Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Much Ado About Nothing
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Much Ado About Nothing Emma Thompson as Beatrice and Kenneth Branagh as Benedick stand facing each other, holding hands, in front of a window with potted flowers and a scenic landscape in Much Ado About Nothing (1993).
Quizzes
William Shakespeare, 1564-1616. c 1907
Shakespeare's Monsters, Demons, and Giants Quiz
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what youā€™ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry (third from right) and Don Pedro (second from right), as portrayed by Michael Keaton and Denzel Washington, in the film Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

Much Ado About Nothing

work by Shakespeare
Written by
David Bevington
Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Humanities and Chair of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Chicago. World authority on Shakespeare. Editor of The Complete...
David Bevington
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
ā€¢History

Much Ado About Nothing, comedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written probably in 1598ā€“99 and printed in a quarto edition from the authorā€™s own manuscript in 1600. The play takes an ancient themeā€”that of a woman falsely accused of unfaithfulnessā€”to brilliant comedic heights. Shakespeare used as his main source for the Claudio-Hero plot a story from Matteo Bandelloā€™s Novelle (1554ā€“73); he also may have consulted Ludovico Ariostoā€™s Orlando furioso and Edmund Spenserā€™s The Faerie...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile