teacher`s guide - California Shakespeare Theater

Guide compiled by Trish Tillman
MAY/JUNE 2016
TEACHER’S GUIDE
2016 SEASON
Eric Ting
Artistic Director
much
May 25
-Jun 19
Ado
About
NO
THI
NG
written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
adapted by KENNETH LIN and JACKSON GAY
with additional text by KENNETH LIN • directed by JACKSON GAY
Susie Falk
Managing Director
Clive Worsley
Director of Artistic Learning
Beverly Sotelo
Artistic Learning
Programs Manager
Jacinta Sutphin
Artistic Learning Coordinator
PREP YOUR STUDENTS FOR THE SHOW:
Book your pre- or post-show classroom workshop!
Contact the Artistic Learning Coordinator,
Whitney Grace Krause at 510.548.3422 x136 for more info.
IN THIS GUIDE:
1. Cal Shakes Overview
Cal Shakes’ Mission, Funders, and Partners................................................... 3
Artistic Learning Programs at Cal Shakes...................................................... 4
2. Much Ado About Nothing Overview.................................................................. 5
A Note to Teachers..................................................................................... 6
Plot Summary........................................................................................... 7
Who’s Who: The Actors.............................................................................. 8
Who’s Who: The Characters........................................................................ 9
Character Map........................................................................................... 10
Seeing the Play: Before and After................................................................. 11
Shakespeare’s Language: Take Notice........................................................... 12
3. Much Ado About Nothing: Behind the Play...................................................... 13
The Elizabethan Worldview: The Great Chain of Being.................................... 14
Go Girls: A Woman’s Place ......................................................................... 15
William Shakespeare: A Mysterious Life........................................................ 16
4. Much Ado About: Taking Note.......................................................................... 18
Truth and Lies: Claudio and Hero................................................................. 19
Who Do You Think I Am? Social Empathy..................................................... 20
You Know What I Mean: Dogberry............................................................... 21
Something to Talk About: Beatrice and Benedick........................................... 22
5. Resources................................................................................................... 23
Much Ado About Nothing on Film................................................................ 24
Book and Internet...................................................................................... 25
6.

Classroom Activity Guide.............................................................................. 27
Cal Shakes’ Mission, Funders, and Partners................................................... 28
Social Networking Character Study: “Shakesbook”......................................... 29
The Shaming of Hero.................................................................................. 30
Beyond the Play: Character Backstory.......................................................... 34
Beatrice and Benedick: From Page to Stage................................................... 35
Reference Sheet: Brush Up Your Shakespeare............................................... 37
Cal Shakes Critique: Elementary and Middle School....................................... 38
Cal Shakes Critique: Middle and High School................................................ 39
GUIDE CREDITS
Editor: Trish Tilman
Contributors: Jackson Gay, Philippa Kelly, and Clive Worsley
Copy Editor: Whitney Spaner
Layout & Graphics: Daniel Duran
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OUR MISSION
With Shakespeare’s depth of humanity as our touchstone, we build character and
community through authentic, inclusive, and joyful theater experiences.
OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
Artistic Learning programs are also supported by the numerous donors to our annual
Gala Make-a-Difference Fund, the Dale Family Fund, Dodge & Cox, the Clarence E.
Heller Foundation (for teaching artist professional development), the William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, the Thomas J.
Long Foundation, the MCJ Amelior Foundation, and the Ida and William Rosenthal
Foundation.
PRESENTING PARTNERS
SEASON SPONSORS
SEASON UNDERWRITERS
PRODUCTION PARTNER
California Shakespeare Theater
701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710
510.548.3422
• calshakes.org
-3-
ARTISTIC LEARNING PROGRAMS
AT CAL SHAKES
Cal Shakes offers a variety of theater programs taught by theater professionals throughout the
school year and during the summer, that nourish imaginations and create a culture of lifelong
learners.
IN-SCHOOL ARTIST RESIDENCIES
Cal Shakes brings working artists to schools where they teach theater arts through an innovative
curriculum that is aligned with classroom teachers’ goals. All residencies consist of eight to 10
hours of instruction over several weeks and help to develop students’ intellectual and social
skills.
STUDENT DISCOVERY MATINEES (FIELD TRIPS)
Our multipronged Student Matinee program offers a unique opportunity for students to develop
a lasting appreciation of theater and Shakespeare, through dynamic presentations and the live
performance experience. Matinee tickets include free teacher/student guides, optional pre- and
post-show classroom visits by teaching artists, a lively pre-performance engagement at the Bruns
Amphitheater, and a Q&A session with actors immediately following the show.
AFTER-SCHOOL CLASSES
After-school programs, offered for first grade and up, are tailored to interests like, acting,
physical comedy, and improvisation, as well as Shakespeare.
SUMMER SHAKESPEARE CONSERVATORIES
Cal Shakes hosts two- and four-week camps in Lafayette and Oakland. Students return year after
year to study with professional actors and artists to learn theater fundamentals such as acting,
improvisation, stage combat, and voice. At the end of the session their new-found skills are
showcased in a Shakespeare play with original language. Scholarships are available.
For more information, or to register for any of our programs, please
call Beverly Sotelo, Artistic Learning Programs Manager at
510.548.3422 x137, or email [email protected].
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OVERVIEW
Students from 2014 Cal Shakes Summer Conservatory’s
production of Much Ado About Nothing
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MUCH ADO ABOUT
MISUNDERSTANDING
A NOTE TO TEACHERS ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION
“Imagine the biggest celebrity wedding in America and the people that are
not invited [are] standing at the gates, yearning for a glimpse of the happy
couple. What do they imagine when they [envision] themselves on the other
side of the gate?”
—Jackson Gay, director of Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a title that invites many interpretations. Is Shakespeare saying, “People
make a big deal over little things,” or “Life is easier than people make it,”or “Hey, it’s only a play. Have
a good time”? It’s hard to say, but in Shakespeare’s day “nothing” was often pronounced “noting”
and in our production we wanted to emphasize the idea of “taking note” of someone. This play is all
about perception: how people are described, gossiped about, and understood by their attitudes and
actions. Shakespeare illustrates the folly of assuming something about another person based on a
misperception—a wrong “noting,” if you will. Beatrice and Benedick constantly mistake each other’s
intentions (see Benedick’s most illustrative line “‘against my will, I am sent to call you in to dinner.’
There’s a double meaning in that.”) Misunderstanding is key to the darker side of the play as well,
like in the awful consequences that come when Claudio is fooled into believing his fiancée, Hero, is
unfaithful.
