William Shakespeare, "Much Ado About Nothing" (The New Cambridge Shakespeare, Updated Edition)

Much Ado has always been popular on the stage. This edition pays especial attention to the history and range of theatrical interpretation, in which the most famous actors, from the time of Garrick to the present, have appeared as the sparring lovers Benedick and Beatrice. A full commentary includes annotation of the many sexual jokes in the play that have been obscured by the complexity of Elizabethan language.

For this updated edition Angela Stock has added a new section to the Introduction in which she reviews the romantic and the darker, more cynical aspects of the play in the light of late twentieth-century stage, film and critical interpretations. She also tackles the interesting question of Beatrice's proper age and the critical fortunes of Hero and Claudio in terms of the play's interest in sexuality and misogyny, eavesdropping and deception.

About The New Cambridge Shakespeare Series
The New Cambridge Shakespeare is an edition of Shakespeare's works, consisting of a separate volume for each play, and a volume each for the Sonnets and the narrative poems. The texts have been prepared by an international team of the very best scholars, who provide in each case a freshly-considered and modernised text, a substantial introduction and commentary at the foot of the page. The series pays particular attention to the play in performance, commenting on the stage action and offering a performance history with illustrations. It is aimed at students of Shakespeare from A level or its equivalent, and onwards, including undergraduates, graduates and teachers.

An international team of scholars offers:

• modernized, easily accessible texts
• ample commentary and introductions
• attention to the theatrical qualities of each play and its stage history
• informative illustrations

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Abbreviations and Conventions

Introduction
 Sources
 The date of the play
 Stage history
 The criticism of the play
 A note on the text
 Postscript, March 1987
 Recent stage, film and critical interpretations, by Angela Stock
  Performance history
  Criticism

List of characters

Much Ado About Nothing

Supplementary notes
Textual analysis
 The nature of the copy for Q and the problems of the text for editor and producer
Appendixes
 1: The time-scheme of Much Ado About Nothing
 2: Lewis Carroll's letter to Ellen Terry
 3: Benedick's song, 5.2.18–22
Reading list

Tags: qShakespeare, qDrama, qLiterature, qLiteraryCriticism

John Sutherland & Cedric W...zzles (World's Classics)"

William Shakespeare, "A M... Shakespeare, Updated Edition)

William Shakespeare, "As ...rden Shakespeare), 3rd Edition

William Shakespeare, "Mac...The New Cambridge Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare, "Mea... Shakespeare, Updated Edition)

William Shakespeare, "Muc...rden Shakespeare), 3rd Edition

William Shakespeare, "The...rden Shakespeare), 2nd Edition

William Shakespeare, "The...rden Shakespeare), 3rd Edition

Scott McMillin, ed., "Res...ritical Editions), 2nd Edition

Michael Dobson & Stanley W...Companion To Shakespeare"

Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard...re in Love: A Screenplay"

Tom McArthur, "The Oxford Companion to the English Language"

John Rignall (ed), "Oxfor...ompanion to George Eliot"

R. C. Terry, "Oxford Reader's Companion to Trollope"

Diana Tixier Herald, "Gen... Interests (6th Edition)"

Jane Rogers (ed), "Good Fiction Guide"

Pierre Bayard, "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read"