Much Ado About Nothing

This fresh edition of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies offers new insights into the play on the page and in performance, offering interviews with directors Nicholas Hytner and Marianne Elliott and actress Harriet Walter alongside student-friendly scene-by-scene analysis and a new introduction from Jonathan Bate. From the Royal Shakespeare Company – a fresh new edition of Shakespeare's much-loved comedy of the battle between the sexes THIS EDITION INCLUDES: • An illuminating introduction to Much Ado About Nothing by award-winning scholar Jonathan Bate • The play - with clear and authoritative explanatory notes on each page • A helpful scene-by-scene analysis and key facts about the play • An introduction to Shakespeare's career and the Elizabethan theatre • A rich exploration of approaches to staging the play featuring photographs of key productions The most enjoyable way to understand a Shakespeare play is to see it or participate in it. This unique edition presents a historical overview of Much Ado About Nothing in performance, recommends film versions, takes a detailed look at specific productions and includes interviews with two leading directors and an actor – Nicholas Hytner, Marianne Elliott and Harriet Walter – so that we may get a sense of the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible, a variety that gives Shakespeare his unique capacity to be reinvented and made 'our contemporary' four centuries after his death. Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer an accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare's works for the twenty-first century. From the Royal Shakespeare Company – a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy of the battle between the sexes. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of Much Ado About Nothing in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are three interviews with two leading directors and an actor – Marianne Elliott, Nicholas Hytner and Harriet Walter – providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare’s career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended – as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed.Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer a fresh, accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare’s works for the twenty-first century.