The Meaning of Much Ado About Nothing & The Comedy of Errors

Shakespeare’s plays are poetical masterpieces that not only mesmerize us with their lyrical beauty but also convey sage messages critically important to humanity. This means that Shakespeare is a greater literary genius than previously thought, and his plays more wonderful and profound than previously imagined.

The Mystical Art of Shakespeare Volume I explains how Shakespeare meticulously crafted every scene of Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors to each convey its central spiritual message, using three unique Shakespearean techniques: cohesive unity, thematic resonance, and focused allegorical scenes.

This book is written as a running commentary of the two plays so readers can follow the narrative of Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors like reading a novel. The increased understanding from the commentary intensifies the drama and reflects how Shakespeare conveys his spiritual messages through our emotional involvement. It is akin to learning by direct experience—the initiatic quality that makes Shakespeare’s plays an invaluable gift to humanity.

The Mystical Art of Shakespeare Volume I: The Meaning of Much Ado About Nothing & The Comedy of Errors (Amazon site)

Sample Chapters

The Mystical Art of Shakespeare

The transcendent light that burns within the text of a Shakespearean play is conveyed to us, in true mystical fashion, by absorbing our very being into the enactment of its meaning. The message of the play is not conveyed intellectually; it is experienced. The mystical art of Shakespeare is thus the art of initiation. Shakespeare conveys his meaning by making us live through it.

This chapter also presents the three unique techniques that Shakespeare employs to convey his meaning: Cohesive Unity, Thematic Resonance and Focused Allegorical Scenes. Read more …

Much Ado About Nothing: Prologue

In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare is in his artistic element, conveying a deep message for humanity with a masterpiece of rapturous brilliance, lyrically beautiful and profound.

There is little need to ask what the central theme of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is. The answer stares us in the face. It is much ado about nothing, literally. Shakespeare makes no secret of it; he tells us point blank, since it is exactly what the title says. Yet, surprisingly, this was not evident for centuries. Read more …

The Comedy of Errors: Prologue

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s nascent works. It demonstrates that Shakespeare, even from his inception as a playwright, has already crystallized his intent to deliver profound messages through his plays. All of Shakespeare’s plays are meticulously crafted to convey deep messages to humanity, with the meaning of each play instilled in us—at times, subconsciously—through our emotional involvement in the drama. The Comedy of Errors clearly displays this quality, an initiatic quality akin to learning from direct experience. 

While many view The Comedy of Errors as an early farce by the bard, Shakespeare injects it with an astonishing new dimension. He frames the entire play within two scenes quite foreign to the genre. These scenes grimly focus on a man being condemned to die for merely being a “Syracusian.” Thus, with almost alarming artistic originality, Shakespeare provides an ominous backdrop to the comedy, effectively transforming it from a mere farce into a powerful message for humanity. Read more …