Much Ado About Nothing

by Shakespeare, William; Bevington, David; Kastan, David Scott

• ISBN13: 9780553213010
• ISBN10: 0553213016
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1988-01-01
• Publisher: Bantam Classics

Summary

Set in a courtly world of masked revels and dances, this play turns on the archetypal story of a lady falsely accused of unfaithfulness, spurned by her bridegroom, and finally vindicated and reunited with him. Villainy, schemes, and deceits threaten to darken the brilliant humor and sparkling wordplaybut the hilarious counterplot of a warring couple, Beatrice and Benedick, steals the scene as the two are finally tricked into admitting their love for each other in Shakespeare's superb comedy of manners. Each Edition Includes: Comprehensive explanatory notes Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship Clear, modernized spelling and punctuation, enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English Completely updated, detailed bibliographies and performance histories An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play, along with an extensive filmography

Author Biography

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. In London, Shakespeare became the principal playwright and shareholder of the successful acting troupe the Lord Chamberlin's men (later, under James I, called the King's men) which built and occupied the Globe theater. In 1616, he died in Stratford after having written 37 plays, sonnets, and other poetry which would become crucial to the cannon of English literature.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
General Introduction	p. 1
Much Ado About Nothing and the Romantic Comedies	p. 1
Date	p. 5
Sources	p. 6
The Title	p. 14
Place and Setting	p. 16
Organizing the Dramatis Personae	p. 18
Lovers	p. 19
Brothers	p. 38
Gentlewomen, Conspirators, and Others	p. 42
Plot Construction	p. 48
Act, Scene, and Pace	p. 50
Contrasts and Links between Scenes	p. 52
Local Effects	p. 56
Stage History	p. 58
From Text to Prompt-Book	p. 70
Some Problems of Staging	p. 72
Some Recent Directions	p. 75
Textual Introduction	p. 79
'Staying' and Publication	p. 79
Setting the Text	p. 80
'Ghosts'	p. 81
Speech-Prefixes	p. 82
Entrances and Exits	p. 85
The Play in Folio	p. 86
Editorial Procedures	p. 88
Abbreviations and References	p. 90
Much Ado About Nothing	p. 93
Appendix: Music, Song, and Dance	p. 203
Index	p. 207
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.