Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

It is testament to the genius of William Shakespeare that he can write such a tragic and intense play as Hamlet, and then something as hilarious and fun as 'Much Ado about Nothing'. Set in Messina, Italy, the play focuses on a group of soldiers returned from war. The soldiers are to stay with Leonato, who just happens to have plenty of fine women for the men to fall in love with. One man who refuses to fall in love is Benedick, his feelings mirrored by the proud Beatrice. Each is a defiant single, and of course this is where much of the comedy lays. The best thing about this play is the comic battling between these two. ...  Read the complete review

Written by William Shakespeare in 1598-99, Much Ado About nothing is one of his 17 comedies. Much Ado About Nothing tells the tale of an Italian village and the stories which happened when soldier returned from a victorious battle. MAIN CHARACTERS Benedick~ a witty intelligent man who is a sworn bachelour. However he is tricked into falling in love with Beatrice Beatrice~ A loud, argumentative, orphaned niece of Leonato. She too has sworn not to marry, but is tricked to fall in love with Benedick Don Pedro~ Prince of Arragorn, helps Claudio marry, Benedick fall in love and is there when the see supposidly Hero with another man Don John~ A ...  Read the complete review

***** The Production That Changed My Life ***** At the tender age of 16, I was to see a piece of theatre that would change my life and my tastes, and plant in me the seeds of a lifelong love of literature. On a school trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, I was lucky enough to go to a remarkable production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing by the Royal Shakespeare Company. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of that trip, and it seems fitting that the play, and the memories of that incredible production, should be the topic for my “Favourite Things” opinion for Jill. I know that Jill is a bit of a reader (we have Omar ...  Read the complete review

This is a rare thing A Shakespeare comedy with some laugh out loud moments. The more you know about it, the funnier it gets. Let's start with the title. Much Ado (fuss, bother, hassle) about nothing. Most modern readers take this to mean a whole lot of mess about nothing at all, which is a fair assesment. Back in Shakespeare's day, the word 'nothing' had slightly different connotations, and would be comparable to calling it "Much ado about pussy" ok, so it could be a play about a cat, but you get a sizeable suggestion of 'vagina' Please read it as "Much fuss about sex." The story - Don Pedro, having just ...  Read the complete review