Illustration of Hero wearing a mask

Much Ado About Nothing

by William Shakespeare

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Historical Background

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The Commedie of much A doo about nothing a booke was entered in the Stationer's Register, the official record book of the London Company of Stationers (booksellers and printers), on August 4, 1600 as a play of My lord chamberlens men (Shakespeare's acting company) and stayed (not published) without further permission, to prevent unauthorized publication of this very popular play. This quarto text, generally regarded as having been set from Shakespeare's own manuscript, was the copy used for the First Folio of 1623, which is lightly annotated, with minimal and mostly typographic emendation. Since Will Kempe, the great comic actor who played Dogberry, left the Chamberlain's Men in 1599, it is generally agreed that Shakespeare completed this play no later than 1598-1599. Although scholars have attempted to trace the play's roots to Ariosto's tragedy, Orlando Furioso, to Bandello's twenty-second story from the Novelle, or to Spenser's poetic work, The Fairie Queen, in truth, no play ever existed quite like this one, with its interwoven plots, the wit and verve of Benedick and Beatrice, and the highly inventive comic element of Dogberry and his watch, which gives the Claudio-Hero plot most of its vitality. Much Ado About Nothing is a subtler version of Taming of the Shrew, transposed from farce to high comedy, and it is the scaffolding upon which Othello is built.

Well known and often presented to packed houses before its publication, Much Ado About Nothing has not lacked the interest of either producers or reviewers over the last four centuries-it has been popular onstage throughout virtually all of its history. It was performed at court in 1613 for Princess Elizabeth and Frederick, Elector Palantine. David Garrick gave Much Ado About Nothing its first performance at Drury Lane on November 14, 1748, playing Benedick brilliantly, and regularly offered it until his farewell performance from the stage in May 9, 1776. Notable presentations in the nineteenth century, when productions tended toward lavish spectacle, include Miss Helen Faucit's personation of Beatrice, noted in the Manchester Courier of May 9, 1846 as "a performance of rare beauty" and Henry Irving's "exquisite performance" of Benedick at the Lyceum Theater, noted as having been "given with infinite grace" in the Saturday Review of October 21, 1882. Twentieth century renditions have frequently changed the time and locale of the play, with productions as diverse as the American Southwest shoot-em up era, the bicycle-riding Edwardian era and the Teddy Roosevelt era of gramophones and keystone cops. The success of these productions show that the original text is universal enough in appeal and balanced in its composition to withstand these chameleon-like experiments without losing any of its sense.

A. C. Swinburne describes this play as Shakespeare's "most perfect comic masterpiece," and states that "[f]or absolute power of composition, for faultless balance and blameless rectitude of design, there is unquestionably no creation of his hand that will bear comparison with Much AdoAbout Nothing." George Bernard Shaw on the other hand, while stating that the success of this play "depends on the way it is handled in performance," salutes the Bard as a "great musician" and declares the play "irresistible as poetry" but questions Shakespeare's mastery of "gallant badinage" and dismisses Benedick's wit as "coarse sallies" and Beatrice's wit as "indelicacy," all of which is perhaps more a reflection of the taste of his Victorian time than a true assessment of the play. In the end, the merit of this play rests with its proven ability to continue to touch the hearts and cheer the souls of its audience.

Places Discussed

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Leonato’s house

Leonato’s house. Home of Leonato, the governor of Messina on the island of Sicily, which during the thirteenth century in which the play is set was an important European cultural center. The governor would have had rooms enough in his house lavishly to entertain and host nobles from the artistic and intellectual Italian cities of Florence and Padua, as well as the one of the most powerful independent kingdoms in medieval Spain, Aragon. Although most of the governor’s guests are Italians, they are regarded as foreigners in Messina, and as such, are easily duped.

The grounds around the house contain an elaborate orchard described in act 1, scene 2, as having a “thick-pleached alley” or an arched walkway lined with trees whose boughs are interwoven. The thickness of the boughs would hide anyone who wanted to overhear a conversation; in this way, Shakespeare could present secrecy and comedic intrigue.

Modern Connections

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Three key elements of Much Ado About Nothing resonate with modern life. The first is the concept of the innocent being unjustly accused. Hero is accused of losing her virginity based on flimsy and false evidence presented the night before her wedding. This scant evidence is uncritically accepted by significant figures in her life, including her fiancé, his influential friend, and her own father. These three quickly assume the worst about Hero without thoroughly questioning the evidence. It becomes a matter of one person's reputation and social standing against another's. The reaction to Claudio's accusation is not only swift and unjust but also severe. Claudio and the prince publicly shame Hero during the wedding ceremony, and her father even wishes for her death. Modern audiences may find this shaming scene shocking and perplexing. For an Elizabethan woman, her societal, familial, and personal value was tied to her marriageability, which depended on her physical and moral purity. Additionally, arranged marriages or those involving a go-between were common, and the mediator's honor and reputation were at stake. Despite changes in social attitudes, many people today still experience being falsely accused of actions they did not commit or words they did not say. Hero is completely unable to defend herself, and her word is disregarded. Young modern audiences might feel that parents and other adults are sometimes too quick to believe the worst based on insufficient evidence, rather than taking the time to investigate. This theme of wrongful accusation underscores the importance of solid evidence. Throughout the play, characters often suggest something as truth without proper basis. For instance, Benedick is deceived into believing Beatrice loves him because a respected older gentleman is part of the ruse. Beatrice convinces Benedick to challenge Claudio to a duel by asserting with certainty that her cousin Hero has been wronged, claiming she is as sure "as she has a thought or a soul" (IV.i.330). Her conviction is enough for Benedick.

