With all due respect to Beatrice, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing speaks with both mirth and matter. With the help of this guide, readers will fall in love with the "skirmish of wit" between Beatrice and Benedick, the hysterical comments of Dogberry and Verges, and the troublesome actions of Claudio and Don Pedro. It is, in fact, a play about many things.

Concepts

william shakespeare, much ado about nothing, comedy, literary analysis, tragedies, inferences, puns

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Instructional Ideas

• After reading and discussing the play, view Kenneth Branagh's 1993  film version of the play
• Assign groups to investigate the relationships of the different characters and then create a diagram on the classroom walls that reveals these relationships
• A virtual tour of the Globe Theatre is available online

Classroom Considerations

• The-16 page guide includes scene-by-scene synopses, before, during, and after reading activities, journal prompts, and discussion questions
  

Pros

• Includes activities specially designed for advanced readers

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.10a RL.9-10.10b RL.11-12.10a RL.11-12.10b