Director Jackson Gay takes this idea of misperceiving, misunderstanding, or “misnoting” to a broader
level and has conceived of the play as entertainment dreamed up by the lower-class characters in
the story. As we are talking anew about the disadvantages that continue to oppress people of certain
ethnicities or economic background, this production is not asking, “How do the people in power view
those who are not?” but instead, “How the people who do not have access to privilege view those who
are in power?” When Dogberry and his comrades are set to guard the palace gates at the wedding of
Hero and Claudio, they devise their own story of what might be happening inside the grand house,
and how it came to be. Then they act it out for themselves (and for our audiences). The result is
Shakespeare’s story of Much Ado About Nothing told through the eyes of Dogberry and his men.
The theater, through its great gift of empathy, lets us both literally (by acting a role) and figuratively (by
watching) try on other identities and personas, which strengthens our idea of who we are as individuals.
It allows the imagination to see what we could be and to, very powerfully, understand someone else’s
point of view by inhabiting it.
Enjoy!
The Cal Shakes Artistic Learning Department
“The first and most important lesson… is that there are no rules about how to do Shakespeare,
just clues. Everything is negotiable.”
—Antony Sher and Greg Doran on training with the Royal Shakespeare Company
in Woza Shakespeare! 1996
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PLOT SUMMARY:
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
BY PHILLIPPA KELLY
Our production, set in Messina, the port capital of Italy, begins with a special framing device. We’ll see the actors
take their roles. Dogberry, Constable of the Watch, will be seen presiding over the clean-up from a double wedding.
Trays are being cleared and bottles dispatched to the trash. What has been going on? Well, Dogberry will tell us.
He leads us into Shakespeare’s Messina in a new way, never staged before.
In the world of Messina to which Dogberry introduces us, we’ll join the familiar characters of Much Ado About
Nothing: Leonato, Governor of Messina, his daughter Hero, his niece Beatrice, and his brother Antonio. They are
preparing to welcome the army of Prince Don Pedro of Aragon, who has recruited various Italian soldiers—including
Claudio and Benedick—to fight with him in a battle to defeat his rebellious brother, Don John. They return,
victorious, to celebrate with Leonato and his family.
When Beatrice sees Benedick, they resume a long-standing love/hate relationship full of witty insults. Claudio has
a much more straightforward relationship with Hero—he fell in love with her before the battle, and now, aided
by Don Pedro, he wants to consolidate and head straight to the altar. At a masked ball, Don Pedro woos Hero on
Claudio’s behalf, and Hero and Claudio are engaged. Don Pedro makes a plan with the other members of the party
to trick those witty wordsmiths Benedick and Beatrice into admitting their love for each other.
Later, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato gossip loudly about how Beatrice is lovesick over Benedick, knowing that
he is hiding within earshot. Struck by the revelation of Beatrice’s love, Benedick swears that he will love her in
return. Hero and her maidservant Ursula enact the same scheme with Beatrice and she reacts similarly, swearing
to love Benedick.
Meanwhile, Don John, who hates Claudio for the military prowess he displayed against him, decides to sabotage
his relationship with Hero. Don John hatches a scheme with his servants Borachio and Conrade, in which Borachio
will flirt with Hero’s maidservant Margaret on Hero’s balcony, while Claudio and Don Pedro look on. Just as Don
John plans, Claudio and Don Pedro mistake Margaret for Hero.
Enraged by Hero’s supposed infidelity, Claudio publicly denounces her at the altar the next day. In order to protect
her and unearth the truth, Hero’s family hides the humiliated bride and tells everyone that she has died of grief.
Overwhelmed by the events of what should have been a happy day, Benedick and Beatrice confess their feelings
for one another. Now, in new-found love, Beatrice asks Benedick to kill Claudio? Will he agree? Take a guess at his
answer…
Meanwhile, Constable Dogberry and his fellow watchmen overhear Borachio talking about how he and Don
John have tricked Don Pedro and Claudio, and he clumsily but successfully arrests the culprits for making false
accusations against Hero. You’ll see a hilarious scene where Dogberry and the watchmen enter with Borachio as
their prisoner. Borachio confesses everything and reveals the error Don Pedro and Claudio have made.
To atone for his treatment of Hero, Claudio agrees to marry Leonato’s niece. At the altar it is revealed that the
“niece” is in fact Hero herself, and a happy reunion is achieved. Beatrice and Benedick finally confess their love for
each other publicly and agree to marry. A messenger tells the party that Don John (who ran away when his plot
was discovered) has been apprehended, but they decide to delay his punishment until tomorrow, as this is meant
to be a joyful occasion. The two weddings are celebrated with music and laughter.
-7-
WHO’S WHO: THE ACTORS
CAST
Below is the cast list in alphabetical order. Note that there are only eight actors to play 14
characters.They will switch roles frequently. Watch for how the actors change costumes and their
acting styles to suit a new character.
Patrick Alparone*
Jim Carpenter*
Don John, Bathasar,
Watchman, Ensemble
Beatrice, Ensemble
Lance Gardner*
Denmo Ibrahim*
Ursula, Don Pedro,
Ensemble
Claudio, Ensemble
Safiya Fredericks*
Hero, Verges, Ensemble
Rami Margron*
Margaret, Borachio,
Friar, Ensemble
Anthony Fusco*
Dogberry, Leonato,
Ensemble
Stacy Ross*
Benedick, Ensemble
*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association.
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WHO’S WHO:
THE CHARACTERS
CAST
Leonato: Governor of Messina; a respected nobleman. He is Hero’s father and Beatrice’s uncle.
Hero: Leonato’s daughter. She is in love with Claudio.
Beatrice: Leonato’s niece and cousin and best friend to Hero. She swears that she will never marry.
Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon: longtime friend of Leonato.
Benedick: An aristocrat soldier under Don Pedro.
Claudio: A soldier and nobleman who has won acclaim under Don Pedro. He loves Hero, but acts rashly
when he believes she has been unfaithful.
Don John: Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother. He hates Don Pedro and Claudio. He schemes to ruin their
happiness by making it seem as though Hero has been unfaithful.
Borachio: Don John’s servant and Margaret’s lover. He helps Don John trick Don Pedro and Claudio into
believing that Hero has been unfaithful.
Conrade: Don John’s other servant. He is completely devoted to Don John.
Margaret: One of Hero’s servants. Margaret accidentally helps Don John with his scheme to make Hero
seem unfaithful.
Ursula: Another one of Hero’s servants. She helps Hero trick Beatrice into thinking Benedick is in love
with her.
Dogberry: Master Constable. He often acts like a fool, but is very earnest and ultimately helps reveal
Don John’s evil plot.
Verges: Dogberry’s deputy who helps give out the night’s assignments to the watchmen.
Friar: Counsels Leonato and performs the marriage of Claudio and Hero.
George Seacoal: a watchman under Dogberry’s charge.
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CHARACTER MAP
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SEEING THE PLAY:
BEFORE AND AFTER
“Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.”