The play's romantic elements also connect with contemporary audiences. Friends act as "go-betweens" or assist potential lovers throughout the story. Don Pedro helps Claudio woo Hero, while Don Pedro, Leonato, Claudio, Hero, Margaret, and Ursula all aid in bringing Beatrice and Benedick together. Although the trickery ("gulling") is an Elizabethan stage convention, friends today still play roles in gauging someone's interest in a potential romantic partner and in sparking interest.

Another intriguing aspect of romance in Shakespeare's plays is the time frame within which it unfolds, which captivates contemporary audiences. The events of this play transpire over just a week and a day. Claudio and Hero's engagement occurs early within this period. The brevity of their romance, coupled with its initial fervor, seems to heighten the distress and shock of the shaming scene.

Additionally, Don John's inexplicable malice presents a third point of interest. He embodies the archetypal Elizabethan comic villain. While his actions may not seem humorous, the fact that he appears in a comedy suggests that his cruel and harmful deeds will ultimately be rendered ineffective. One possible motive for his behavior is the psychological impact of the stigma associated with his illegitimacy. During Shakespeare's era, laws and societal attitudes made illegitimacy more problematic and stigmatized than it is today. Illegitimate male children were publicly marked with distinguishing signs on their shields used in battle and displayed in their homes. Furthermore, illegitimate children were typically barred from inheriting family wealth, with common law favoring the oldest legitimate son.

Bibliography

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Bloom, Harold, ed. William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Contains eight significant articles from the 1970’s and 1980’s. See especially the essays by Richard A. Levin, who looks beneath the comedic surface to find unexpected, troubling currents, and Carol Thomas Neely, who contributes an influential feminist interpretation.

Evans, Bertrand. Shakespeare’s Comedies. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1960. Important critical study. Concludes that Shakespeare’s comic dramaturgy is based on different levels of awareness among characters and between them and the audience. The comedy in Much Ado About Nothing reflects an intricate game of multiple deceptions and misunderstandings that the audience enjoys from a privileged position.

Hunter, Robert Grams. Shakespeare and the Comedy of Forgiveness. New York: Columbia University Press, 1965. Argues persuasively that the thematic core of several Shakespeare comedies derives from the tradition of English morality plays. In Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio sins against the moral order by mistrusting Hero and is saved by repentance and forgiveness.

Macdonald, Ronald R. William Shakespeare: The Comedies. New York: Twayne, 1992. Compact introduction to Shakespeare’s comedy that is both critically sophisticated and accessible to the general reader. Essay on Much Ado About Nothing reveals various subtextual relationships of class and gender by probing the characters’ semantically complex and ironic verbal behavior.

Ornstein, Robert. Shakespeare’s Comedies: From Roman Farce to Romantic Mystery. London: Associated University Presses, 1986. Award-winning book by a major Shakespeare scholar. The chapter on Much Ado About Nothing offers a sensitive, graceful analysis of the play that focuses primarily on characterization, plot, and moral themes.

Bibliography and Further Reading

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Quotations from Much Ado About Nothing are sourced from this translation:

Bevington, David, ed. Much Ado About Nothing. New York: Bantam Books, 1988. Foreword by Joseph Papp.

Additional References

Barish, Jonas A. Pattern and Purpose in the Prose of Much Ado About Nothing. Rice University Studies, 60:2, 1974, pp. 19-30.

Berry, Ralph. Much Ado About Nothing: Structure & Texture. English Studies 52, 1971, pp. 211-223.

Fillmore, Charles. Metaphysical Bible Dictionary. Missouri: Unity, 1931.

Furness, Horace Howard, ed. Much Ado About Nothing: A New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1964.

Gaskell, G.A. Dictionary of all Scriptures and Myths. New York: Julian Press, Inc., 1973.

Hockey, Dorothy C. Notes Notes, Forsooth. Shakespeare Quarterly 8, 1957, pp. 353-358. Discusses the theme of misnoting or false noting in the play.

Holy Bible. Philadelphia: National Bible Press, 1611 edition, commonly known as the King James Version.

Owen, Charles A., Jr. Comic Awareness, Style, and Dramatic Technique in Much Ado About Nothing. Boston University Studies in English, Vol. 5, No. 4, Winter 1961, pp. 193-207.

Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur and John Dover Wilson, ed. Much Ado About Nothing, The Works of Shakespeare. London: Cambridge University Press, 1969.

Shaw, George Bernard. Our Theatres in the Nineties. 3 vols. London: Constable & Co., Ltd., 1932.

Skeat, Rev. Walter W. A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Capricorn Books, 1963.

Stauffer, Donald A. Shakespeare's World of Images. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1949.

Stevenson, David L., ed. Much Ado About Nothing. New York: Signet, 1964.

Swinburne, Algernon Charles. A Study of Shakespeare. London, 1880.

Wey, James J. "To Grace Harmony": Musical Design in Much Ado About Nothing. Boston University Studies in English, Vol. IV, No. 3, Autumn 1960, pp. 181-188.

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