Much Ado About Nothing

Product Description

A dazzling display of William Shakespeare's fondness for wit & wordplay Much Ado About Nothing is a high-spirited comedy edited with notes by RA Foakes & an introduction by Janet Dillon' Some Cupid kills with arrows some with traps' Proud vivacious Beatrice & a high-spirited rake Benedick both claim that they are determined never to marry But when good-hearted mischief-maker Don Pedro tricks them into believing that each harbours secret feelings for the other Beatrice & Benedick begin to question whether their witty banter & sharp-tongued repartee conceals something deeper Schemes abound misunderstandings proliferate & matches are eventually made in this sparkling & irresistible comedy famously adapted by Kenneth Branagh in a film starring Keanu Reeves & Emma Thompson This book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life & Elizabethan theatre a separate introduction to Much Ado About Nothing a chronology suggestions for further reading an essay discussing performance options on both stage & screen & a commentary If you enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing you might like As You Like It also available in Penguin Shakespeare' How is it possible that Shakespeare understood the human heart so well?' Saskia Reeves