—Hero, Act 3, Scene 1
Consider the following questions before and after the show.
BEFORE Viewing the Play
• When does what someone says change
the course of someone else’s life?
• How many lies can you spot that the
characters tell each other or themselves?
• What kind of people do you think
Dogberry and his men are?
• Look for moments that you recognize in
modern life: Are the characters acting
like people do today? Why or why not?
AFTER Viewing the Play
• What does class have to do with how
differently Hero and Margaret are treated
for their (fake and real) meetings with
their lovers?
• What do you think of Dogberry and
his gang?
• Are they funny?
• Are they making fun?
• Do you think Beatrice and Benedick will
stay together? What kind of marriage will
they have?
• What kind of picture do you think
Shakespeare is trying to paint with his
story about these mixed-up people? What
is he telling us about life?
*See the “Write Your Own Critique” page in the
Activity Appendix for more questions to consider.
*See the “Write Your Own Critique” page in the Activity Appendix for more ideas about what to watch out for during
the production and how to write about your reactions after the show.
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SHAKESPEARE’S LANGUAGE:
TAKE NOTICE
When asked what the number one challenge is with Shakespeare’s works, modern-day audiences will
almost always respond: “The language.” It’s true that the language does sound a bit different to our ears,
and he uses phrases we no longer use in our everyday speech. But think of this: If Shakespeare were to
mysteriously reappear in the present, he would be baffled by some of the phrases we use today. That’s
because language is constantly transforming.
Here are some original quotes from Much Ado About Nothing.
Can you match them to their modern-day translations?
Friendship is constant all other things
Save in the office and affairs of love.
Claudio, Act 2, Scene 1
Amazing! We wrote down that we love each
other even though we didn’t want to admit it
out loud.
Silence is the perfectest herald of joy. I were
but little happy if I could say how much.
Claudio, Act 2, Scene 1
I consider you to be the most stupid and fit man
for the job…
When I do name him, let it be thy part
To praise him more than ever man did merit.
My talk to thee must be how Benedick
Is sick in love with Beatrice.
Hero, Act 3, Scene 1
When I talk about him, it is your job to say
really good things about him. My job is to
talk about how much Benedick is in love with
Beatrice.
You are thought here to be the most senseless
and fit man for the constable of the watch...
Dogberry, Act 3, Scene 3
Once a good friend, always a good friend,
except when love is involved
She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.
Benedick, Act 2, Scene 1
Everything she says is like a dagger that stabs
you.
A miracle! Here’s our own hands against our
hearts.
Benedick, Act 5, Scene 4
Beatrice and Benedick seem to like fighting;
whenever they get together they always try to
make the best joke about the other person.
There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor
Benedick and her. They never meet but there’s
a skirmish of wit between them.
Leonato, Act 1, Scene 1
Silence reveals true joy. If I had enough speech
to say how happy I was, that in itself would
mean that I was only a little glad.
Try This!
Do the “translations” here do the Shakespeare quote justice? Can you come up with a better modern
English translation and still capture the mood, tone, and meaning of Shakespeare’s words?
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MUCH ADO ABOUT EVERYTHING:
BEHIND THE PLAY
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THE ELIZABETHAN WORLDVIEW:
THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING
Other than a “class” of students, there are several dictionary definitions of “class” in its social meaning:
• a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics, and having the same social
position: Artisans form a distinct class in some societies.
• the system of dividing society; caste.
• social rank, especially high rank.
• the members of a given group in society, regarded as a single entity.
• any division of persons or things according to rank or grade:
Hotels were listed by class, with the most luxurious ones listed first.
England has been famous for the severe division of its people into very strict social distinctions. The “Great Chain of
Being” was a concept that ordered all of the world into higher and lower groups. There was absolutely no allowance
to move from one class to another, as it was said to be ordained by God.
God: is pure intelligence.
Angels: have pure intelligence.
Nobles: blessed with higher intelligence.
• King
• Queen
• Prince
• Princess
• Man
• Woman
• Child
Commoners: capable of intelligence.
• Man
• Woman
• Child
Animals: not capable of intelligence.
Plants: not capable of intelligence.
Rocks (minerals): not capable of intelligence.
Imagine, if you were born a commoner, you were considered to be somewhat stupid, and therefore incapable of
great things, and not even worthy of being treated well. This was not thought of as an opinion; this was considered
fact! Even if you were the smartest “commoner” ever to be born, the social system had you pegged as stupid, and
even if you proved it somehow, you probably wouldn’t be believed. For example, Dogberry and his men are the first
to know that Hero is innocent, and are initially disbelieved and dismissed by Leonato. Their language is comically
confused. They are lower class, and yet they have the knowledge that sorts out the entire play.
Today, a great example of how class systems can, and should, be overcome is the recurring fame of Alexander
Hamilton. Hamilton was an illegitimate orphan born in the West Indian Islands, who immigrated to America. On
the strength of his intelligence and hard work alone, he became one of the most influential leaders of the American
Revolution. He shaped the Constitution and our current financial system.
Try This!
• Have you ever heard someone in your family make a negative comment about another person based on
their background or ethnic origin?
• Have you ever made a comment or thought something negative about another person based on their
background or ethnic origin? Be honest with yourself.
• Write a paragraph explaining where you think negative perceptions of certain groups come from. If you have
trouble, ask your family and friends. The answer is not necessarily buried in history; it might be right in
front of you at school or in your community.
Reflection: How do you think negative perceptions of people get perpetuated? Do you think you have certain
negative perceptions you weren’t aware of before?
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GO GIRLS!
O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the marketplace.
—Beatrice, Act 4, Scene 1
In Shakespeare’s time, the decision to marry was in the hands of a girl’s father. A father chose his
daughter’s husband and it was considered dishonorable and disrespectful to communicate her desires
in the process. When a woman married, all of her personal property became the property of her
husband and she had no say in how it was spent. Women were regarded as chattel (property) that
could improve the family fortune or political alliances. Elizabethans thought women needed a male
caretaker. (Remember, females could not have careers or make money outside of the house.) However,
Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance period, which was a turbulent and exciting time in which
many old ideas were being questioned, examined, and re-interpreted. Shakespeare is known for
creating female characters that are just as complex, intelligent, and powerful as the males. Beatrice is a
prime example.
In Much Ado About Nothing, men expect to take the lead in most areas of social decision-making.
Leonato has the power to decide when, who, and how Hero marries, and Claudio has the power to
reject her at his will. Beatrice has to demand that Benedick challenge Claudio to a duel since she has
never been allowed the training or experience to do so herself. It is men, in other words, who make all
of the choices. Beatrice, however, makes her choices in this play, by using her intelligence and wit. She
displays the verbal inventiveness that makes the kind of woman she is—unmarried, un-parented—an
acceptable reality in the society.
