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    Much Ado About Nothing

    comedy

    Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's wittiest comedies, famous for two characters who insist they will never fall in love. Beatrice and Benedick trade brilliant insults at every turn, while their friends quietly scheme to trick them into admitting they actually adore each other. A second, darker plot sees the young Hero cruelly shamed at her own wedding by a jealous lie. In the end the lie is exposed, and not one but two couples find their way to marriage.

    ▸SCENE I. Before LEONATO'S house.▸SCENE II. A room in LEONATO's house.▸SCENE III. The same.

    ▸SCENE I. A hall in LEONATO'S house.▸SCENE II. The same.▸SCENE III. LEONATO'S orchard.

    ▸SCENE I. LEONATO'S garden.▸SCENE II. A room in LEONATO'S house▸SCENE III. A street.▸SCENE IV. HERO's apartment.▸SCENE V. Another room in LEONATO'S house.

    ▸SCENE I. A church.▸SCENE II. A prison.

    ▸SCENE I. Before LEONATO'S house.▸SCENE II. LEONATO'S garden.▸SCENE III. A church.▸SCENE IV. A room in LEONATO'S house.

    Characters

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    BeatriceLeonato's nieceBenedickLord of PaduaHeroLeonato's daughterClaudioYoung lord of Florence

    Famous Quotes

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    “Kill Claudio.”

    Beatrice — Act 4, Scene 1

    “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”

    Beatrice — Act 4, Scene 1

    “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.”

    Beatrice — Act 1, Scene 1

    Further Reading

    10 Powerful Female Characters in Shakespeare

    From Lady Macbeth to Beatrice, these ten women prove that Shakespeare's female characters are anything but dated. Meet the heroines who seize agency, mock patriarchy and still set the bar for complexity.

    Shakespeare's 9 Best Quotes About Love

    "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." Here are nine of Shakespeare's most beloved lines about love, each explained in plain English, from Romeo and Juliet to the Sonnets.

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