Joss Whedon's cinematic appropriation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is one that many critics argue supports Ben Jonson's observation that Shakespeare was "not of a era, but of all times". However, it would appear that the purpose of Whedon's interpretation of the play was not to demonstrate Shakespeare's universality across time, but rather to serve as a service vehicle for his implication of the absurdity of this current "He loves me/not loves me." generation. Today's young adults seem to struggle more than ever with the ideas of love and monogamy. With the flourishing of “hookup culture” has come a drying up of romantic relationships, a disappearance of people expressing their true emotions and feelings with each other. The film explores these issues of modern romantic conundrums with characters where love is the biggest life issue they have to worry about, and while Jonson might believe that by adapting Much Ado About Nothing, Whedon is making some sort of grand statement that this problem existed. long before our time and that Shakespearean novels universally represent all novels in some way, it is much more plausible that he is using the work as a comic microscope to allow us to see the ridiculousness of our own behavior through the well-known ridiculousness of these personages. It's Shakespeare set in a modern romantic comedy. The text of Much Ado About Nothing contains only a few lines suggesting that Beatrice and Benedick may have once had a romantic history, whereas the film does much more. In the act on the name Don Pedro says to Beatrice "You have lost the heart of Mr. Benedetto", Beatrice replies: "In fact, my lord, he lent it to me for a while, and I gave it to him in I use... a double heart for his one." (…) Unlike the play, Beat...... middle of paper ......particular play serves as a vehicle for this message of mocking self-indulgence and the tragedy of the lack of true love and the suspicion of relationships that seem to define the current generation. Another cornerstone of our modern society is the easing of restrictions on sexuality. In some scenes, Whedon's film takes on a level of sexuality that is only acceptable in contemporary times. While Shakespeare's sexual double entendres seem intended more for the sake of comedy, in the film they are woven into the acting itself, to the point that certain relationships take on new meaning. Jonson's assessment of Shakespearean appropriations is too simplistic. It is not that adaptations of his work demonstrate its timelessness and universality, as his work continues to serve as a vehicle for shifting viewpoints and ideals of different cultures of people as time passes..