Just like Beatrice, Shakespeare’s Queen Elizabeth defied the expectations of women during her time.
She never married because she realized early that marriage meant a loss of power. Even though the
general opinion of the time was that women’s minds were weak and that a female head of state was
“an offense against nature,” she ruled with great political skill and cunning.
Hero, on the other hand, seems to represent a very conventional woman of wealth at this time. She
doesn’t have much to say in the play, especially compared to the other characters. By putting these two
opposite kinds of women side-by-side, Shakespeare is reflecting his changing world.
For Students: What about Margaret?
There is uproar when it is suspected that Hero has had an affair. However, when it
is discovered that Margaret was mistaken for Hero, all is well. No one seems to be
upset over Margaret’s behavior. Why?
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
A MYSTERIOUS LIFE
(page 1 of 2)
Signature on his Last Will and Testament, “William Shakspere”;
one of six different spellings of his name in his own hand
Source: Mabillard, Amanda. Playing Fast and Loose with Shakespeare’s Name.
Shakespeare Online. 20 July. 2011
Are you good men and true?
—Dogberry, Act 3, Scene 3
William Shakespeare is considered one of the world’s finest playwrights. Writing in
England during the late 1500s during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I,
he established himself as a major poet, actor, and playwright. He mastered the comic and
tragic dramatic forms and introduced over 2,000 new words into the English language.
Shakespeare is read by nearly every American student and is perhaps best known for
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
He’s of course one of the most highly regarded writers of all time, but the really interesting
thing is that we don’t actually know if the man known as William Shakespeare—of
Stratford-upon-Avon, son of a glove maker—was really the author of all of the plays
written under his name. A common argument is that a lower middle-class man such as
Shakespeare could not have had sufficient education or knowledge of court matters to
write so insightfully and profoundly of the human condition and of royalty, much less use
language so skillfully. Who could have written the plays? Frequently suggested are:
•
•
•
•
Queen Elizabeth
The Earl of Oxford
Sir Francis Bacon
A bunch of other playwrights writing under one name.
Even his birthday is not confirmed. (Birth records from this time are rare and unreliable.)
Historians are fairly certain that Shakespeare was born in 1564, but it could have been
on April 23rd, or maybe the 20th, or the 21st, or even May 3rd. To add to the confusion,
there wasn’t actually such a thing as standard spellings back in Shakespeare’s day—people
spelled words as they sounded. Common spellings of “Shakespeare” include: “Shakespere,”
“Shackspeare,” and “Shakspeare.” Furthermore, only a few samples of handwriting are
thought to actually be his—plays were copied out by actors and others in the theater
company for rehearsals.
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
A MYSTERIOUS LIFE
(page 2 of 2)
There are a few things about Shakespeare, however, that we do know for sure. A man
known as William Shakespeare definitely was involved in the theater: His name is listed
among the acting company known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in London, which was
very popular with the people and with Queen Elizabeth. The company also built the famous
Globe Theatre in London, where most of Shakespeare’s plays premiered.
Shakespeare also had a son named Hamnet who died young, and is thought to have inspired the title Hamlet. Shakespeare had two other children: Hamnet’s twin, Judith and
another daughter, Susannah.
Unfortunately, the Shakespeare line ended when his granddaughter Elizabeth died in 1670,
having no children of her own. Therefore, there are no descendants who kept records.
Shakespeare is buried in the Holy Trinity Church in his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon.
On his grave there is an inscription cursing anyone who dares to move his body from that
final resting place. To this day his bones remain undisturbed.
For Students: Try This!
Look up the clues that people have collected about
who Shakespeare was. Do you think there really was
one man from Stratford-upon-Avon who wrote all of the
plays? Or was the name, Shakespeare, used to cover
up the real author(s)? Why would someone want to
cover up the real author of these plays? Does any of this
matter in the end?
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MUCH ADO ABOUT:
TAKING NOTE
- 18 -
TRUTH AND LIES:
CLAUDIO AND HERO
Let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me.
—Don John, Act 1, Scene 3
In the play there is a dark turn in the young romantic relationship between Hero and Claudio. As a woman in Elizabethan
times (even though the play is set in Italy, it reflects English standards), Hero’s whole status depends on her reputation. She
has little other value in society other than bearing children to continue a noble lineage, so it is very important that she be
paired with the proper man.
Hero is framed by Don John to make it look like she is romancing another man after she had been pledged to marry Claudio.
This kind of behavior would make her entirely unfit to marry a nobleman, and Hero is accused and viciously insulted by
Claudio right at the altar. Her own father also disowns her on the spot.
But this is a comedy, and it must end happily. After the shame of her wedding day, Hero’s family announces that she has
died of grief, but they actually just hide her away. When Leonato is finally convinced of his daughter’s innocence, he asks
Claudio to marry another girl, Hero’s “cousin.” Leonato then puts Hero, her face hidden under a veil, in the bride’s place at
the second wedding. This is the sad truth of a ruthlessly masculine society in which a woman must die in order for her virtue
to be redeemed. (The same thing happens in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, but with no redemption.)
Here’s an example of Claudio’s words to Hero on their first disastrous wedding day, and then Leonato’s:
Claudio:
There, Leonato, take her back again.
Give not this rotten orange to your friend.
She’s but the sign and semblance of her honor…
She knows the heat of a luxurious bed…
But fare thee well, most foul, most fair!
Leonato:
Wherefore! Why, doth not every earthly thing
Cry shame upon her? Could she here deny
The story that is printed in her blood?
Do not live, Hero, do not ope thine eyes,
For, did I think thou wouldst not quickly die,
Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames…
Hence from her! let her die.
An unfortunate but timely comparison are the cases of a few young people (girls and boys) who have gone so far as to
commit suicide after having their reputation or sense of self-worth destroyed through cyber-bullying. These modern-day
Heros are caught in a similar situation where they know the truth, but no one else believes it, and they too choose to
permanently exit the situation.
For Students
Have you ever had someone say something bad about you that wasn’t true? How did it feel? Were
you able to establish the truth?
Why do words have so much power when used against someone?
Think about gossip magazines and websites. How do the writers choose their headlines to get you to
read their story? Do you believe the articles in these publications? Why or why not?
How can you figure out what is rumor and what is truth?
Name three television shows whose storylines revolve around gossip, misinformation, and rumor.
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WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?:
SOCIAL EMPATHY
For there was never yet philosopher
That could endure the toothache patiently
—Leonato, Act 5, Scene 1
Many individuals and groups of people in the world experience unequal opportunities and unfair
advantages or disadvantages. How people perceive and make judgments on other people who seem
different from them in some way has created these unfair divisions and difficulties. The Black Lives
Matter movement is an excellent example of people who want to talk frankly about inequity for people
of African-American descent—they refuse to “endure the toothache patiently.”
