Robin --

the word "Nothing" was current slang for.... um, er, to quote Hamlet, "Country Matters".... :-)

Heh. I like it! (Hey! what were you two doing out behind the barn, last night? ... Oh... Nothing!) Yeah, I think we should that back... ;-)

Also, back in those days "Nothing" was pronounced very much like "Noting" -- or, in other words, listening and eavesdropping. And (I don't think I'm spoilering too much, here) nearly every twist of the plot (and subplot) depends on the careful orchastration of who overhears whom say what...

Also, the woman eulogized in the song I cited above is named "Hero" or "Her O," 'O' being current slang for ... erm... the part of a woman's body men generally make much ado about...

That Will was a great one for puns. I can easily imagine a dinner conversation with him being punctuated by much groaning and rolling of eyes.   He would have fit right in on the 'Cat.

On a more serious note, and bringing this thread back to the starting subject, there is also a key scene in the play that involves the challenge of a duel -- and one that is much more serious than over the cut of a gentleman's beard.