"Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare: Considered one of Shakespeare's best comedies, "Much Ado About Nothing" begins with Leonato, the governor of Messina, Italy, welcoming a party of old friends to his home. The esteemed guests include Don Pedro, who is the Prince of Arragon and a well-respected nobleman, Claudio, a valiant young soldier, Benedick, another soldier in Don Pedro's army, known far and wide for his clever wit, and Don John, Don Pedro's illegitimate brother who is known far and wide for being a bastard, both for questionable parentage and disposition.
Leonato lives with his daughter, Hero, his niece, Beatrice, and his elderly brother, Antonio. Beatrice has a history with Benedick. They seem to enjoy matching wits at the other's expense. While the two verbal combatants are renewing hostilities, their two young counterparts, Hero and Claudio, are falling in love. But being the innocent, inexperienced lad that he is, Claudio doesn't know how to go about winning his beloved. I guess he never heard about the wonders of cheap wine.
Luckily, Don Pedro is willing to help. A big party is planned for that evening. Don Pedro volunteers to wear a disguise and play the part of Claudio, using his princely eloquence to win the heart of Hero for his young friend. The plan works almost too well. Seeing Hero flirting with another man, even one pretending to be him, drives Claudio into the depths of despair. It also foreshadows future events.
Once Don Pedro sets things straight, and Claudio and Hero agree to be wed, everyone turns their attentions to fixing up Beatrice and Benedick. It proves to be quite the challenge at first, since Benedick is sworn against marriage and Beatrice has yet to meet a man worthy of her ideals. But, after a little underhanded scheming from their friends, the two lovebirds are soon singing sweet music together, perhaps something from Nirvana or maybe The White Stripes.
All this happiness doesn't go over too well with Don John, the bastard. And, being a bastard, he decides to put an end to it. Don John's buddy Borachio just happens to be on romantic terms with Hero's maid, Margaret, who bears a striking resemblance to her mistress. See where this is going? Don John, the bastard, tells Claudio that Hero has been unfaithful, and he even arranges to have Claduio and Don Pedro outside Hero's window that night so they can see for themselves. They witness Hero at her window professing her love for Borachio. Of course, it's actually Margaret, but Don John leads them to believe otherwise. The bastard.
Claudio takes the news kind of hard. And he doesn't just quietly break off their engagement, either. He waits until their wedding ceremony to publicly humiliate Hero, vociferously renouncing his love and proclaiming his former bride a whore. Wow, and here I always thought my wedding was unique. Needless to say, Hero starts to cry. Leonato is shocked. Beatrice is furious at Claudio for his treatment of Hero, and Benedick, in a stunning reversal from his earlier attitude, sides with Beatrice, choosing romantic love over loyal friendship. And it's all because of Don John. The bastard.
Naturally, this being a Shakespearian comedy, everything ends happily, but I'll let you discover those details on your own. This play is definitely worth reading. While Claudio and Hero may be at the root of all the action, the true stars of the show are Beatrice and Benedick. Their love- hate relationship is tremendous. It clearly served as an inspiration for Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," a sure four-shot book had 70 proof existed back when I read it.
One question to ponder is the meaning of the title. It's widely accepted that the "Much Ado About Nothing" is in reference to all the trouble the characters experience thanks to Don John's trick. Or does it have a more cynical connotation? Could the "Much Ado" refer to the pains all lovers experience in following their hearts? And could the "Nothing" be marriage and romantic love? Or carry it one step further and the "Nothing" could take on a decidedly existential air. Isn't all life much ado about nothing?
I could easily give this four shots. But, c'mon, it's not "Hamlet." It's not "Othello." It's not "Romeo and Juliet." But it is very, very good. Three and a half shots would seem about right. But, as always, we don't pour half shots here. There's no point in being half drunk, or half in love.
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If you'd like to learn more about Edward de Vere and the truth about Shakespeare, here are a few links to get you started...
Shakespeare Oxford Society Home Page
The Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference: Who Was Edward de Vere?