People are perceived a certain way (either positive or negative) because of the color of their skin, the
way they talk, or how much money they have. The characters in our production of Much Ado are the
ones who do not have opportunity or access: Dogberry and his group of friends are the workers who
must serve, rather than attend, the wedding party. They are seen as “less than” the guests at the party.
Try This!
Think privately of a person you see at school, but don’t know very well, who is different from you in
some way. It may be in how they dress, what they look like, or how they act. Picture them in your mind
and recall how they talk, walk, stand, or sit. What’s your first thought or feeling whenever you see
them?
Now make a list:
• Imagine what that person’s inner thoughts are, in a realistic way. Everyone has favorite things,
things they wish for, things they are scared of.
• Imagine what they like the most.
• Imagine what they want. This could be an actual thing, like a bicycle, or something like love, or
respect.
• Imagine what they are afraid of.
• Imagine who is the most important person in their life.
Reflection: How has your initial feeling about this person changed by thinking about them in this way?
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YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN:
DOGBERRY
You are thought here to be the most senseless
and fit man for the constable of the watch…”
—Dogberry, Act 3, Scene 3
Shakespeare uses language like a jazz musician plays with musical notes; Sometimes he follows
the rules, but sometimes he makes up new rules. Shakespeare’s characters use words not only to
communicate, but to create a certain mood, express their emotions in new ways, or paint a complex
picture of a person or situation.
Poor Dogberry! He seems to love words—his speeches are full of complex and certainly interesting
phrases and turns of thought—but he doesn’t seem to really understand the words he’s saying. He often
substitutes one word for another, which is called a “malapropism.” Malapropisms usually result in jokes.
Sometimes a malapropism is substituting an incorrect word that sounds a lot like the word one really
means. For example, when Dogberry asks his sidekick Verges not to compare things to each other he
says, “Comparisons are odorous.” He means to say “odious,” which means hateful or disgusting, but
instead he says “odorous,” which means smelly. Don’t you just hate when comparisons are lying around
in the garbage smelling up the place?
Another example is when the malapropism is substituting a word that means the exact opposite of what
is intended. For instance, when Dogberry is accusing the conspirator Borachio he says, “O villain! Thou
wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this.” He is trying to tell Borachio that he will be
punished by God for his villainy, so he means to say something similar to “condemnation,” but instead
he uses “redemption,” which means “rescue or recovery.” The mix-up has a comic effect.
Another textual indication of Dogberry’s state of mind is an inability to keep things in order. For
example, when listing the many offenses of the lawbreakers, he says, “Moreover they have spoken
untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have
verified unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.”
For Students: Shakespeare was First
The word “malapropism” comes from a 1775 play called The Rivals by Richard Brinkley Sheridan,
in which a character named Mrs. Malaprop—whose name comes from the French phrase mal à
propos, meaning not to the purpose—makes the same kind of verbal mistakes as Dogberry. But this
tendency, embodied so fully by Dogberry in the 1500s, was known to Renaissance crowds as a
“dogberryism.”
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SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT:
BEATRICE AND BENEDICK
There’s a skirmish of wit between them…
—Leonato, Act 1, Scene 1
Beatrice and Benedick are masters of the spoken word, unlike Claudio and Hero, who either use
exaggeration or do not speak much, and in great contrast to Dogberry, who doesn’t even seem to know
how to use words correctly. Much like Kate and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Beatrice and
Benedick are so verbally well-matched that everyone else in the play, as well as the audience, knows
they are destined to be together, no matter how much they protest. In the following dialogue, note how
one of them picks up on the words (in bold) that the other has used to craft another insult:
BEATRICE: I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedick. Nobody marks you.
BENEDICK: What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?
BEATRICE: Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signor
Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain if you come in her presence.
BENEDICK: Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted.
And I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for, truly, I love none.
BEATRICE: A dear happiness to women. They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I
thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than
a man swear he loves me.
Shakespeare’s illustration of a perfect couple is unmistakable through the matching wordplay and
one-upmanship.
For Students
Have you ever heard people in a verbal fight who are so good with words that you know they are
enjoying the fight? Insult fights can be fun for this reason.
Write a six-line argument between Beatrice and Benedick using modern-day insults. Remember to
keep it playful and fun. Deep down these characters really like each other.
See Resources: Books and Internet on page ___ for a link to a Shakespearean insult page.
See Go Girls! on page ___ for further information on women and Renaissance culture.
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CLASSROOM
RESOURCES
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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
ON FILM
Much Ado About Nothing is a popular play onstage as well as on film. Some of the film versions are
named after the play and some are just inspired by Much Ado’s story. Several of these films also update
the play to a modern setting. Here are a few of the most well-known:
Much Ado About Nothing (1913)
Directed by Phillips Smalley
Starring Pearl White and Chester Barnett
A silent short film based on the classic play.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Starring Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh,
Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, and Kate
Beckinsale
Set in Renaissance Italy, using Shakespeare’s
language.
Much Ado About Nothing (1940)
Directed by Connie Rasinski
An animated short loosely based on
Shakespeare’s plot.
Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
Directed by Joss Whedon
Starring Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker, Alexis
Denisof, and Clark Gregg
Set in modern day, using Shakespeare’s
original language.
Much Ado About Nothing (1967)
Directed by Alan Cooke
Starring Maggie Smith and Michael Byrne
Much Ado About Nothing (1973)
Directed by Nick Havinga
Starring Sam Waterston, Kathleen Widdoes, and
Barnard Hughes
A film of the New York stage production directed
by Joseph Papp, known for its complete use of
the text.
Activities:
Ask students to look at the opening scenes of Kenneth Branagh’s version set in Italy
and the Whedon version set in Los Angeles. What are the differences? Similarities? Do
they tell the same story? Which one do you think is more effective and why?
Ask students to come up with suggestions for modern retellings of the story. What
styles and features would they include (puppets, animation, action, Western)? What
would make it interesting and understandable for a student audience?
Would this story work if it were embedded in another culture? How could another
culture inform the characters of Beatrice and Benedick, or Hero’s supposed
unfaithfulness?
