Much Ado About Nothing

• In the title of Much Ado About Nothing, 'nothing' can represent three interpretations. Firstly, 'nothing' suggests not only that it's all a fuss about nothing but also that women can't do nothing about men. Secondly, 'nothing' can be interpreted as 'noting' this suggests overhearing conversations. Finally, it can be interpreted as 'no-thing' suggesting women don't have what men have.
• "Has Signor Montanto returned from the war?" - Beatrice
• "I promise to eat all of his killing" - Beatrice
• The four key themes in Much Ado are: courtship, marriage and love; wit and warfare; shame and freedom; and perception and reality.
• The five sentence starters to use when writing about Much Ado are:

  1. In a scene rich with...
  2. Shakespeare presents the idea that...
  3. The method is highly significant...
  4. Not only... but also...
  5. This is subverted/reinforced...
  6. Through this Shakespeare [VERB]...
• Beatrice's opening line, "Has Signor Montanto returned from war?" is highly significant. Not only does this suggest that she is 'disdain[ful]' of both his military skills and implicitly questioning his ability to perform sexually but also implies the remanence of affection in spite of her vitriol.
• Leonato is the Governor of Messina. His brother is Antonio, his daughter is Hero, his niece is Beatrice and his houseguest is Don Pedro.
• Don Pedro is Leonato's house guest. His half brother is Don John, his favourite friend is Claudio and his 'jester' is Benedick.
• "In time, the savage bull doth bear the yoke" - Don Pedro
• A "canker" is a foiled, malformed and diseased rose that will poison the bush. In Much Ado, Don Jon says he would "rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in it's grace". This suggests not only is Don John is going to slowly ruin the relationships with his 'poison' but also that he thinks he's a failure.
• Key themes in Much Ado are: marriage, courtship, shame, freedom, reality, objection, wit, warfare and perception.
• Hero and Beatrice are a dramatic foil.
• The quotation 'stuffed man' suggests that Benedick lacks brains, guts and a heart.
• The love between Claudio and Hero is courtly love which is superficial and more like a transaction.
• The love between Benedick and Beatrice is naturalistic and practical love.
• The love and relationship between the lower class Borachio (who is Don Johns servant) and Margaret (who is Hero's servant) is carnal love meaning it's just a sexual relationship, nothing else as they are not constrained by social judgement.
• Beatrice is used as a means to explore the oppression and judgement of those willing to conform with the objectification and silencing of women in a patriarchal society.
• The interaction between Hero and Claudio is used to epitome ideas about courtly love and the marriage contract.
• The motif of horns is used to convey ideas about male dominance, hubris and virility whilst also exposing the fragile nature of pride.
• "There is a kind of merry war betwixt them" - Leonato
• A nickname used for Claudio in the play is Lord Lackbeard.
• In the play, gulling is used for another word for tricking.
• The play was written in the Elizabethan Era in 1598.
• The "yoke" represents the 'marriage contract'.
• The five conventions of courtly love are:

  1. Veneration of virginity
  2. Wooing by proxy
  3. Love as transformational
  4. The pedestalisation of women
  5. Love as a means of heroism
• A pejorative is an insult.
• The quotation 'the lady is well worthy' is said by Don Pedro talking about Hero. This is using economic imagery to represent courtly love and the marriage contract.
• The quotation 'I am loved of all ladies' said by Benedick, suggests he is egocentric, arrogant and hubristic.
• Beatrice saying 'I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me' suggests she is not interested in love.
• 'Signor Montanto', 'Can the world buy such a jewel?', 'Thrust thy neck into a yoke' and 'Figure of a lamb, feats of a lion' are all quotations from Act 1 Scene 1.
• 'Canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace' and 'Plain dealing villain' are both quotations from Act 1 Scene 3.
• 'Beauty is a witch', 'Fair Hero is won' and 'He won it with false dice' are all quotations from Act 2 Scene 1.
• 'I am sick with displeasure to him' is a quotation from Act 2 Scene 2.
• 'Horribly in love with her!' and 'Bait the hood well, this fish will bite' are both quotations from Act 2 Scene 3.
• 'Tame my wild heart to his loving hand' is a quotation from Act 3 Scene 1.
• When something is written in verse, it is most structured, it is in iambic pentameter and it rhymes. It is usually used by higher class characters to talk about politics, religion and love.
• When something is written in blank verse, it is in iambic pentameter but doesn't rhyme. This is usually used by higher classes to talk about everyday things.
• When something is written in prose, there are no rules. This is usually used by lower class or upper class people when they are talking in pain or about sex.
• Claudio is the character that speaks in the most blank verse throughout the play.
• Both verse and blank verse are very performative ways of speaking.