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Much Ado about Nothing

Text and Performance

  • Authors
  • Pamela Mason
Textbook

Part of the Text and Performance book series (TEPE)

Table of contents

  1. Front Matter
    Pages 1-10
    PDF

  2. Text

    1. Front Matter
      Pages 11-11
      PDF
    2. The Society of Messina: ‘Giddy with the Fashion’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 11-13
    3. Beatrice and Benedick: ‘A Kind of Merry War’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 14-21
    4. The Overhearing Scenes: ‘much ado about nothing’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 21-24
    5. The Church Scene: ‘Enough, I am Engaged’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 24-28
    6. The Military Ethic: ‘On My Honour’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 29-35
    7. The Darker Elements: ‘Misprision’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 35-41

  3. Performance

    1. Front Matter
      Pages 43-43
      PDF
    2. Setting and Style
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 43-46
    3. 1949 — A Fairy-Tale Fantasy
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 47-51
    4. 1965 — Fornicate Sicilian Style!
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 51-55
    5. 1968 — High Renaissance
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 56-60
    6. 1976 — An Indian Summer
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 61-67
    7. 1981–1990 — ‘Strike Up, Pipers’
      Pamela Mason
      Pages 68-74
  4. Back Matter
    Pages 75-79
    PDF

About this book

Introduction

In Part 1 Text Pamela Mason explores such themes as the wealth of references to fashion, the way reality can be dressed in verbal disguise and the delicate balance of comic and tragic moods throughout the play. Particular attention is paid to the characters of Beatrice and Benedick and the 'covered fire' of passion beneath their surface wit. Part 2 Performance discusses four major productions in detail: John Gielgud (RSC 1949), Franco Zeffirelli (NT 1965), Trevor Nunn (RSC 1968) and John Barton (RSC 1976).

Keywords

church comic fashion High Renaissance humour India Indian performance play Renaissance society style

Bibliographic information