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BOOKS AND INTERNET
(page 1 of 2)
Teaching Resources for Much Ado About Nothing
Royal Shakespeare Company
www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources/
Folger Shakespeare Library
www.folger.edu
Globe Theater in England
www.shakespearesglobe.com/education
The Stratford Festival
www.Stratfordfestival.ca/education/teachers.aspx?id=1096
Life in Elizabethan England
www.Elizabethan.org/compendium
www.Teachit.co.uk/armoore/Shakespeare
www.Snaithprimary.eril.net/ttss.htm
Activities on Shakespeare’s various plot and character relationships
www.Collaborativelearning.org/muchadoplotrelationships.pdf
(for Much Ado About Nothing, but can be adapted to any Shakespeare play)
The Kennedy Center’s “The Poetics of Hip-Hop”
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-9-12/Poetics_of_Hip_Hop.aspx
Shakespearean Insult Worksheet Gallery
www.web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Funny-pages/shakespeare-insult-kit.html
www.theatrefolk.com/freebies/shakespearean-insults.pdf
“ShakespeaRe-Told”
www.BBC.co.uk/drama/shakespeare
- 25 -
BOOKS AND INTERNET
(page 2 of 2)
Books
Davis, James E., ed. Teaching Shakespeare Today: Practical Approaches and Productive Strategies. Urbana, Ill:
National Council of Teachers of English, 1993.
Crystal, David, and Crystal, Ben. The Shakespeare Miscellany. The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc.
Woodstock and New York, 2005.
Crystal, David, and Crystal, Ben. Shakespeare’s Words: A Glossary and Language Companion. Penguin Books,
The Penguin Group. London, 2002.
Papp, Joseph and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare Alive! New York, New York: Bantam Books, 1988.
Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard. New York,
New York: Penguin Books, 1993
Asimov, Isaac. Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare. New York, New York: Random House, 1970.
Foster, Cass and Lynn G. Johnson. Shakespeare: To Teach or Not To Teach. Grades three and Up. Scottsdale, AZ:
Five Star Publications, 1992.
Garfield, Leon. Shakespeare Stories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.
Morley, Jacqueline and John James. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Inside Story. East Sussex, London: Simon and
Schuster Young Books, 1994.
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CLASSROOM
ACTIVITY GUIDE
May/June 2016
Note to Teachers: This guide was created as a supplement for teachers preparing students to see
California Shakespeare Theater’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Worksheets are designed
to be used individually or in conjunction with others throughout the guide. While we realize that
no aspect of this guide fully outlines a course for meeting a subject area’s standards, discussion
questions, and topics are devised to address California State standards in English, performing arts,
and history. The activities here can be minimally reproduced for educational, nonprofit use only. All
lessons must be appropriately credited.
There are many excellent lesson plans for Much Ado About Nothing on the internet. Please see our
“Resources” page for links. This guide concentrates primarily on ideas that help students understand
language, plot, and character through activities that get students on their feet and speaking.
If you are interested in a California Shakespeare Theater’s Professional Development Workshop,
which provides easy-to-learn tools for teachers to incorporate theater and arts education activities
into California standards-based core curriculum, please contact the Artistic Learning Department at
510.548.3422 x136 or [email protected].
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OUR MISSION
With Shakespeare’s depth of humanity as our touchstone, we build character and
community through authentic, inclusive, and joyful theater experiences.
OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
Artistic Learning programs are also supported by the numerous donors to our annual
Gala Make-a-Difference Fund, the Dale Family Fund, Dodge & Cox, the Clarence E.
Heller Foundation (for teaching artist professional development), the William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, the Thomas J.
Long Foundation, the MCJ Amelior Foundation, and the Ida and William Rosenthal
Foundation.
PRESENTING PARTNERS
SEASON SPONSORS
SEASON UNDERWRITERS
PRODUCTION PARTNER
California Shakespeare Theater
701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710
510.548.3422
• www.calshakes.org
- 28 -
SOCIAL NETWORK
CHARACTER STUDY
Have your students create a Facebook profile for a character from the play.
Overview: Being able to empathize with fictional characters sheds light on our own personal situations,
and recasts the plot of the play in relevant terms.
Grade: 6-12
Goal: To bring the characters of Much Ado About Nothing into a real-world context.
Outcomes: By creating a mock Facebook page, students will be able to use basic facts from the text to
imaginatively enter into the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of fictional characters.
Activity: Familiarize students with the profile layout of a social networking page, such as Facebook. (See
following examples.)
1. Ask the students to fill in the profile with
• vital statistics
• likes and dislikes
• friends
Note: Students should use information drawn from their knowledge of the play (For example,
Dogberry uses words that don’t mean what he thinks they do.) filled out by their imaginations.
2. Profile photos may be drawn or cut out from magazines, or a photo of the student could be
used and attached to the page. Remember, many real Facebook profile pages do not have an
actual photo of the person who made them—Facebook members sometimes choose a picture of
something they feel represents them, e.g., a tree or a poster they like.
3. Have the students share the pages they’ve created in pairs or in a group discussion.
Reflection:
• Name one thing you had to imagine about your character that you think is really interesting.
• Was it easy to imagine things about the characters beyond the play, like what Hero does in her spare
time? Or do you feel the play did not provide enough information? How so?
• How easy was it to decide who your character’s friends are? Would your character ignore a friend
request from other characters in the play? Why or why not?
Extension exercise in writing dialogue:
Note: Require the students to fill out the worksheet manually, rather than actually filling out a public
profile online. If you can post their mock profile pages onto your school website or blog, that would work
as well, but false profiles in a public space should be actively discouraged. Student examples should
show a deep understanding of the plot and qualities of the character. Some examples follow.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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SHAKESBOOK
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Michael Keaton as Dogberry in Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Status Updates
– Dogberry: New episode of Judge Judy tonight! Such a SUSPECTABLE woman!
I have so much to learn from her.
º 1 comment: Verges: Didn’t see any knaves today; will try again tomorrow.
– Dogberry: Remember that I am an ass!
Networks:
Messina, Italy
Sex:Male
Relationship Status:
Single
Religious Views:
Honor and chivalry are not dead.
Information
Email: [email protected]
Current town:
Messina, Sicily
Personal Info
Interests: Making arrests, organizing the Prince’s Watch, and fighting
knavery.
Activities: Withholding the honor of the law, reprimanding the immorally
weak, and generally keeping the disquiet
Favorite TV Shows: CSI, Judge Judy
Favorite Music: Theme to Teen Titans
Favorite Quote: “If I were as tedious as a king, I could find it in my heart to
bestow it all of your worship.”
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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THE SHAMING OF HERO
Done to death by slanderous tongues
—Claudio, Act 5, Scene 3
Overview: This activity underlines how all the guests are complicit in shaming Hero by not
defending her honor, it will help students to empathize with Hero’s plight.
Grades: 6–12
Goal: To bring the characters of Much Ado into a real-world context.
Outcomes: Students will be able to imaginatively enter into the thoughts, feelings, and
motivations of fictional characters by enacting a moment of high drama. The students will identify
with a bullied character and understand the complex emotions from all of the people involved in
the incident.
Activity*
Part 1:
• Explain that as a group you will create a still image of a wedding scene. Decide what type
of wedding it is: Is it set within a particular culture or time?
