew's dancing "like a drunken flamingo," replace Shakespeare's more fluid language, trivializing his words. The characters are all included, introduced through pictures at the beginning of each volume, but all but the two main ones remain completely two-dimensional, and the relationships among them are unclear. This is particularly true in Much Ado, a complicated story with incidental characters whose purpose in the play is difficult to discern. For instance, Conrad and Borachio suddenly appear, but there is little sense as to why they are part of the plot against Claudio. The cartoon watercolor renderings, alternating between black-and-white and color, vary from quarter- to half-page in size and suggest the style used by animators. Thus, while they do reinforce the stories, there is a sameness among them, adding to the lack of character development. In fact the characters' images could be interchanged, even between plays, without much confusion. These books are no substitute either for the originals or even for Marchette Chute's classic Stories from Shakespeare (World, 1956; o.p.).-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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