Much Ado About Nothing (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Life of William ShakespeareBy William Shakespeare
Length17h 8m
About this audiobook
Much Ado About Nothing is among Shakespeare's most dazzling comedies of wit, deception, and social performance. Centered on the verbal sparring of Beatrice and Benedick and the near-tragic slander of Hero, the play balances festive romance with a sharp examination of honor, gender, and reputation. Written in the late 1590s, it belongs to Shakespeare's mature comic period, where lyrical prose, intricate plotting, and theatrical irony reveal both human folly and emotional truth. William Shakespeare, actor, shareholder, and dramatist of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, wrote for a public stage alive to courtly fashion, popular festivity, and civic anxiety. His experience in repertory theatre sharpened his command of dialogue, pacing, and ensemble structure. The inclusion of a classic biography usefully situates the play within the life and career of a writer whose works emerged from both commercial theatre and Renaissance humanist culture. This edition is recommended for readers seeking the complete dramatic text alongside biographical context. Students, theatre practitioners, and lovers of literary comedy will find it an illuminating entry into Shakespeare's art: brilliant in language, humane in insight, and enduringly perceptive about love's dependence on trust.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- An Introduction draws the threads together, discussing why these diverse authors and texts belong in one collection.
- Historical Context explores the cultural and intellectual currents that shaped these works, offering insight into the shared (or contrasting) eras that influenced each writer.
- A combined Synopsis (Selection) briefly outlines the key plots or arguments of the included pieces, helping readers grasp the anthology's overall scope without giving away essential twists.
- A collective Analysis highlights common themes, stylistic variations, and significant crossovers in tone and technique, tying together writers from different backgrounds.
- Reflection questions encourage readers to compare the different voices and perspectives within the collection, fostering a richer understanding of the overarching conversation.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length17 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 27, 2014
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Enriched Edition. The Life of William Shakespeare
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5Much Ado About Nothing (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare
Show all chaptersShow less
6Much Ado About Nothing
7ACT 1.
8ACT 2.
9ACT 3.
10ACT 4.
11ACT 5.
12The Life of William Shakespeare
13PREFACE
14I—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
15II—CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION, AND MARRIAGE
16III—THE FAREWELL TO STRATFORD
17IV—ON THE LONDON STAGE
18V.—EARLY DRAMATIC EFFORTS
19VI—THE FIRST APPEAL TO THE READING PUBLIC
20VII—THE SONNETS AND THEIR LITERARY HISTORY
21VIII—THE BORROWED CONCEITS OF THE SONNETS
22IX—THE PATRONAGE OF THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON
23X—THE SUPPOSED STORY OF INTRIGUE IN THE SONNETS
24XI—THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMATIC POWER
25XII—THE PRACTICAL AFFAIRS OF LIFE
26XIII—MATURITY OF GENIUS
27XIV—THE HIGHEST THEMES OF TRAGEDY
28XV—THE LATEST PLAYS
29XVI—THE CLOSE OF LIFE
30XVII—SURVIVORS AND DESCENDANTS
31XVIII—AUTOGRAPHS, PORTRAITS, AND MEMORIALS
32XIX—BIBLIOGRAPHY
33XX—POSTHUMOUS REPUTATION
34XXI—GENERAL ESTIMATE
35APPENDIX (pt. 1)
36APPENDIX (pt. 2)
37Analysis
38Reflection
THE WINTER'S TALEWilliam Shakespeare, Sidney Lee17h 7m4.1 (85.5K)$1.99 · $0.00
JULIUS CAESARWilliam Shakespeare17h 27m4.0 (260K)$1.99 · $0.00
THE TEMPESTWilliam Shakespeare17h 10m4.0 (272.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
William Shakespeare Esencial: Obras inmortalesWilliam Shakespeare20h 59m4.5 (19)$1.99 · $0.00
König Heinrich VIII. (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch/Englisch)William Shakespeare7h 53m3.5 (10.2K)$1 · $0.00
Viel Lärm um Nichts (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare7h 35m4.3 (143)$1 · $0.00
König Lear (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare8h 37m4.3 (26.2K)$1 · $0.00
Die bekanntesten Lustspiele William Shakespeares (Zweisprachige Ausgaben: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare73h 45m4.4 (45)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare157h 18m4.6 (244.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Julius Cäsar (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare6h 55m4.1 (128)$1 · $0.00
Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare5h 48m3.9 (211.7K)$1 · $0.00
Verlorene Liebesmüh (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare7h 39m3.7 (20.3K)$1 · $0.00
Zwei Herren aus Verona (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare6h 24m3.7 (37)$1 · $0.00
RICHARD III (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare9h 25m4.2 (55)$1 · $0.00
Venus und Adonis (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare3h 12m4.6 (18)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Historical Plays of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare29h 39m4.4 (613)$1.99 · $0.00
Das Winter-Mährchen (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare6h 18m4.4 (10)$1 · $0.00
OTHELLO (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare9h 35m4.2 (1K)$1 · $0.00
TWELFTH NIGHTWilliam Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
TROILUS & CRESSIDAWilliam Shakespeare18h 13m3.7 (30.1K)$1.99 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
TWELFTH NIGHTWilliam Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Complete Histories / History Plays of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 42m4.6 (2.3K)$0.99 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Goodwin Woodson4h 32m4.5 (28.4K)$10 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$0.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$0.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
You may also like
The Comedy of ErrorsWilliam Shakespeare1h 40m3.9 (125.6K)$3 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: All 214 Plays, Sonnets, Poems & Apocryphal Plays (Including the Biography of the Author) (Annotated)William Shakespeare156h 38m4.7 (3.6K)$2 · $0.00
Further Chronicles of AvonleaLucy Maud Montgomery6h 2m3.9 (11.1K)$2.30
William Shakespeare - Ultimate Collection: Complete Plays & Poetry in One VolumeWilliam Shakespeare156h 37m4.6 (4.1K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Letters of Jane AustenJane Austen7h 32m4.3 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare107h 27m4.6 (89.4K)$2.30
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Ultimate Collection: ALL 38 Plays & Complete Poetry (Annotated)William Shakespeare156h 30m4.5 (5.2K)$2 · $0.00
Blandings Castle and ElsewhereP. G. Wodehouse8h 44m4.2 (899)$20
Lord Emsworth and OthersP. G. Wodehouse8h 16m4.2 (2.2K)$20
Abigail and Alexa Save the WeddingLian Dolan10h 4m4.1 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
Galahad at BlandingsP. G. Wodehouse5h 27m4.4 (3.2K)$17
The Greatest Works of P. G. WodehouseP. G. Wodehouse233h 12m4.6 (1.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Semi-Detached HouseEmily Eden5h 40m3.8 (1.1K)$8 · $0.00
Love’s Labor’s LostWilliam Shakespeare2h 26m3.9 (16.4K)$15
A Damsel in DistressP. G. Wodehouse8h 18m4.1 (9.7K)$2.30 · $0.00
Service with a SmileP. G. Wodehouse6h 33m4.3 (3.9K)$17
Rainbow ValleyL. M. Montgomery9h 5m4.2 (65.2K)$0.60 · $0.00
Uneasy MoneyP. G. Wodehouse7h 29m4.1 (3.6K)$2.30
A Damsel in DistressP. G. Wodehouse8h 11m4.1 (10.2K)$20
Fibber McGee & Molly, Vol. 2Hollywood 3605h 55m$17