The document provides context and analysis of William Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. It discusses: 1) The play contains three intertwining plot lines - the relationship between Claudio and Hero, the bumbling policeman Dogberry, and the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick. 2) Aristotle's definition of comedy is discussed alongside the four elements of comedy identified by Donatus and Euanthius - the prologue, protasis, epitasis, and catastrophe. 3) The play questions and subverts social norms through its use of oppositional characters like the assertive Beatrice against the subservient Hero. Characterization in the play enhances its dramatic qualities and provides commentary on Elizabeth

1. Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare
AQA English Literature – Unit 2 Dramatic Genres
Week 3 Lessons 5 and 6

2. Starter:
Many Shakespeare’s comedy plays, such as A
Midsummer Night’s Dream for instance, have multiple
plots within them that intertwine.
Could you argue this is true for Much Ado Nothing?
If so what plots might they be?

3. Much Ado About Nothing plots:
The basic structure of the play is three different plot lines
which are intertwined:
1. Claudio and Hero: the conventional young lovers
who have a crisis in their relationship and then
are reunited at the end of the play.
2. Dogberry: a bumbling amateur policeman, who
with his associates, the volunteer watchmen,
figure in the action when they catch the bad
guys.
3. Beatrice and Benedick: two battling, witty lovers
who begin the play hating each other and end up
in a different kind of loving relationship.

4. Language terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Affectation •
Anachronistic •
Bawd
•
Beaus
Black Comedy •
•
Clown
•
Complicit
•
Farce
Fops
•
Inversion
•
theory
•
Moral Double •
Pastoral
•
Patriarchal •
Presentism
Rakes
Soliloquy
Subversive
Transgression
Travesty
Trickster
Urban

5. Act 1 Scene 1
Task 1: Discuss how does the theme of
deception link to Beatrice and
Benedick?

6. Act 1 Scene 1
Task 1: Discuss how does the theme of
•Beatrice and Benedick’s deception is used to create
deception link to Beatrice and
humour in the play.
Benedick?
•Deception is what brings them together.
•…At the beginning of the play, the audience are able
to see their feelings towards one another even if they
are deceiving themselves and each other.

7. Act 1 Scene 1
Beatrice and Benedick’s opening exchanges create humour and establishes the
‘merry war of words’ between Beatrice and Benedick
•Read Act 1 Scene 1 of MAAN paying attention to the witty exchange and
repartee between Beatrice and Benedick.
Task 3: Plan an answer for at least one of the following questions
(Write the question down you will need it later!):
1. To what extent does the first Act conform to the Comedy genre?
2. How is Language used in the first Act?
3. How is Act One used to introduce the major themes of the play?
4. How is Act One used to set the tone and atmosphere of the play?
In each question you must include:
Select Evidence from the text
Themes Context
Characterisation
Use Key terms Use conventions of Comedy

8. Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare
AQA English Literature – Unit 2 Dramatic Genres
Week 3 Lessons 5 and 6

9. The Comic Genre
Aristotle’s Poetics gives us a detailed and decisive text
upon which to base our understanding of the tragic
genre.
However, Aristotle did not write about the comic genre
in detail. Instead, much of understanding of how
comedy is constructed in a structural sense comes
from the work of Donatus and Euanthius.

10. Donatus & Euanthius
In his text, On Comedy, Donatus points to four distinct elements that combine
to create the comic genre. Euanthius then develops the structural foundations
of ‘comedy’ as for drama.
1. The Prologue – ‘the first speech’, ‘a kind of preface to the drama’
2. The Protasis – ‘the first action of the story, where the plot of the
story is explained, although some is held back from the audience
to arouse suspense among the audience.
3. The Epitasis – ‘the complication of the story, by excellence of
which its elements are intertwined
4. The Catastrophe – ‘the unravelling’ and then ‘the resolution of the
course of events so that there is a happy ending which is made
evident to all by the recognition of past events’.

