Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Much Ado About Nothing with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, a comic play about two pairs of Italian lovers. It focuses on the character of Claudio, who has recently returned from war and pledged to marry Hero. However, the scheming Don John decides to interfere, and successfully convinces Claudio that Hero has been unfaithful to him, leading to a series of misunderstandings and comic antics before the truth finally comes to light. However, this storyline is often upstaged by the play’s subplot, in which two of Shakespeare’s wittiest and most beloved characters, Benedick and Beatrice, gradually fall in love with each other in spite of their avowed mutual scorn for love, marriage and – most importantly – each other! Much Ado About Nothing is one of the best-known comedies by William Shakespeare, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language.

Find out everything you need to know about Much Ado About Nothing in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:

• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Apr 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9782808016018

Book preview

ENGLISH PLAYWRIGHT AND POET

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.

Died in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616.

Notable works:

The Winter’s Tale (1611), play

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1596), play

The Taming of the Shrew (c. 1590-1592), play

Shakespeare is best known as an English playwright who wrote highly influential comedies, tragedies, and history plays as well as sonnets and narrative poems. Shakespeare’s works are studied and performed across the globe even today, and include his 154 sonnets as well as plays such as Julius Caesar (1599), and King Lear (c. 1603-1606). William was the son of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker from Stratford, and he married Anne Hathaway in his early adulthood with whom he had three children. As a boy, William attended Stratford’s grammar school where he would have studied performance and rhetoric. Latin texts were on his school’s core curriculum, meaning that Shakespeare would have studied writers such as Cicero, Seneca, Virgil, and his favourite poet Ovid. Such texts informed the plots and genres of his own plays, which gives an impression of how crucial Latin literature is to fully appreciating Shakespeare’s works. As well as being a playwright, Shakespeare was also