Much Ado About Nothing (Folger Shakespeare Library) |  | Author: William Shakespeare
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy New: $1.75
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Seller: Written Treasures
Rating:  57 reviews
Sales Rank: 11648
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0743482751
Dewey Decimal Number: 822.33
EAN: 9780743482752
ASIN: 0743482751
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780743482752 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Folger Shakespeare Library The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies Each edition includes:
• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play • Scene-by-scene plot summaries • A key to famous lines and phrases • An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language • An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play • Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books Essay by Gail Kern Paster The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 57
 What is with you people? September 30, 2005
Brianna Rhywhen
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
I am here to do my part in diminishing the value of all the one- and three- star reviews posted here, the authors of which are clearly the same person or all from the same class of children too young to read the play. Amazon visitors reading these should know two things: the reviewer is a twit, and this play is wonderful.
I, for one, am a sucker for romances; if you are, Beatrice and Benedick will make the play worthwhile. Predictability be damned, they were an adorable couple. The main couple, Hero and Claudio, are boring; the other one will make you swoon. Beatrice and Benedick are funny, clever, and stubbornly reluctant to admit they love each other. To wit, they're perfect for one another.
I have read two contradictory criticisms regarding the language in the play on Amazon: that the language is too simple for Shakespeare's standards, and that the language is too difficult. The latter was from the kid's reviews; for everyone else, the language is not so difficult to decipher that you need to avoid it. The Folger edition, at least, has one page of notes for every page of text, noting both puzzling references to Elizabethan beliefs, such as that sights draw blood from the heart, and language problems caused by the hundreds of years between Shakespeare's time and ours. The editors do all the work for you. You have no excuse. (Oh, and that the language is too simple: Bah. It's Shakespeare. That's impossible. I loved all the double entendres; this play was very witty.)
One criticism I somewhat agree with is that the plot is boring. Hero and Claudio, being the main couple, get much time, and I didn't care much about Don John's vengeance, but at least half of my favorite couple was usually present, and by no means do Hero and Claudio's plot monopolize the story. Much Ado About Nothing is often genuinely entertaining, which is what kept me interested. The plot's not the point here, it's the dialogue.
In sum, the language is poetic, but not so much so that it reads like Klingon, the romance will make you sigh, and the plot is at least good enough to keep Beatrice or Benedick in most of the time. Don't let the previous reviewers deter you: Read it.
Much Ado About the Play May 3, 2006
Elainne G. (Vancouver, WA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I feel it is necessary to dispute some of the prior reviews I have just read. Shakespeare is a magnificient writer and Much Ado About Nothing is no exception. Some people have written that it is difficult to understand his language; however, the Folger Shakespeare Library has notes on the left page to explain vocabulary that modern readers may not understand. These notes also explain phrases that are no longer used such as "civil as an orange" which is a similie (with the orange being a Seville orange) having the meaning of "between sweet and sour".
Much Ado About Nothing is a witty comedy with enjoyable banter between Beatrice and Benedick, an ironical storyline, and humorous characters such as Dogberry whose malapropisms bring a smile to the reader's face.
A wild romp of a book May 25, 2007
S. Schwartz (alberta canada)
This play focuses on two love affairs. Shakespeare plays on misconceptions, and nothing is at it seems. There are a lot of double entendres throughout the play, and the audience's perception of what is going on, is totally the opposite of what the characters are feeling. This is another good play to see performed.
Much to praise about "Much Ado About Nothing" January 17, 2008
Michelle Y. Lee (Arcadia, CA)
Set in Messina, Sicily, "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of William Shakespeare's romantic comedies that depicts the love story and follies typical of any Shakespearean play. While the play follows the typical Shakespearean plot of boy-meets-girl, boy-falls-in-love-with-girl, and quickly tips over a conflict, it does resolve to a happy ending at the end. The follies committed by the characters invite the audience to laugh with them, instead of at them. The dilemma in the story is reminiscent of those from a handful from Shakespeares' other plays: the false gossip from Othello, the separated lovers and the fake death from Romeo and Juliet, just to name a few. Even the characters themselves are similar, with the blocking character, the lovers, the friar, the parents, etc. It is Shakespeare's clever manipulation of the same plot and characters that gives new insight into each of the plays, however similar they might be.
Unlike other Shakespeare plays, Much Ado About Nothing is a much lighter burden to read; it is not written in blank verse, and is easily understood by modern readers of all ages. It is a delightful read, departing from his historical or tragic works (i.e. Antony and Cleopatra) and drawing it towards the genre of romantic comedies (i.e. A Midsummer's Night Dream). Both its comedic elements and advancement of events come from the motif of deception. Although the action of eavesdropping leads to multiple misunderstandings, some of which contribute to the conflict between Claudio and Hero, it does some good in uniting Benedick and Beatrice. The witty repartee between those characters also adds to the overall comedic feel of the play.
The play is definitely a page-turner for those seeking for a lighter read.
Good book November 9, 2008
L. Saxon (Northcentral Florida)
I bought this as a gift. He enjoyed the book. It arrived rather quickly (quicker than they said).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 57
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