Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado has always been popular on the stage. This edition pays especial attention to the history and range of theatrical interpretation, in which the most famous actors, from the time of Garrick to the present, have appeared as the sparring lovers Benedick and Beatrice. A full commentary includes annotation of the many sexual jokes in the play that have been obscured by the complexity of Elizabethan language.

For this updated edition Angela Stock has added a new section to the Introduction in which she reviews the romantic and the darker, more cynical aspects of the play in the light of late twentieth-century stage, film and critical interpretations. She also tackles the interesting question of Beatrice's proper age and the critical fortunes of Hero and Claudio in terms of the play's interest in sexuality and misogyny, eavesdropping and deception.

About Shakespeare Series
The Shakespeare is an edition of Shakespeare's works, consisting of a separate volume for each play, and a volume each for the Sonnets and the narrative poems. The texts have been prepared by an international team of the very best scholars, who provide in each case a freshly-considered and modernised text, a substantial introduction and commentary at the foot of the page. The series pays particular attention to the play in performance, commenting on the stage action and offering a performance history with illustrations. It is aimed at students of Shakespeare from A level or its equivalent, and onwards, including undergraduates, graduates and teachers.

An international team of scholars offers:

• modernized, easily accessible texts
• ample commentary and introductions
• attention to the theatrical qualities of each play and its stage history
• informative illustrations

Contents

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List of Illustrations Preface Abbreviations and Conventions Introduction  Sources  The date of the play  Stage history  The criticism of the play  A note on the text  Postscript, March 1987  Recent stage, film and critical interpretations, by Angela Stock   Performance history   Criticism List of characters Much Ado About Nothing Supplementary notes Textual analysis  The nature of the copy for Q and the problems of the text for editor and producer Appendixes  1: The time-scheme of Much Ado About Nothing  2: Lewis Carroll's letter to Ellen Terry  3: Benedick's song, 5.2.18–22 Reading list