
Set against the sun‑kissed backdrop of Messina, the story follows two noble families whose lives become tangled in a lively dance of love and suspicion. When the charismatic soldier Claudio declares his love for the gentle Hero, his joy is quickly shattered by a rumor that suggests she has been unfaithful, prompting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to ruin both hearts.
Meanwhile, the sharp‑tongued Beatrice and the proud soldier Benedick spar with each other in a battle of wits, each swearing to remain forever single. Their friends, convinced that the pair are perfect for one another, devise a playful scheme to coax them into admitting their hidden affections. Alongside these entangled romances, a pair of bumbling constables fumble through their duties, adding a generous dose of slapstick humor. The result is a sparkling comedy that balances tender romance with clever wordplay, inviting listeners to revel in the delightful misunderstandings that drive the action forward.
Language
fr
Duration
~2 hours (152K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Paul Murray, Renald Levesque and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica)
Release date
2005-05-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1564–1616
Often called the greatest writer in the English language, this English playwright and poet created dramas and verses that still feel alive on the page and stage. His stories of ambition, love, jealousy, power, and loss continue to speak to readers centuries later.
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