William Shakespeare

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.

Much Ado About Nothing

Sarah Sammis

The Taming of the Shrew (New Folger Library Shakespeare)

Christine

Humorous but it's Shakespeare and like
Augh

Annika Arguemore

"PLAYception", deception, intervention with a sprinkle of romance. what else has this book got? 

although, I would've appreciated it more if I understood the book without having to consult SparkNotes. but still, the plot's awesome and the dialogues are quite clever. who am I but a mere mortal to question the greatness of Shakespeare?

hileahrious

jennifer 

nothing special and outdated but I kinda can see how the trope became a blueprint for a specific archetype of enemies to lovers. I kinda wonder how Shakespeare knew psychological manipulation so deeply that’s kinda scary probably gave too many ppl the wrong idea

Lara Engle

Less enraging than it was when I was younger, but still my least favorite Shakespeare.

Wilde

My favourite Shakespeare play, this is the original rom-com whose one liners still stand up to the tst of time.

— lae

i’m telling you, if it weren’t for me having seen the play IRL in the shakespeare theater in london i would’ve rated this less.

i liked the book, but god was the plot weird. alright we get it you hate women with opinions MY GOD!

everyone painting the outspoken standing-her-ground woman as rude and disgusting and a beast? felt so bad for her. she just wanted to be seen as a person was that so hard (spoiler alert, yes, it was)

Much Ado About Nothing presents a battle of the sexes in more ways than one: as both a lightning-fast skirmish of wits between two famously disputatious lovers, and a near-deadly conflict built on conventions of gender and male rivalry. Claire McEachern's new introduction brings this best-seller right up to date, analysing recent developments in criticism and the latest productions of this comedy.

Revised Edition

Jamieson

its been 420 years but Benedick and Beatrice are still That Couple actual enemies to lovers excellence 

This is probably my favourite Shakespeare play I have seen yet. I read the script while also watching the filmed Globe performance and like .. its genuinely still laugh out loud funny. The Claudio storyline is annoying, but Hero is such a better character than Desdemona who has a similar plot line - Beatrice and Benedick are funny and sweet, and like I love them both. 

This deserves a really fun and good modern adaptation honestly

Alyssa 

Funny play, will be fun to be a part of it! But if this were to happen in the modern day, there would be a crap load of lawsuits. Petruchio is a horrible person, okay? In what world is it socially acceptable to starve your wife until she becomes obedient in every way? Not cool, Petruchio. You should be locked up for domestic abuse. Of course you live in a time where there was no such thing, though.

Jude Moon

this was a compulsory read for my english lit class but i was super hyped to finally read a shakespeare play and i enjoyed it!!! very much!!!

Amina Madadi (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ)

ah, Beatrice and Benedickt, what a couple!! I have to say that this lady is one of a kind!!
A MUST READ

Haley Murray

Love this play but wow does Claudio never improve or come across as less of a dick each viewing and reading of it.

Sparkling with the witty dialogue between Beatrice and Benedict, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's most enjoyable and theatrically successful comedies. This edition offers a newly edited text and an exceptionally helpful and critically aware introduction. Paying particular attention to analysis of the play's minor characters, Sheldon P. Zitner discusses Shakespeare's transformation of his source material. He rethinks the attitudes to gender relations that underlie the comedy and determine its view of marriage. Allowing for the play's openness to reinterpretation by successive generations of readers and performers, Zitner provides a socially analytic stage history, advancing new views for the actor as much as for the critic.

The Oxford Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing

Sara

Fav Shakespeare comedy, however this reread made me really hate Claudio lol. 

Benedick & Beatrice supremacy tho

Leah Dutcher

Ew, I don't know what I expected but it was worse than that.

Mary Horton

vita

Shakespeare isn't half as funny as he thinks he is. And I feel kinda bad for him.


As someone who grew up watching "ten things I hate about you" I am so disappointed. 

This play was all over the place and I don't think this is one of the cases when the humor is lost over the centuries because I don't think it was ever funny. 

It starts with a completely different story that makes no sense, has no connection with the taming of a shrew and has no conclusion whatsoever. The whole story is full of useless, meaningless characters that seem to be there to make your reading even more confusing than it already is. The prologue even more so. 

The "main" story is (and I can't believe I'm saying that about the plot of 10 things I hate about you) boring. The characters have no driving, no goal and no reason as to why they're so annoying. 

Katherine is a contrarian and that seems to be her only personality trait. 
Petruchio is a gold-digger jerk that starved his wife so he could force her into obeying him. 
Bianca could've been considered dull if she had had enough space to show some personality. 
The Lucentio-Tranio plot was messy. (And unnecessary if I'm being honest.)
And I don't remember the name of the other characters, even though there's a least 8 more to mention and I just finished this book. 

"The taming of a shrew" was bad. I'm so glad it wasn't the first Shakespeare play I've read or I'm not sure I'd be willing to read any of his other works ever again. Because it was so not funny that I kinda feel embarrassed on his behalf.

Trever

** spoiler alert **
           2.5
Who knows what Shakespeare meant here? It could have been that he was arguing for spousal abuse and male chauvinism, but that seems too on-the-nose. It seems to me like he meant something more, but it's not obvious what that is. Un-"tamed" Katherina was a funny and enjoyable character; I almost rooted for her and against Petruchio, who is, by the way, a huge dick. The frame story perhaps sets it as an exaggeration of the inter-sex interactions of the time. Whatever it means, Billy Shakes got some good puns in, that's for sure.

Ana Matti

I give it a 3. I would have given it a 3.5 if there was a option. Not that I have anything against Shakespeare I just don't really understand Shakespearean language, like i have to read the page 3 times just to get what was happening. Okay back to the review. I started reading this book last summer but I had to stop since I had a hard time understanding but after taking a test about it for school and watching 10 Things I hate About You in school, I actually found the story even more beautiful than it really was and decided to finish it just a few weeks ago.

Depicts the humorous mishaps which follow when young Claudio is duped into believing his fiancee has been unfaithful

Much Ado about Nothing

Zeke Taylor

The Taming of the Shrew (Arkangel Shakespeare)

Alice

An enjoyable and short read. Very quirky, but thought-provoking. I also enjoyed the puns and double-entendres.

Maria🥂

Just fun to read and not sad like the other books of William Shakespeare 💕😌

Flavia Louise

4 stars
I saw this at the Globe and me reading it could just not live up to that...

Ellie Younger

Yes, this is satirical, but it is difficult to get through the exaggerated sexism and gender roles none the less.

Much Ado About Nothing

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