Much Ado About Nothing
1603
Much Ado About Nothing
1603
The most barbed and brilliant romantic comedy in the English language. Benedick and Beatrice trade insults like swords, each denying any feeling for the other until a well-meaning conspiracy forces them to overhear their friends discuss their secret love. Meanwhile, Claudio's swift engagement to Hero takes a deadly turn when the villainous Don John convinces him that his bride-to-be is unfaithful. What follows is a public humiliation so cruel it borders on tragedy, until the truth emerges and the lovers reunite. Shakespeare's gift here is showing us how easily we mistake pride for dislike, how we need others to witness our feelings before we dare believe them ourselves. Four centuries later, Much Ado About Nothing still cuts too close: we all know what it is to hide behind wit, to fear being made fools, to deny the very thing we want most.
