William Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing

This is a play that I grew up watching with my dad. We loved the Kenneth Branagh adaptation (bare butts at the start and all) and I watched it many times with him. My dad's love of Shakespeare was definitely a big reason that I love it so much, and it has been literature we've bonded over. Since becoming an English teacher, this is my favorite play to teach, and I love sharing it, with its complicated but funny plot, with my students over the years, who have reported liking it more than they thought they would.

Much Ado About Nothing begins on the heels of some sort of short war. The prince, Don Pedro, and his brother, Don John, have just returned from fighting each other. In a gracious move, Pedro has forgiven his brother, and has taken him back into his company. It is from this conflict that the armies arrive in Messina to stay at the house of the governor, Leonato. As the soldiers stay in Leonato's house, Claudio, Pedro's right hand man, falls in love with Leonato's daughter Hero. They quickly get engaged and are set to be married the following week. In the meantime, a plan is hatched to get Beatrice (Leonato's niece) and Benedick (Claudio's best friend and solider) to fall in love with each other. The two have a tumultuous relationship, often battling wittily when they meet. As the wedding is about to happen, don John delivers devastating news to Claudio: Hero has been cheating. What will happen to the wedding, and can Benedick and Beatrice overcome their disdain for marriage?

This play is so delightful. While my students frequently question the sincerity of everyone's feelings, they always find the trick on Benedick and Beatrice funny and love the outcome of it. I also love how it all turns out with them saying they'll marry each other out of pity. I also love to watch them get annoyed at Claudio and baffled that Hero marries him anyway, even after all he put her through. It is a fun story, and I try to highlight what went wrong in it and how they can relate to it.

If you're looking for good editions of Shakespeare, I always recommend (and personally use) the Folger Shakespeare Library because of its excellent notes throughout the play. It gives helpful "translations" and some cultural or historical explanations to make it easier to understand.

I give this book a PG rating for inuendo, and as it's my favorite play, my rating is of course ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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