• Build up the picture in turn, starting with the bride and bridegroom (Claudio and Hero)
who place themselves in the center of the image. Add the Friar and the father of the bride
(Leonato), then the groomsmen (Benedick, Don John, and Don Pedro) and the bridesmaid
(Beatrice). Finally position everyone else as guests and servants around the wedding party.
• When everyone is in position, the student playing Claudio reads out the accusation (see
the next page).
• Ask the group to think about what their character would be thinking after Claudio’s made
this accusation and to think of a line to say in reaction to it.
• Explain that when you touch them on the shoulder, each person will express what their
character is thinking. Walk around the image, touching each of the students on the
shoulder until everyone’s reaction has been heard.
Part 2
• Next, ask the student playing Hero to sit on a chair in the center of the scene while the
rest of the group forms a circle around her.
• Cut out the insults spoken to Hero (see the next page) so that every student has one to
say. (Some of the lines will have to be repeated.)
• Point to each student in turn and ask them to read the insult aloud they’ve been given,
repeating it over and over, getting louder and louder until Hero can’t stand it any longer.
She should then stand up from her chair and give her response (see text below). As soon
as she stands up, all the insults must stop.
After this, reflect together on the activity:
• How did Hero feel when she was wrongly accused of being with another man?
• What would you do if you were Hero in this situation?
• How did the students playing guests and servants feel when they were insulting Hero?
*adapted from the Royal Shakespeare Company education website; see Resources.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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TEXT EXTRACTS Act 4 Scene 1
To cut out and use in the “Shaming of Hero” activity.
Claudio’s Accusation
“Myself, my brother, and this grieved count
Did see her, hear her, at that hour last night,
Talk with a ruffian at her chamber window
Who hath indeed, most like a liberal villain,
Confessed the vile encounters they have had
A thousand times in secret.”
Insults to Hero
rotten orange
cunning sin
her blush is guiltiness
approved wanton
pampered animal
savage sensuality
impious purity
beggar’s issue
foul tainted flesh
Hero’s response
“Oh, God defend me! how am I beset!
What kind of catechizing call you this?”
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BEYOND THE PLAY:
CHARACTER BACKSTORY
Overview: Write the backstory for one of the minor characters in Much Ado About Nothing:
Leonato, Borachio, Margaret, Ursula.
A “backstory” is the personal history of a character that is not described in the actual play or
story. In other words, it is what happens to the character before the play starts.
Grades: 4-12
Goal: To use contextual clues to create an imaginative experience of a minor character.
Outcomes: Students will study the play for clues to the characters, and fully describe an imagined
life prior to the play’s beginning that justifies the way the character acts in the play.
Activity
Part 1:
• Write the names of a few of the characters from Much Ado About Nothing onto Post-it
notes and then stick the notes on students’ foreheads, so that the students cannot see the
Post-it note on their own heads, but can see the names of everyone else in the class.
• The students then talk amongst themselves and ask each other questions about their
character.
• A student may only ask questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no.” After a few
minutes, all the questioning should stop and the students should state who they think
their character is and see if they are correct.
Part 2:
Explain to the students that the interior life of the character is something an actor must be able to
imagine as they start to understand how to play that character.
The life of a minor character has been a popular literary and theatrical venture, often called the
“pre-quel.” It can illuminate the main story even more brightly. For instance, Wicked is a very
popular book-turned-Broadway musical that explores the backstory and unseen lives of the
witches of Oz before they landed in Oz and met Dorothy.
• Create Word Bank: Create a word bank with your class on the board about a particular
character from the book. Use descriptive, concrete sensory details (sight, smell, touch,
taste, and sound). Guide students through describing how the character looks, how s/he
acts (personality), and what we already know about him/her from the text.
• Write Summary—Prep for writing Backstory: Students choose a character from the
reading and write a one-paragraph description using words like those in the word bank.
• Write Backstory: Students write a one-page description of the character’s life before the
play takes place.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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BEYOND THE PLAY:
CHARACTER BACKSTORY
In this description, include the following:
• Describe the setting (when and where the backstory takes place).
• Describe in vivid detail who the character was early in life—personality, looks, situation,
who s/he is friends with, what his or her interests are, how s/he looks and talks, etc.
• Use action words, descriptive words, dialogue, and images.
• Base the story on clues from the main story when possible.
• Describe a problem that the character faces and why it is a problem. (Examples from
Romeo and Juliet: “I’m tired and my back hurts, but I’ll help my darling Juliet, although I
may get fired by Lady Capulet” or “I really hate it that these families keep fighting in the
streets and I’m determined to stop it forever,” etc.).
• Describe specifically why s/he chooses to do those things (for example, personal
satisfaction, revenge, habit, being forced to do them by someone else, etc.).
• Describe how the character feels about doing what s/he does in the play.
Part 3:
1. Oral Sharing: Divide students into groups of four or five. Have the students in each group
read their descriptions to each other. Pick one to share with the class and add others if
there is time.
2. Theatrical Presentation: Each group should pick one of those stories to present to
classmates in an artistic way. They can choose how to present it. Possibilities include: a
rap, comic strip drawings, tableau, puppet show, etc.
Coaching: Tell the students that this requires them to use their imagination! Think of what the
character does in the play and imagine reasons why the character ends up doing what he/she
does. Remember, there is no “right” answer to an open-ended exercise, as long as they can justify
their choices using the text. This exercise is specifically designed to explore the life of minor
characters in the play—characters who are often overlooked, but can yield fascinating discoveries.
When actors play a smaller role they must do this same kind of research to be able to make that
character believable on stage.
Reflection:
• What did you learn about your character that you didn’t know before?
• What did you especially like about one of the descriptions you heard today?
• Did you see a picture of the character in your head?
• How did you describe your character in your writing so that other people could imagine
the same thing you did?
• To classmates: Did you see that character the same way the writer did? What was
different, if anything?
• Who imagined their character’s day while writing the description? What was it like?
• Why did you decide on the specifics that you did for your character? For example, why did
you choose a particular setting for your character’s childhood?
• Does the play provide enough clues to spark your imagination? Why or why not?
• What did you find in your backstory (or someone’s from your group) that was particularly
interesting?
• How hard was it to imagine beyond the story?
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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BEATRICE AND BENEDICK:
FROM PAGE TO STAGE
Overview: These activities look at verbal interaction and physical movement using the clues in the
language to reveal how characters might be interacting.
Grades: 9-12
Goal: To let the language move the body, allowing for new understanding of how the characters
feel and react in a personal context.
Outcome: Students will be able to use text to create their interpretation of the physical and verbal
relationship between characters.
Activity:
Part 1:
• Organize students into pairs and ask them to assign themselves the roles of Beatrice and
Benedick.
• Provide each pair with a copy of the Act 1 Scene 1 text on the following page and ask them
to read this together in their pairs.
• Reflect with students on what kind of relationship they think exists between these two
characters.
