As You Like It vs Much Ado About Nothing: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Juvenile drama, Comedy, Textual Criticism, English drama, Criticism and interpretation, Drama
As You Like It
“Orlando. As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou say'st, charged my brother on his blessing to breed me well; and there begins my sadness.”
More
This play has two principal settings: the court that Frederick has usurped from his brother, the rightful Duke, and the Forest of Arden, where the Duke and his followers (including the disgruntled Lord Jaques and the…
Much Ado About Nothing
“Enter Leonato (Governor of Messina), Hero (his Daughter), and Beatrice (his Niece), with a Messenger.”
More
Shakespeare's comedy play Much Ado About Nothing pivots around the impediments to love for young betrothed Hero and Claudio when Hero is falsely accused of infidelity and the "lover's trap" set for the arrogant and…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Much Ado About Nothing highest: Much Ado About Nothing 4.1 · As You Like It 3.8.
- As You Like It is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 3 for Much Ado About Nothing.
- Much Ado About Nothing has the widest readership — 262938 ratings behind its score.
- As You Like It reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 15 times.
How to choose
Scores by source
| As You Like It | Much Ado About Nothing | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (91152) | 4.1 (262938) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (130) | 4.1 (328) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (52) | 3.5 (29) |
Reception
| As You Like It | Much Ado About Nothing | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 91152 | 262938 |
| Editions | 467 | 401 |
| Citations | 15 | 3 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 49589 | 108086 |
| Reading it now | 2632 | 3818 |
| Written reviews | 4016 | 8025 |
| Wikipedia attention | 25780 | 39689 |
| Pages | 82 | 193 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: As You Like It or Much Ado About Nothing?
Much Ado About Nothing has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Much Ado About Nothing 4.1/5, As You Like It 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: As You Like It or Much Ado About Nothing?
As You Like It is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: As You Like It (82 pages, ≈ 1 h 31 m); Much Ado About Nothing (193 pages, ≈ 3 h 34 m).
Which is harder to read: As You Like It or Much Ado About Nothing?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — As You Like It: Demanding; Much Ado About Nothing: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
As You Like It: 5 film adaptations; Much Ado About Nothing: 5 film adaptations.