| Beatrice | -Leonato’s neice and hero’s cousin-she has a sharp tongue but appears vulnerable – generous and loving – mocks people with her jokes by using puns-used to be in love with Benedick but now the insult each other-example of Shakespeare’s powerful female character- refuses to get married because she doesnt like submission |
| benedick | -an aristocratic soldier (recently returned from war)-a friend of Don Pedro and Claudio-very witty-likes to make jokes-the entertainer in the play (hyperbole) |
| Claudio | – a young soldier – falls in love with hero-has a suspicious nature |
| hero | -the beautiful young daughter of Leonato and cousin of Beatrice-lovely, gentle and kind-falls in love with Claudio |
| don pedro | -important noblemen from aragon-referred to as “prince”- longtime friend with Leonato; heros father-generous, courteous, intelligent, and loving-hasty to take revenge- socially and politically powerful-most elusive- uses his powers positively= convinces beatrice and benedick that each is in love with the other |
| leonato | -respected elderly noble-lives in messina, italy and hes the governor -father of hero, uncle of beatrice -second in social power |
| the plays language is full of… | metaphors and rhetoric. high and sophisticated language to make them seem clever without making an effort. |
| who provides the comic relief? | dogberry and verges provide welcome comic relief amid don johns evil plotting |
| dogberry often mispronounces things | “comparisons are odorous” is supposed to say ” comparisons are odious” |
| with the wedding scene(the climax of the play) the tone takes an abrupt turn, plunging from high comedy into tragedy | … |
| beatrice finally admits her love to Benedick | “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.” |
| although hero is not really dead, Leonato grieves as if she were, because she has lost her reputation | … |
| the revelation of borachios crime to claudio and the rest marks a turning point in the play | … |
| don johns deception has led inexorably to claudios rejection of hero, darkening the plays atmosphere of lighthearted comedy | … |
| the final scene brings the play to a joyous conclusion, drawing it away from the tragedy toward which it had begun to move and letting everyone wind up safe and sound | … |
| the final dance symbolizes the restoration of order and happiness in a world that has been thrown into chaos by don johns accusation and don pedro and claudios rash action | … |
| claudios writing and reading of an epitaph at heros tomb seems to create a sense of closure, in relation to his false accusation of hero and her supposed death | … |
| who is the most socially powerful person in the play | don pedro |
| what does the “savage bull” symbolize? | the man unwilling to marry |
| what is Balthasar’s song in Act II, Scene iii about? | the infidelity(unfaithfulness) of men |
| what term best describes Dogberry’s verbal comedy? | Malapropism |
| why is it necessary for hero to seem to die? | because her reputation has been publicly tarnished |
| have Benedick and Beatrice courted before? | yes, but Benedick left her |
| how do don pedro and claudio make benedick fall in love with beatrice? | they have him overhear their conversation in which they assert that she is in love with him |
| when what this play probably first performed? | 1599 |
| what makes claudio realize that he wrongly accused hero? | Borachio’s confession of don johns plot |
| which character is sad at the end of the play? | don pedro |
| why is margaret mistaken for hero? | she is wearing hero’s clothes |
| to whom does don pedro propose marriage | beatrice |
| which two characters write two love sonnets? | beatrice and benedick |
| what does leonato’s household do to punish claudio for shaming hero? | he pretends hero is dead and challenges claudio to a duel |
| who discovers don johns evil plot? | the watch |
| why does claudio reject hero at the altar? | he thinks she cheated on him and lost her virginity |
| who is said to be “an ass”? lol (sorry for the language) | Dogberry |
| what reason does don john give his sullenness? | its in his nature |
| who carries out don johns plan? | borachio and margaret |
| what does don john want? | to ruin claudio |
| who is leonato? | heros father |
| at the beginning of the play, what is beatrice’s relationship to benedick? | enemy |
| how does claudio woo hero? | he doesnt; don pedro does |
| where and when does the play take place? | sicily, sixteenth century |
| who refuses to marry in the beginning of the play? | Benedick and Beatrice |
| what date do we celebrate shakespeares birth? | april 23, 1564 |
| where was shakespeare born? | stratford |
| what date was shakespeare baptized? | april 26, 1564 |
| in what year did shakespeare marry and who did he marry in that year? | 1582, Anne hathaway |
| names of shakespeares children and their years of birth | hamnet(1585) susana (1583) judith (1585) |
| shakespeare was a founding member of what theatrical group? | Lord Chamberlains men |
| What is an Aside? | when a character in a play talks to him/herself. something very short and something that no one but the audience can hear. (the other characters pretend not to hear it lol) |
| what is a soliloquy? | When a character is talking to him/herself about his/her feelings. audience hears it so that they know the characters feelings. |
| dramatic irony | … |
| situational irony | the opposite of what you expect happens |
| epistrophe | rhetorical device often used in persuasive speech. the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of a clause. ( one woman is beautiful, yet i am well, another virtuous, yet i am well…)- Benedick |
| things that are always included in elizabethan comedy | -light hearted tone (not serious)-mistaken identities-multiple plot lines- use of puns -a clever fool (dogberry)- a conflict between propriety vs debauchery -young lovers who overcome obstacles to be together -ALWAYS a happy ending |
| propriety | accepted proper moral or behavior. codes of conduct. |
| debauchery | loose, sexual, crazy |
| most quoted line from Much Ado? | “everyone can master a grief but he that has it.” – Benedick |
| Archetypal character | the basic character, cookie cutter character |
| malapropism | when you misuse words (dogberry) |
| 3 types of songs used in play | lamentdittylove song |
| lament | songs of woe from lose of loved one (sad) |
| ditty | witty, playful with sexual innuendos |
| love song | son of love written to woo |
| archetypal characters in comedy | hero (boy/girl)villian clown |
| Iambic pentameter | series of unstressed and stressed syllable to create a rhythmic patter in writing |
| four main themes in Much Ado? | 1. star crossed lovers2. misinterpretation3. human nature- conflicts/emotions4. deceit |
| assonance | resembling vowel sounds in a line |
| onomatopoeia | words with sounds imitating their meaning |
| cuckold | a man whose wife has been unfaithful towards him, and to show his shame, he wears a pair of horns on his head |
| shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on | November 28, 1582. she was 26 and he was 18 |
Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare
July 7, 2019