Much Ado About Nothing

1
Much Ado About Nothing

• By
• William Shakespeare

2
Much Ado About Nothing

• Was written by William Shakespeare sometime
  between 1596-1599
• It is a comedy. What does this mean? Discuss
  with a partner
• In dramatic terms a comedy is a play with a
  happy ending in which things could possibly turn
  tragically wrong but dont. There will be some
  humour in a comedy

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In fact Much Ado About Nothing is a Romantic
Comedy

• Romantic comedies are very popular films today,
  here are a few examples of Romantic Comedies
• Just Like Heaven
• 10 Things I Hate About You
• Four Weddings and a Funeral
• Notting Hill
• Can you think of any more similar films which
  you would call a Romantic Comedy?

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Romantic Comedies

• What are the things that you expect the
  conventions of Romantic Comedies?

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Pre-reading Speaking and Listening activity

• In groups of roughly 4 persons, write a brief
  play script. The scenario is a group of
  friends meet. Two of the friends used to go out
  with each other, the girl is called Beatrice and
  the boy is called Benedick. They actually still
  have feelings for each other but try to pretend
  that they hate each other. They are rude and
  insulting to each other and try to get the better
  of each other all of the time
• How do we lay out a play script??????

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Drama Skills

• Now you have written your play scripts, you
  should now rehearse. You must concentrate on
• Speaking clearly and confidently
• Using gesture and voice intonation to express
  yourself
• Using body language to express yourself
• Using facial expressions to express yourself
• Dont turn your back to the audience at any time
• Make eye contact with the other actors

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The SATs Shakespeare Paper

• The paper is 45 minutes long. It assesses your
  reading.
• You will have one task to respond to which will
  be on one or both of your set extracts from your
  set scenes Act 1, Scene 1 lines 1-123 and
  Act 2, Scene 1 lines 183-end.
• You will need to know the scenes well and to plan
  your answer. The question could focus on the
  following
• text in performance
• character and motivation
• language of the text
• ideas, themes and issues

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Watching the Film of Much Ado About NothingThe
Characters

• Don John the villain
• Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon
• Claudio, the young Florentine who loves Hero
• Hero

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Watching the Film of Much Ado About NothingThe
Characters

• Benedick and Beatrice

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Fill in the gaps plot summary based on watching
the film

• Complete attached worksheet

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Women in the 1500s

• Women had very few rights during this time.
  Society in both England and Italy was very
  patriarchal this means that society was
  dominated by men girls had to obey their
  fathers and then their husbands. For daughters
  of noblemen (such as Leonato) their marriages
  were often arranged. Most importantly, a woman
  MUST be a virgin when she is married.
• The fact that Claudio believed (wrongly) that
  Hero was not a virgin A belief which caused him
  to publicly humiliate Hero on her wedding day
  was, during the 1500s a perfectly acceptable
  reaction. The fact that Leonato was so angry and
  violent towards Hero when she was declared a
  loose woman was, again, a perfectly acceptable
  reaction in the 1500s.
• This is why Don Johns evil plan was such a good
  one!

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The Film

• What did you think of the film?

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Reading the Play

• Your first Set SATs Scene for 2007 is Act 1,
  Scene 1 lines 1-123 (I learn in this letter
  to You always endof old)
• Lines 1-24
• In pairs, read these lines and answer the
  questions on the attached worksheet.

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Reading Lines 1-24

• As a class read the lines 1-24
• Write a summary of what has happened as a class

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Writing a response

• You are writing a response to the Leonato
  question on your Writing a Response Sheet -
  Leonato
• Each arm on your brainstorm will become a small
  paragraph in your response
• You must add on an introduction at the start
• You must add on a conclusion at the end
• You must use at least 1 quote per paragraph
• You must refer back to the question at least once
  per paragraph
• You must use connectives (see your connectives
  sheet) at the beginning of paragraphs and
  sentences in the middle of sentences follow
  your connective with a comma

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Sample Introduction

• Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by
  William Shakespeare. It is set in Messina, Italy
  in the sixteenth century. In lines 1-24 (Act 1,
  Scene 1) the audience learn that the Prince of
  Aragon is coming to Messina and that Claudio
  fought well in the recent battle.

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Sample Paragraph

• In the first twenty four lines of Much Ado About
  Nothing, the audience learn that Leonato is a
  wise man who has fought in wars,
• A victory is twice itself when the achiever
  brings home full numbers.
• This quote suggests that Leonato knows what a war
  is and knows how wonderful it is not to lose too
  many soldiers. It also suggests that he knows
  exactly what it is like to lose many men in
  fighting.

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ClaudioLines 1-24

• What does each quote below reveal about Claudio?
• young florentine
• Don Pedro has bestowed much honour on him
• He hath borne himself beyond the promise of his
  age..
• doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a
  lion
• He hath an uncle here in Messina

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As pleasant as he ever was

• The messenger says
• this of Signior Benedick
• of Padua.
• What does this tell
• you about him?
• Go to worksheets on lines 30-78

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Beatriceher first words on Benedick

• He set up his bills here in Messina and
  challenged
• Cupid at the flight and my uncles fool, reading
  the
• Challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged
  him at
• The bird-bolt
• She says
• Benedick has challenged all in Messina by saying
  that he WILL NOT fall in love with any woman.
  Leonato, Beatrices uncle, has set out to prove
  Benedick wrong
• What impression do the audience get of Benedick
  now?
• Why might Beatrice say this about him?
• Go to worksheets on lines 30-78

