The Oxford Companion to English Literature | Much Ado about Nothing
Much Ado about Nothing, a comedy by
Shakespeare
, written probably
1598
–
9
, first printed
1600
. Its chief sources are a novella by
Bandello
and an episode in Ariosto's
Orlando furioso
. The play has always been a popular one in performance.
The prince of Arragon, with Claudio and Benedick in his suite, visits Leonato, duke of Messina, father of Hero and uncle of Beatrice. The sprightly Beatrice has a teasing relationship with the sworn bachelor Benedick. Beatrice and Benedick are each tricked into believing the other in love, and this brings about a genuine sympathy between them. Meanwhile Don John, the malcontented brother of the prince, thwarts Claudio's marriage by arranging for him to see Hero apparently wooed by his friend Borachio on her balcony—it is really her maidservant Margaret in disguise. Hero is publicly denounced by Claudio on her wedding day, falls into a swoon, and apparently dies. Benedick...
[The entire page is 250 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
