Much Ado about Nothing

Much Ado about Nothing contains some of my favorite things from Shakespeare (Beatrice and Benedick; Dogberry; lightning-fast, razor-sharp wordplay) and some of the most disappointing things from Shakespeare (Hero and Claudio; Don John; endless cuckold jokes). For a while between Shakespeare's time and the 20th century, productions commonly removed the entire Hero and Claudio plot, instead focusing on Beatrice and Benedick; sometimes plots from other Shakespeare plays were brought in to complement Beatrice and Benedick.

While the analysis at the beginning is very thorough, I would have preferred if it were after the play. So many spoilers!