Scheme of Work

Much Ado About Nothing

At the end of our study of this play, students will be able to: 

• Explain why Much Ado About Nothing is a classic Shakespeare comedy.
• Describe what happens between two of the best characters he ever wrote.
• Explain the expectations of marriage in the Elizabethan period.
• Identify a Shakespearean villain.
• Write an extract to whole essay. ​

Students need to learn these Elizabethan comedy conventions:

• Happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters
• Light-hearted tone
• Separation and re-unification
• Mistaken identities and deception
• Disputes between characters
• Complex plot with several, intertwining plot-lines
• Comic language full of clever puns, metaphors and insults
• Country setting which is often idealised
• Main theme: love
• Gender mix-up and disguise (men dressing as women and vice versa)