Much Ado has always been popular on the stage. This edition pays especialattention to the history and range of theatrical interpretation in which themost famous... » 

Much Ado has always been popular on the stage. This edition pays especialattention to the history and range of theatrical interpretation in which themost famous actors from the time of Garrick to the present have appeared asthe sparring lovers Benedick and Beatrice. A full commentary includesannotation of the many sexual jokes in the play that have been obscured by thecomplexity of Elizabethan language. For this updated edition Angela Stock hasadded a new section to the Introduction in which she reviews the romantic andthe darker more cynical aspects of the play in the light of late twentiethcentury stage film and critical interpretations. She also tackles theinteresting question of Beatrices proper age and the critical fortunes of Heroand Claudio in terms of the plays interest in sexuality and misogynyeavesdropping and deception. «