Introduction to the play
One of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedies, Much Ado About Nothing includes two quite different stories of romantic love. Hero and Claudio fall in love almost at first sight, but an outsider, Don John, strikes out at their happiness. Beatrice and Benedick are kept apart by pride and mutual antagonism until others decide to play Cupid.
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… I
was born to speak all mirth and no matter.
—Beatrice
Act 2, scene 1, lines 322–23
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
—Balthasar
Act 2, scene 3, lines 64–67
Much Ado About Nothing in our collection
A selection of Folger collection items related to Much Ado About Nothing. Find more in our digital image collection
Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing
Learn more about the play, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
About Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
An introduction to the plot, themes, and characters in the play
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and wordplay
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the play and our editors’ approach to this edition
Textual Notes
A record of the variants in the early printings of this text
A Modern Perspective
An essay by Gail Kern Paster
Further Reading
Suggestions from our experts on where to learn more
Shakespeare and his world
Learn more about Shakespeare, his theater, and his plays from the experts behind our editions.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
Shakespeare’s Theater
An essay about what theaters were like during Shakespeare’s career
The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays
An essay about how Shakespeare’s plays were published
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Teaching Much Ado About Nothing
Use the Folger Method to teach Much Ado About Nothing. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
Free resource
Choral Reading: Much Ado About Nothing 1.1
Choral Reading: Much Ado About Nothing 1.1
Paired Texts: Ma Rainey from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing
Paired Texts: Ma Rainey from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing
Introducing Much Ado About Nothing with 2-Line Scenes
Introducing Much Ado About Nothing with 2-Line Scenes
Promptbook: The Wedding Scene of Much Ado About Nothing 4.1
Promptbook: The Wedding Scene of Much Ado About Nothing 4.1
Juicy Lesson! Paired Texts: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing 2.1
Juicy Lesson! Paired Texts: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing 2.1
Early printed texts
Much Ado About Nothing was first published in 1600 as a quarto (Q1) and then included in the 1623 First Folio (F1). There is little difference between the dialogue of the two texts, although Q1’s stage directions and speech prefixes are often more confusing than those in F1. The Folger Shakespeare edition is based on Q1, with changes to the text indicated in half-brackets.
