Which book?
Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
Genre?
Play
Summary? (from GoodReads)
"Much Ado About Nothing" is the story of Leonato, an Italian nobleman, his daughter, Hero, and his niece, Beatrice. Following a war Leonato welcomes into his house Don Pedro, his good friend; fellow soldiers of Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick; as well as Don Pedro's illegitimate brother, Don John. Quickly amorous relations develop between Claudio and Hero and later between Benedick and Beatrice. As wedding plans are being made for Claudio and Hero, Don John tricks Claudio into believing that Hero has been unfaithful. The wedding bliss is briefly interrupted until the truth is finally discovered and the play ends in a joyful double wedding.
When did I first read it?
High school.
Why did I first read it?
Honestly, the only reason I first read it is because I loved the movie with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson so much.
What did I think about it then?
I was not (and still am not) a big fan of Shakespeare, but my adoration for the movie opened the door to my adoration for the play. It was just so funny and witty, and I liked being able to catch all the little things that were in the play that weren’t in the movie. I hated Claudio, of course—he’s so annoying—but I loved Beatrice and Benedict from the beginning, so they overpowered my distaste for Claudio.
What do I think about it now?
I love to pick up this play and reread my favorite bits. Those bits all involve Beatrice and Benedict, of course. Those two remain one of my favorite couples of all time. And despite their banter and poking fun at each other, they have some really romantic moments together, which gives their relationship a nice balance, I think.
Have you read this play? What did you think?
I did this one in high school too. It's being years since I've seen the film, but I remember being really impressed with the adaptation, especially Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why but whenever they made us analyse books at school I ended up really disliking them. I think because somehow that turned reading into work. Thankfully we never did Much Ado About Nothing so I am still curious. I didn't realise there was a movie. Will check it out.
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