º Do they know each other? How can you tell?
º What kind of relationship do they have?
• Alert students to the fact that later in the play Benedick declares that every word Beatrice
says ‘stabs.’ What does this tell us about how this conversation might be performed?
• Encourage each pair to look closely at their lines and re-read them to each other, picking out
one particular word which they think would be particularly hurtful or wounding to the other
person. When they reach those words encourage them to take a step forward towards the
other person and to use their voice to make sure that chosen word has real impact.
• Explain that a key part of rehearsals was about considering key words in this way and which
words needed to be emphasized. Invite students to share some of the words they picked out
and explain their reasons why.
Part 2:
• Share with students that staging and movement across the space also affects the way a
moment like this is rehearsed.
• Ask students to stand diagonally opposite their partner and re-read the scene, making
sure that they are always on a diagonal. They can move as close to each other or as far
away as they want, but they must make sure they are always at the right angle if the other
person moves.
• Reflect with students on how this simple rule changed their movement in the scene. Were
they always close together or further apart? If the diagonal changed, which character
changed it most, or was it equal?
• Ask students to consider how the scene might be different if it was played:
º In front of Beatrice’s family
º With Benedick’s fellow soldiers
• Explain that this dialogue takes place in a very public place, in front of family and friends.
*adapted from the Royal Shakespeare Company education website; see Resources.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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TEXT EXTRACTS ACT 1 SCENE 1
Text for Beatrice and Benedick
BEATRICE: I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedick. Nobody marks you.
BENEDICK: What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?
BEATRICE: I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.
BENEDICK: God keep your Ladyship still in that mind, so some gentleman or other shall ‘scape a
predestinate scratched face.
BEATRICE: Scratching could not make it worse an ‘twere such a face as yours were.
BENEDICK: Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher.
BEATRICE: A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours.
- 36 -
REFERENCE SHEET:
BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE
Below are some unfamiliar words that Shakespeare commonly used
addition—title
affined—bound by duty
alarum—call to arms
with trumpets
anatomize—to analyze
in detail
ancient—ensign
anon—until later
arrant—absolute
aroint—begone
assail—to make
amorous siege
attend—to await
aye—yes
baffle—to hang up (a
person) by the heels as
a mark of disgrace
baggage—strumpet,
prostitute
balk—to disregard
barm—the froth on ale
belike—maybe
belov’d—beloved
blank—a target
bolted—refined
brach—bitch hound
brake—bushes
brave—fine, handsome
bum—backside, buttocks
caitiff—a wretched
humble person
catch—song
character—handwriting
Cousin, ’coz—relative,
good friend
chuck—term of
endearment, chick
clout—a piece of
white cloth
cog—to deceive
coil—trouble
cousin—any close
relative
descant—improvise
discourses—speaks
dispatch—to hurry
e’en—evening
enow—enough
fare-thee-well—goodbye
fie—a curse
fustian—wretched
got—begot
grammarcy—thank you
halter—noose
honest—chaste, pure
heavy—sorrowful
housewife—hussy,
prostitute
impeach—dishonor
list—listen
mayhap—maybe
mess—meal, food
mew—confine
minister—servant
moiety—portion
morrow—day
nay—no
ne’er—never
office—service or favor
oft—often
passing—surprisingly,
exceedingly
perchance—maybe
perforce—must
politician—schemer
post—messenger
power—army
prithee—please
quest—a jury
recreant—coward
resolve—to answer;
reply to
but soft—be quiet
soundly—plainly
stale—harlot
subscription—loyalty,
allegiance
tax—to criticize; to
accuse
troth—belief
teem—to give birth
thee—you (informal)
thou—you (informal)
thy—your (informal)
tucket—trumpet flourish
verge—edge,
circumference
verily—truly
villain—common person,
not noble
want—lack of, don’t have
well-a-day—alas
wherefore—why
yea—yes
zounds—by his (Christ’s)
wounds
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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YOU’RE THE CRITIC: CAL SHAKES PLAY CRITIQUE
(Elementary and Middle School)
NAME: __________________________________
1. Circle the number of stars that best matches how you’d rate this performance. (One star is the
lowest rating and five stars is the best rating.) Then write a paragraph on the back of the paper that
specifically describes why you gave it that rating. Do not simply say “I didn’t like it,” but say why.
For example, “I didn’t like the fact that the director changed the setting to New York” or “I loved the
way the actors made me believe that they were really going to kill each other.”
2. Outline the main actions that happened in the plot. What were the big events in the story?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
3. What is the central idea or theme of the play?
4. Describe what the actors did to help you understand the Shakespearean language.
5. What did you particularly like or dislike about the staging (set design, lights, costumes, music, etc.)?
6. Shakespeare writes about feelings that we all experience. In Much Ado About Nothing, we see
people deal with feelings like love, jealousy, anger, frustration, and others. Pick one of these
emotions that you’ve experienced strongly and write what happened in your life to make you feel
that way and what happened because of it.
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YOU’RE THE CRITIC: CAL SHAKES PLAY CRITIQUE
(Middle and High School)
Give this production a rating of one to five stars. (One star is the lowest rating and five stars is the
highest.) On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph review of the play; describe why you gave it
that rating. Give specific examples to support your reasons. On the same sheet of paper, reflect on the
following questions:
Star rating: ___ stars
1. Think of each character and how they behave in the play. Are these characters like anyone you
know in real life? For example, is there someone who is smart and disdainful, like Benedick or
Beatrice? Is there someone who is very emotional, like Claudio?
2. Which character is most like you? Which one is least like you? Why?
3. Why do you think the characters behave as they do? Pick one character and explain their
motivations. For example, Claudio goes from loving Hero to shaming her in a very short period of
time. Can you imagine a reason why someone would do that? Do you agree with his behavior?
4. Why are we still staging this play 400 years after Shakespeare’s death? Why do you think the
director chose this play?
5. Which character did you sympathize with most? Why?
6. Think about and describe:
i. The vocal and physical actions of the actors (characterization)
ii.The set
iii.The costumes
7. What do you think are some of the themes of the play?
8. Did the elements of characterizations, set, and/or costumes reinforce any of these themes?
9. Shakespeare writes about things that we all experience: love, jealousy, death, anger, grief, fear,
passion, confusion, etc. Write a paragraph about one big emotion in the play that you’ve also
experienced in your life.
10. Now, imagine you are the director of Much Ado, and use a new sheet of paper to create your new
production.
º Cast the characters of Beatrice and Benedick with famous actors. Why would you choose
these two people?
º Many directors set Shakespeare plays in time periods other than the Renaissance.
What other setting could you place the play in that would make sense? Why?
º What about costumes? Imagine how the characters in your new production would be
dressed and how that would illustrate the kinds of characters they are and what setting
you have put the play in.
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