English Much Ado About nothing study guide

Why is it significant that Don Pedro and his men are returning from the wars? It is significant that Don Pedro and his men are returning from the wars because they can focus on different things now. For example, it sets up relationships between some of the men and women. When the men return home from war, Claudio falls in love with Hero. Also, Benedick and Beatrice continued to show their hate for each other.
Why does Beatrice ask about Benedick? What is the “real” reason? Beatrice asks about Benedick because she wants to know if he returned from the war. She wanted to know because she doesn’t like Benedick and he challenged Cupid to an archery match in Messina. She also says that since Benedick and Claudio are friends, Benedick will “plague him like a disease,” because Benedick is an infection that is easy to catch but hard to get rid of.
Beatrice and Benedick say that lovers are fools, and they want nothing to do with love. Why do you think they say this? I think they say this because they have such a hard time getting along with people, and they both think they are too good for each other. Also, I think they are just trying to criticize each other, like they usually do, even if they truly like each other.
How does Benedick react to Claudio’s declaration that Hero is “the sweetest lady that ever I looked on”? Benedick reacts to Claudio’s declaration that Hero is “the sweetest lady that ever I looked on” by saying that she is nothing special. In the book, he says, “Why I’faith, methinks she’s too low for a high praise, too little for a great praise, too low for a high praise, and too brown for a fair praise”
Why does Claudio send Don Pedro as his emissary to Hero to declare his love? Because Claudio is too shy.
Why does Don John want to cause trouble? Why is he so morose? He hates Claudio for being loved and respected. He is so morose because it is natural.
What are Beatrice’s reasons for not wanting to have anything to do with men? Beatrice’s reasons for not wanting to have anything to do with men are that she says, if he’s more than a boy, he’s not the one for me, and if he’s less than a man, she’s not the one for him. Beatrice is very picky. She says boys are unreliable.
What are Leonato’s instruction to his daughter, Hero, and what do these show about traditional attitudes? He says that if the prince proposes to her, then she should say yes. This shows that the father has a say in the marriage.
According to the stage directions for the dance, Don John is not masked during the revels? Why? He isn’t wearing a mask to try to show that he is different, and does what he wants to do, instead of what everyone else does.
Do you think Beatrice and Benedick know each other when they speak behind their masks? Why? Why not? I think Benedick knows it’s Beatrice, but Beatrice doesn’t know it’s Benedick. Benedick didn’t say anything that gives it away that it’s him.
Why does Don John pretend that he does not recognize Claudio? Don John likes to be the villain. He wants to hurt Pedro because it’s his brother, and he’s the Prince.
How does Benedick feel about his conversation with Beatrice? He feels like she belongs in hell, and he would rather go find her a toothpick in Asia than go talk to her.
What does Beatrice mean when she says, “once before he [Benedick] won it [my heart] of me with false dice”? Beatrice means that he won her heart before.
Why is Claudio unable to speak when Don Pedro tells him that the Lady Hero is his? Claudio is so overwhelmed that he can’t speak, because he is so happy.
Why does Don Pedro’s plan work so well? …
How does Benedick rationalize himself into loving Beatrice? …
Why do the women praise Benedick so highly when they describe how he loves Beatrice? They praise him so highly to make her like him.
Why does Hero say that she will not tell Beatrice about Benedick’s love? Because Beatrice would never listen to any man that likes her, and she would just break Benedicks heart.
How fair are the women in their description of Beatrice’s behavior? Is she too hard on men? (Think back to her description of Don John.) Why are they devoting so much time to her reputation for “disdain”? They are fair, because any man that is not good enough for her, she is mean to. They are trying to make her feel bad for him. They are pushing her to change and become nicer to Benedick.
What is Beatrice’s reaction to the women’s speech? Beatrice is surprised, but she returns love.
Why do the men make fun of Benedick? They make fun of Benedick because he said he would never get married, and he fell in love, and changed.
How does Don John plan to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro? Don John told Claudio that hero was cheating on him, and he brought him over to see Claudio with Hero, but it was actually Margaret, not Hero.
Why does the Watch arrest Borachio and Conrade? They overheard them talking about deceiving Claudio and hero, and arrested them for treachery.
How does Claudio judge Hero’s behavior when he accuses her? Claudio is very rude to Hero when he accuses her. He tells Leonato he can take her back again, and he calls her a rotten orange. Claudio doesn’t believe Hero.
How do the rest of the company react? How can you explain in relationship to their other behavior in the play Leonato’s denunciation, Benedick’s confusion, and Beatrice’s conviction that Hero has been slandered? Some of the rest of the company are sad, and some are happy. Leonato wants Hero to die, but Benedick and Beatrice are sad for Hero. It is out of character for Leonato to act like this, because usually he is very nice to Hero. Benedick is confused because he feels conflicted because he feels bad that Hero is being hurt in public. Beatrice is very close to Hero, and believes Hero..
How does the Friar propose to judge the situation? The Friar judges Hero by the shock on her face that she is not guilty.
What does the Friar hope will happen as a result of his plan to have it published that Hero is dead? What kind of change does he think will come about in Claudio? The accusers will realize that they did a bad thing and regret it. then they will expose themselves.
What happens between Benedick and Beatrice? They are alone in the church, and they are talking about the plan. They both confess their love for each other. Benedick says he will do anything for her. So Beatrice tells him he needs to kill Claudio.
Why does Beatrice want to kill Claudio? Because he falsely accused Hero.
How does the confusion in the speech of Dogberry fit the theme of appearance versus reality? He says the wrong word to make it funny.
What does Antonio say that gets Leonato to think again about his passionate denunciation of Hero? He tells him to not drink himself to death, and to have patience
Does Leonato think Hero is guilty of being unvirtuous? Why? Why not? No because she is his daughter and he knows her better than anyone, and he knows she is telling the truth.
Do you think Claudio makes a move to draw his sword against Leonato? Why or why not? No because he doesn’t want to hurt him and leonato wants to fight so he falsely accuses Claudio. Also, Leonato respects Claudio, and doesn’t want to hurt him.
What is the purpose of this scene in which Leonato and his brother Antonio challenge Claudio for slandering Hero? To show how mad they are at claudio for hurting Hero.
What is Claudio’s attitude? What does this show about his character? Does it fit with your sense of his character? He seems embarrassed and wants to get away from his challengers. I think it shows that maybe there is a part of him that is starting to believe he’s wrong.
How does Don Pedro act when Benedick meets them? What is your reaction to the exchange of the three men? Why do you think they are acting as they do? He welcomes them and asks for him to cheer them up with his wits. When he quit the navy, it is surprising, because it was a huge job for him. They are acting very serious, unlike usual, which means that he really is serious about quitting the navy.
To what extent is the punishment Leonato places on Claudio fitting? Why does he want Claudio to believe that he has killed Hero? Leonato feels like he has been affected for the rest of his life, so he decides to affect Claudio’s life. Leonato wants claudio to believe hero died because he deserves it for ruining her name.
Why do Beatrice and Benedick talk about loving each other only according to “reason”? How do they really feel about each other? They don’t want to accept it, or they don’t want their friends to make fun of them for it. They acted like they hated love at first, and would never be in love. They didn’t want to admit how they really feel but in reality they both love each other.
July 9, 2019