Much Ado About Calumny

One of the tale types and motifs that I study is the innocent heroine accused of committing adultery (motif K2110.1). This is a motif that appears in many oral and literary fairy tales (including Boccaccio's Decamerone and Basile's Pentamerone), and was the subject of my undergraduate thesis and a topic I've presented at academic conferences.

And this motif is key to one of the central conflicts of Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

On the eve of Hero's wedding to the young lord Claudio, the sinister villain (and bastard half-brother of Don Pedro) Don John accuses Hero of having "known" a man. He plots and schemes to create a situation that make Claudio believe that Hero has been unfaithful and is, er, no longer a maiden. (Sorry for the spoilers!) Claudio publicly humiliates Hero at their wedding, and she feigns death until the truth is revealed and all is put back to right in the world. (This is a comedy, after all.)

The other central plot is the match-making of verbal sparring partners, Benedick and Beatrice. (Joss Whedon describes them as "the original will-they or won't-they couple.)

Perhaps the most beloved adaptation of this comedy is Kenneth Branagh's 1993 film, starring Branagh (as Benedick) and his then-wife, Emma Thompson (as Beatrice).

One of the true delights of this comedy is the banter between Benedick and Beatrice.

I was understandably delighted when I learned that Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, The Avengers, Dollhouse, to name just a few) was coming out with a film version. (In case you can't read it, the tag line of the movie poster below below the title reads: "Shakespeare knew how to throw a party.")

Joss Whedon's adaptation has a modern setting and modern dress. And American audiences might appreciate the American English spoken by the actors.

So, needless to say, I had to see it. And I loved it!

So did lots of other people:

And critics liked it, too: