1. Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare

2. Born in Stratford The 3rd of 8 kids Married at age 18
(his wife was 26)
Worked as an actor
By 1594 at least 6
plays had been
published

3. Shakespeare’s Life
Perhaps the most brilliant author in the English language.
Incredibly well-developed characters. He was tremendously perceptive in creating complex character with a full range of emotions and internal conflicts, intensely, deeply rich in psychological reality.
Exquisite use of poetic language.

4. Shakespeare’s Life
Plays are phenomenally well-crafted, and structurally, nearly flawless.
Thematically, Shakespeare is unmatched in his ability to touch the human soul, and to speak lucidly and profoundly to human lives.
Most quoted, most translated of any author on earth.

5. Shakespeare’s Life
He left London when he was about 50 years old, and went back to Stratford-upon-Avon, after investing in real estate, and buying the best house in town. He died in 1616, near his birthday, April 23rd, at age 52. He is buried in Stratford, in Holy Trinity Church.
He did not want to be buried in Westminster’s Abbey, in London, where many of England’s famous artists are buried. On his tombstone is the following verse:*
Good friend for Jesus’ sake forebear
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blest be the man who spares these stones
And curst be he that moves my bones
Stratford is a two day horse ride from London, a trip which would have been nearly impossible in the winter. Other playwrights were more the outdoorsy type: Ben Jonson famously walked from London to Edinburgh!

6. Shakespeare’s Life
In his will, he mysteriously left his wife his “second best bed.” His property largely went to his eldest daughter, Susanna.
Shakespeare did not think of himself as an intellectual, and during his life didn’t go out of his way to have his plays published. Although during his life some of the plays were published as quartos, individual versions of plays that folks could buy and read.
He did publish—with great success—his longer poems, and he published his sonnets in 1609; some believe they are autobiographical, although there is no concrete support for this, as Shakespeare left almost no personal correspondence or diaries.
For the most part, Shakespeare felt that plays were meant to be performed rather than read. After his death, his more intellectual friends did publish his plays in folio versions—something like a modern collection.*
Venus and Adonis became a very popular published poem! During the 1590’s, despite the Puritan effort to censor, erotic poetry and satire was popular.
Playwright friends of Shakespeare, John Heminges and Henry Condell, (two actors in the King’s Company) collected his plays for publication after he died. This publication is now known as the First Folio.
Plays and other works were subject to review by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and also by the Privy Council of Puritan leaders in London. Perhaps this was a reason Shakespeare hesitated to publish. In 1590, satire is banned in theater, and in 1606, God’s name was forbidden on stage.This might explain Shakespeare’s many settings in Italy, Denmark, Scotland, and the distant past. Venice, at least, had been a republic, as had Florence…
Richard II, for political reasons, was also a popular one to read, and was published in quarto form. This was the play that supposedly alluded to Queen Elizabeth, by then old and heirless, as a weak and indulgent regent, who lavished her money on her favorites. There is rumor that the play was commissioned by Southampton, at the urgings of the Earl of Essex, who had fallen out of favor with the Queen and was likely plotting her overthrow. Queen Elizabeth was quoted to have said, ironically, to a supporter, “Don’t you know that I am Richard?” Essex was executed a day after a performance of this play. Southampton himself was imprisoned in the Tower as a suspected ally. Somehow Shakespeare and his company escaped the wrath of the Queen.

7. The Theater All social classes attended No women on stage
All parts played by men
Including Juliet!

8. The Plays 14 comedies 10 histories 10 tragedies 4 romances
38 plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare
14 comedies
10 histories
10 tragedies
4 romances
Possibly wrote three others
Collaborated on several others

9. The Poetry
154 Sonnets
Numerous other poems

10. Much Ado Info Location: Messina, Sicily Population: Very small
Governor: Leonato
Date written:
Genre: Romantic comedy
Mood: Light and silly

11. Character Relationships
Don Pedro 
(brothers)
Don John 
Borachio  + Margaret ?
Conrad 
Gov. Leonato   Hero (daughter) Beatrice (neice)
(brothers) <3    <   <3
Antonio  Claudio  Benedick
Dogberry
Verges
Night Watchmen

12. Main Characters

13. The Characters Beatrice Who is Beatrice?
She is the orphaned and unwed niece of Leonato
She is strong-willed and quick-witted
She is continually sniping at and challenging Benedick
She is not afraid of taking men on, in jest or in anger
She is considered by Don Pedro and Leonato to be of a cheerful temperament
She is a good friend to her cousin Hero, Leonato's daughter
She has already had an unfortunate relationship with Benedick.
The Characters
Beatrice

14. The Characters Benedick Who is Benedick?
He is a gentleman (by rank if not by behaviour) and a soldier
He is a close friend of Count Claudio
He is quick-witted and can be relied upon to entertain his colleagues
He is committed to being a bachelor
He is vain and arrogant about his attractiveness to women
He may be hiding his deeper feelings for Beatrice
He is a fair man who likes to see justice done
He is not a romantic at heart, but a realist
The Characters
Benedick

15. Much Ado About Nothing Act 1, Scene 1, lines 1 - 123
For this section you will need a copy of the text of the First Key Extract.
Much Ado About Nothing
Act 1, Scene 1, lines

16. Ideas, Themes and Issues
The play as a whole is built around a number of key ideas, themes and issues.
Trickery and deception - characters trick others into looking foolish, getting angry, becoming jealous, or falling in love.
Self-deception and delusion - characters cannot see the obvious, and have an unrealistic view of themselves (good or bad).
Love and marriage - described within a society where women have little power and little say in whom they marry.
Status and honour - described within a society where anyone of low birth gives way to those of higher status, and where everyone is meant to keep to a strict social code.

17. Creating moods through actor’s words
In Much Ado About Nothing, the voices of characters are important.
In the First Key Extract, Beatrice's use of words and tone of voice paint a negative picture of Benedick before the audience even sees him.
In the Second Key Extract, Benedick's description of how Beatrice treated him at the masked ball makes the audience feel sorry for him, and like him more.

18. Jokes and Puns
A pun is a form of word-play, which involves words that sound the same but have more than one meaning

19. Theatrical Conventions of Shakespeare's Theatre
Use of disguises/
mistaken identity
Last speaker—highest in
rank (in tragedies)
Multiple murders
(in tragedies)
Multiple marriages
(in comedies)

20. Language
Shakespeare uses language in Much Ado About Nothing in particular ways.
The title of the play could be a pun on the word "nothing", which in Shakespeare's times may have been pronounced as "noting". In turn "noting" meant to "observe" or to "watch".
The key feature of the play is that it is built on misunderstandings - where things are not quite as they seem. People are misled or misheard (mis-noted), and this leads to comedy and drama.
Shakespeare's characters use language to insult each other, to deceive and to entertain - the following are some of the techniques he uses to achieve this.

21. Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare did NOT write in “Old English.”
Old English is the language of Beowulf:
Hwaet! We Gardena in geardagum
Þeodcyninga Þrym gefrunon
Hu ða æÞelingas ellen fremedon!
(Hey! We have heard of the glory of the Spear-Danes in the old days, the kings of tribes, how noble princes showed great courage!)

22. Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare did not write in “Middle English.”
Middle English is the language of Chaucer, the Gawain-poet, and Malory:
We redeth oft and findeth y-write—
And this clerkes wele it wite—
Layes that ben in harping
Ben y-founde of ferli thing… (Sir Orfeo)

23. Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English.”
EME was not very different from “Modern English”

24. Shakespeare’s Language
A mix of old and very new
Rural and urban words/images
Understandable by the lowest peasant and the highest noble

25. The Times Monarchy The Plague Queen Elizabeth King James 1558-1603
The Plague