Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare Key Facts

Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare

Key Facts • Time & Place Written: 1598, England • 1600: First Publication • Setting: 16 th Century-Messina, Sicily: On and around Leonato’s estate

Main Characters

Who is Beatrice? She is the orphaned and unwed niece of Leonato She is strong-willed and quick-witted She is continually sniping at and challenging Benedick She is not afraid of taking men on, in jest or in anger She is considered by Don Pedro and Leonato to be of a cheerful temperament She is a good friend to her cousin Hero, Leonato's daughter She has already had an unfortunate relationship with Benedick. The Characters Beatrice

Who is Benedick? He is a gentleman (by rank if not by behaviour) and a soldier He is a close friend of Count Claudio He is quick-witted and can be relied upon to entertain his colleagues He is committed to being a bachelor He is vain and arrogant about his attractiveness to women He may be hiding his deeper feelings for Beatrice He is a fair man who likes to see justice done He is not a romantic at heart, but a realist The Characters Benedick

What does Hero do in the play? She is secretly hidden, and believed ‘dead’ by Don John, Don Pedro and Claudio. She is unmasked at the wedding, and agrees to marry Claudio. She produces the love letter or poem proving Beatrice’s feelings for Benedick. The Characters Hero

Triumvirate Benedick claims that all women love him except Beatrice. However he dismisses them, saying that no woman is good enough to tie him down in marriage. He appears more experienced in the ways of the world than Claudio. He is strong enough to actually challenge Don Pedro's attempt to influence events. Leonato and Don Pedro treat Beatrice and Hero differently. They respect Beatrice's strong will. Leonato appears to be her guardian, and no doubt would like to see her married, but there's no question of an arranged marriage. Rather, the two men are going to contrive that she falls in love with Benedick, as a prelude to marriage. They treat her as a person in her own right, but treat Hero as a daughter first, and a person second.

Language Shakespeare uses language in Much Ado About Nothing in particular ways. The title of the play could be a pun on the word "nothing", which in Shakespeare's times may have been pronounced as "noting". In turn "noting" meant to "observe" or to "watch". The key feature of the play is that it is built on misunderstandings - where things are not quite as they seem. People are misled or misheard (mis-noted), and this leads to comedy and drama. Shakespeare's characters use language to insult each other, to deceive and to entertain - the following are some of the techniques he uses to achieve this.

Jokes and Puns • A pun is a form of word-play, which involves words that sound the same but have more than one meaning

Creating moods through actor’s words • In Much Ado About Nothing, the voices of characters are important. • In the First Key Extract, Beatrice's use of words and tone of voice paint a negative picture of Benedick before the audience even sees him. • In the Second Key Extract, Benedick's description of how Beatrice treated him at the masked ball makes the audience feel sorry for him, and like him more.

Ideas, Themes and Issues • The play as a whole is built around a number of key ideas, themes and issues. Trickery and deception - characters trick others into looking foolish, getting angry, becoming jealous, or falling in love. Self-deception and delusion - characters cannot see the obvious, and have an unrealistic view of themselves (good or bad). Love and marriage - described within a society where women have little power and little say in whom they marry. Status and honour - described within a society where anyone of low birth gives way to those of higher status, and where everyone is meant to keep to a strict social code.

Genre • Comedy/Romantic Comedy • Elements: - Love is the main action -Lovers must overcome obstacles and challenges before being united -Sometimes elements of the improbable, the supernatural, or the miraculous exist -Often there is a philosophical aspect: personal identity, importance of love to human existence, and the power of language.

Activity v Groups of 2 -3 students v Part One: Develop a plot for a romantic comedy film. Be sure to consider: setting (time, place), characters, etc. v Part Two: Create a movie poster for your film that provides audiences with a basic understanding of what the film is about.