Branagh Sheds New Light on Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing is perhaps William Shakespeare’s most depressing comedy. Although it is ultimately uplifting, throughout the play there are themes that are also prevalent in such devastating tragedies as Romeo and Juliet, and Othello. Trickery, deceit, and death are woven throughout this smartly written comedy; these themes stray from the typical heartening tone used in the rest of his light comedies. Kenneth Branagh took advantage of …showed first 75 words of 1263 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1263 total…expressed in the movie. Branagh’s conscious effort to lighten the heavier ideas of death and deceit is evident; and while Much Ado About Nothing is still a problem comedy, there is a fresh lightness to it, that was not part of Shakespeare’s composition. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York.Washington Square Press, 1995. Halio, Jay L. “Special Issue: Reviewing Shakespeare.” Shakespeare Quarterly 36.5. 1985: 662-669.