11. Donatus & Euanthius
...gave us a template against which we can identify the
central structural elements of the ‘comedy’ in terms of genre.
In addition, as with all generic conventions, the structure is
open to subversion at the playwrights will.
Starter: Try to
identify the four
elements of
‘comedy’ in Much
Ado About
Nothing.

12. Subversion
Drama (and comedy in particular) will always question,
challenge and subvert the status-quo.
Comedy can often be described a risqué – we may
question whether a joke is acceptable or whether It
has ‘crossed the line’.
This debate is a the very heart of comedy – the role of
comedy is to mock, challenge, and transgress.

13. Subversion
1)
Drama (and comedy in particular) will always question,
Read the essay Comedy: Morality
challenge and subvert the status-quo. & Conflict
2) Comedy aspects of society arerisqué – we may or
Which can often be described a being mocked
question whether a joke is acceptable or whether It
challenged and in what way?
has ‘crossed the line’.
3) This debate is afar you think of comedy – theconforms
Decide how the very heart Shakespeare role of
or subverts the challenge, and transgress.
comedy is to mock,comic conventions in Much Ado

14. Characterisation in MAAN
1.
2.
3.
4.
Looking at Act Two of the play. Considering..
How the characters work as opposites to one another.
How characters conform to /defy gender expectations?
At the conflicts and allegiances made between characters.
Hierarchy.
OPPOSITION is key to characterisation in MAAN.
TASK: Discuss the following questions in pairs:
1. Which characters in MAAN can be seen as opposites?
2. How do these characters work as opposites to one another?

15. Characterisation and gender roles in MAAN
Opposition defines the four principal characters of the play and
develops throughout the five acts.
These oppositions can be split along the lines of GENDER ... so we
see the two men and two women representing opposites of one
another.
There is a duality of characterisation at work in the play:
Claudio’s highlights Benedick’s cynicism.
Hero’s subservience emphasises Beatrice’s assertive nature.

16. Characterisation and gender roles in MAAN
Opposition defines the four principal characters of the play and
develops throughout the five acts.
These oppositions can be split along the lines of GENDER ... so we
see the two men and two women representing opposites of one
another.
There is a duality of characterisation at work in the play:
Claudio’s highlights Benedick’s cynicism.
Hero’s subservience emphasises Beatrice’s assertive nature.

17. Characterisation and gender roles in MAAN
TASK: Complete the table below for Benedick and Claudio, and
Beatrice and Hero to identify their immediate oppositions – give
textual evidence to support your idea.
BENEDICK
Gender
Characteristic
Expectation
Evidence
CLAUDIO
Characteristic
Evidence
Evidence
HERO
Characteristic
Evidence
seen
BEATRICE
Gender
Characteristic
Expectation
seen
Extension Question
What is the dramatic purpose of these oppositions?

18. Characterisation and gender roles in MAAN
TASK: Complete the table below for Benedick and Claudio, and
Beatrice and Hero toShakespeareimmediate oppositions – give
identify their establishes
textual evidence to support your idea.
these oppositions to
BENEDICK
Gender
Characteristic
Expectation
enhanceCLAUDIO play’s drama.
the
Evidence
Characteristic
Evidence
seen
BEATRICE
Gender
Characteristic
Expectation
seen
Equally, these oppositions
tell us something of the
HERO
society in which the
Evidence
Characteristic
Evidence
characters exist.
Extension Question
What is the dramatic purpose of these oppositions?

19. Homework
Answer the question you planned for earlier and one of the following:
1)
How far are the relationships within MAAN typical of the comic genre?
2) To what extent do the characters of MAAN subvert the expected gender roles?
3) How far do you agree with the following statement: Opposition defines the four
principal characters of the play.
4) In what ways does MAAN conform or subvert the expected norms of society?
Rules:
• Answers cannot exceed 500 words per question
• Quotations must not exceed 14 words maximum
• In each question you must include:
Select Evidence from the text
Themes Context
Characterisation
Use Key terms Use conventions of Comedy