Much Ado About Nothing
In order to prepare for the final exam on Thursday, please think about, discuss, and jot down answers to the following questions. Also, read through all your notes on Much Ado and through your Quotations sheets. There will be three sections on Thursday’s exam: Quotation Identification, Paragraph Answer, Essay. Completion of the study questions and the preparation of one page of notes (including an outline, quotations, thesis statement, etc. ) for the essay topic is required for Thursday.
1. Describe the following characters and reflect on their function in the play: Claudio, Dogberry, Leonato.
2. Describe the following characters and reflect on their function in the play: Hero, Don John, Don Pedro, the Friar.
3. Define the term metaphor. Give an example from the play. Which characters use metaphors most often? How does Shakespeare’s use of metaphor contribute to the play as a whole?
4. Define the term pun. Give an example from the play. How does Shakespeare’s use of puns contribute to the play as a whole?
5. Define dramatic and verbal irony. Give at least two examples (of either) from the play and label them. How does Shakespeare’s use of irony contribute to the play as a whole? How would the play be different without irony?
6. Define the term foil. Give an example of a foil in the play. Explain how the two characters are a foil and how this foil contributes to the play as a whole. (i.e. How is Shakespeare’s use of foils so important to the play as a whole?)
7. Analyze the concept that the beautiful is the good and how it develops in this play.
8. Explain how Much Ado About Nothing is not only a play for Elizabethan times, but also a play for modern times.
9. How does Shakespeare develop the theme of the power of words in this play? Give several examples where Shakespeare reveals the power of the word and then analyze them. Be sure to discuss Benedick and Beatrice’s connection through language, the power of words used well to create great disorder or to restore order, and Dogberry’s role as a poor speaker.
10. Analyze Claudio’s love for Hero. Is it a deep, true love? What is the love based on? What are your predictions for their future?
11. Analyze the love between Benedick and Beatrice. What is their loved based on? What are your predictions for their future? Compare their relationship to that of Claudio and Hero.
12. Analyze the foil of Benedick and Beatrice vs. Hero and Claudio.
13. Explain the definition of a classical romance and how it applies to Much Ado. For each of the following terms, a) define it, b)give an example of it from the play: arete, hubris, sophrosune, order is restored.
14. Is Much Ado About Nothing a romance or a tragedy waiting to happen?
15. List and explain several themes from Much Ado About Nothing.
Essay Topics: To prepare for this section, brainstorm and then prepare one sheet of notes for the topic of your choice. Include an outline, quotations, and a thesis statement on each page of notes.
Comparison: Choose two characters from the play and compare and contrast them. Analyze their similarities and differences in personality, attitude, change, and symbolism. What is Shakespeare saying through the comparison of these two characters? How does he use them as a foil? Use specific examples and quotations from the play to support your opinions.
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Theme: Analyze how Shakespeare develops the theme the power of words. How do words create and destroy? How do they reflect intelligence or the lack of? How do they bring people together or force them apart? Why do they matter? Use specific examples and quotations from the play to support your opinions.