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Beatriceher first words on Benedick
continuedhow many hath he killed and eaten in
these warsFor indeed I promised to eat all of
his killingThe fact that Benedick killed and
ate whom he killed tells you what about how
Beatrice sees Benedick?Why too might she
promise to eat all of his killing?He is a very
valiant trencher-manBeatrice says that
Benedick eats a lot, in other words that he is
greedyThese activities are on the
Beatriceher first words on Benedick worksheets.
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Hell be meet with you, I doubt it not

• Leonato says that he is quite sure that
  Benedick will get even with Beatrice for all of
  the mean things that she is saying about him
• What does this tell you about the relationship
  between Beatrice and Benedick?
• Go to worksheets on lines 30-78

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There is kind of merry war betwixt Signior
Benedick and her

• They never meet but there is a skirmish of wit
  between them
• What does this tell you about the relationship
  between Beatrice and Benedick?
• Go to worksheets on lines 30-78

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Beatrice on Benedick

• In our last conflict four of his five wits went
  halting offWho is his companion now? He hath
  every month a new sworn brother.
• Beatrice says of Benedick that he is a sandwich
  short of a picnic and
• That each month he has a new best friend
• What does this tell you about how she sees him?
• Go to worksheets on lines 30-78

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In lines 30-78 what do the audience learn about
the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick?

• Use the activities on your Worksheets to help you
  with your brainstorm for this assignment each
  arm on the brainstorm becomes a paragraph
• Add on an introduction (look back at your
  previous introduction)
• Add on a conclusion a paragraph at the end
  which sums up all that you have learnt about
  Beatrice and her relationship with Benedick
• Use connectives
• Use one quote per paragraph
• Make a point, use evidence to back it up, explain
  how the evidence helps to back up the point you
  have made (see attached example)
• Refer back to the question at least once per
  paragraph
• Go to the Beatrice and Benedick essay and plan

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P E E

• Beatrice clearly has little faith in Benedicks
  ability to fight like a brave man and a strong
  soldier. (This is the point.)
• But how many hat he killed? For
• indeed I Promised to eat all of his killing.
  (This is the evidence.)
• This quote clearly reveals that Beatrice does not
  think very highly of Benedick as it shows her
  doubting the number of men he could kill and it
  shows her being sarcastic. For if she offered to
  eat all of the men that he killed she cannot
  think he would kill very many. Hence, it clearly
  shows the audience that Beatrice does not hold
  Signior Benedick in very high esteem. (This is
  the evidence explained, clearly it links with the
  point.)

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Lines 79-97

• Don Pedro arrives he is obviously pleased to see
  Leonato and Leonato is likewise pleased to see
  Don Pedro.
• Bendick jokes with Leonato about whether he
  doubted that he was Heros father Were you in
  doubt sir, that you asked her?
• This joking makes Benedick out as a joker,
  someone who teases, someone who doesnt take life
  seriously and someone who doesnt believe that
  women are honest

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Lines 98-123

• Beatrice and Benedick talk to one another and
  insult each other. They try to get the better of
  one another.
• Match the translation to the Shakespearean
  version using the cut up lines
• Then, using the worksheet, write your response to
  the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick in
  these lines

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Summary Act 1, Scene 1Key SceneLines 1-123

• Leonato learns that Don Pedro, victorious in the
  recent wars, is coming to Messina that night.
  Claudio has fought well in the war. Benedick is
  coming too. Beatrice teases the messenger about
  Benedick. The soldiers arrive and Benedick and
  Beatrice insult each other.

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Summary of the remainder of Act 1, Scene 1

• After Beatrices and Benedicks exchange of
  insults, all of the characters go into Leonatos
  house. Claudio and Benedick remain behind.
  Claudio tells Benedick that he has fallen in love
  with Hero. Benedick laughs at Claudios falling
  in love so suddenly and tells Don Pedro all about
  it. Benedick has a very negative view of love
  and marriage and both Claudio and Don Pedro side
  with each other against Benedick. Both Claudio
  and Don Pedro have a positive attitude towards
  love and marriage. In private, Claudio asks Don
  Pedro for his help in wooing Hero. Don Pedro
  approves such a match as the one between Claudio
  and Hero. Don Pedro offers to woo Hero for
  Claudio and he offers to obtain permission from
  Leonato for Claudio to court and to marry his
  daughter Hero.

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Summary of the rest of Act 1 (up until your next
key scene)

• Act 1, Scene 2 Leonatos servant incorrectly
  tells him that Don Pedro is in love with Hero.
  Leonato is pleased but decides to wait and see
  what happens between Don Pedro and his daughter.
• Act 1, Scene 3 Don Pedro tells his friend
  Conrade that he is unhappy about the
  reconciliation with his half brother (Don Pedro).
  Borachio tells Conrade and Don John about
  Claudios intention to marry Hero. Don John, a
  villain, immediately begins thinking of ways to
  ruin Claudios happiness.

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Summary of Act 2, Scene 1 up until your key
section

• There is a masked ball at Leonatos house.
  Beatrice insults a masked Benedick and upsets
  him. Claudio becomes very upset when he is told
  by Benedick who was told by Don John that Don
  Pedro is wooing Hero for himself

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Act 2, Scene 1Lines 183 to the end

• Patriarchy, willow trees and birds
• Go to the worksheets on this section

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Practice SATs Questions

• Go to the worksheets on this section

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SATs2008

• Watch this space