Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing "story outline"

Much Ado About Nothing was written in 1598 and was first published in 1600.

In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare combines a comic love-plot of two professedly single characters coming together and a darker plot of spurned love and reconciliation. These two plots occur against a backdrop of nobility, friendship, and are sumptuousness combined with deceptions and moments of burlesque comedy.

(taken from, http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/plays/adosubj.html)

Much Ado About Nothing Characters

Benedick: Young lord from Padua who thinks he hates Beatrice but really loves her.
Beatrice: Niece of the governor of Messina who thinks she hates Benedick but really loves him. Leonato: Governor of Messina, uncle of Beatrice, and father of Hero.
Don Pedro: Prince of Arragon, a fine fellow who has led his forces to victory in a war against his brother, Don John.
Don John: Don Pedro's bastard brother, a wicked fellow who was defeated by Don Pedro. Claudio: Young lord from Florence who falls in love with Hero. He seems knightly and pure, but his conversations suggest that his attraction to Hero results partly from the fact that she will one day become a wealthy heiress.
Hero: Leonato's daughter, who falls in love with Claudio.
Margaret, Ursula: Hero's attendants. Antonio: Leonato's brother.
Balthasar: Don Pedro's attendant.
Conrade, Borachio: No-good followers of Don John.
Friar Francis: Priest who helps Hero regain her reputation.
Dogberry: Constable of Messina.
Verges: Headborough. Sexton Boy
Minor Characters: Messengers, Watchmen, Attendants.

Researching Elizabethan England

The role of women in Elizabethan England:
The roles of women in the society were very limited. The Elizabethans had very clear expectations of men and women, on average women were meant to give birth to children every two years but many babies died from a different type of sickness and this meant that the families were not large. Women were know to be the "weaker sex", it wasn't just the physical side either. Women were made to be a house wife that looked after the children, cleaned, cooked, and washed.

Class distinctions in Elizabethan England:
In Shakespeare's time there was a very strong social class. This was controlled by wealth, ancestry and occupation. There were four 'main' social classes:

• the nobles (which were in control of the land, they were the lord and lady of the allocated land space, and they were the richest of the social classes)
• the gentry (the gentry were classified as the knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen / people "who did not work with their hands for a living." ) http://www.brandonsd.mb.ca/crocus/library/social_classes_in_shakespeare.htm
• the Yeomanry (the yeomanry were classified as men and women who were between the nobles and the poor)
• the poor (they were classified as people who were disabled, ill, had no money income)

Entertainment in Elizabethan England:

Elizabethan entertainment was very extreme when something was being celebrated.

They include:

• Feasts - A large, elaborately prepared meal, usually for many persons and often accompanied by court entertainment. Often celebrated religious festivals
• Banquets - A ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest
• Fairs - The Annual Summer Fair was often a bawdy affair
• Plays - Starting as plays enacted in town squares followed by the actors using the courtyards of taverns or inns ( referred to as Inn-yards ) followed by the first theatres ( great open air amphitheatres built in the same style as the Roman Coliseum ) and then the introduction of indoor theatres called Playhouses
• Mystery Plays - Re-enacting stories from the Bible
• Festivals - Celebrating Church festivals
• Dancing - Elizabethan dances enjoyed by the Upper Classes, Royalty and Nobility included the Cinque-pace, Galliard, Pavane, Roundel, Tordion and the Volta
• Jousts / Tournaments - A series of tilting matches between knights
• Games and Sports - Sports and games which included archery, bowling, cards, dice, hammer-throwing, quarter-staff contests, quoits, skittles and wrestling
• Animal Sports - Including Bear and Bull baiting. Dog and Cock fighting
• Hunting - Sport followed by the nobility often using dogs
• Hawking - Sport followed by the nobility with hawks

The Names and Types of Elizabethan Entertainment were as follows:

• Jesters - A fool or buffoon at Elizabethan courts
• Mummers - A masked or costumed merrymaker or dancer especially at a festival
• Minstrels - Travelling musician who sang of legends (declined in the Elizabethan era)
• Troubadours - Travelling musician who sang of courtly love (declined in the Elizabethan era)
• Acting Troupes - Travelling actors
• Jugglers - Also used tricks, deception, or fraud

(taken from, http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-entertainment.htm)

Education in Elizabethan England:

Education was generally for boys of the upper classes. The normal week of a boys Elizabethan education consited of:

• Monday - An examination based on the previous Sunday’s sermon
• Tuesday to Thursday - the basic curriculum
• Friday - Examinations and Punishments
• Saturday - study of the catechism and some arithmetic

(taken from, http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-education.htm)

Fashion in Elizabethan England:

clothing for the nobel women:

• Underclothes!
• Smock or shift, also calleda chemise made of linen
• Stockings or hose
• Corset or bodice
• Farthingale - a hooped skirt
• A Roll or Rowle
• Stomacher
• Petticoat
• Kirtle
• Forepart
• Partlet
• Over Clothes!
• Gown
• Separate sleeves
• Ruff
• Cloak
• Shoes
• Hat

clothing for nobel men:

• Underclothes!
• Shirt
• Stockings or hose
• Codpiece
• Corset
• Over Clothes!
• Doublet
• Separate sleeves
• Breeches
• Belt
• Ruff
• Cloak
• Shoes
• Hat

taken from, (http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-clothing.htm0)

Reflection Task

This year I have participated in QGSSA Swimming as a co-curricular activity. I would definitely recommend it for other students as the atmosphere is awesome and it brings swimming to LIFE! I decided to do this co-curricular activity because it is my favourite sport and it what i train for all year long to compete for Age Nationals. All sports that are at St. Hilda's School are good to participate in but honestly i would have to say that QGSSA Swimming is the best for atmosphere and a great team sport whilst participating in relays.

100 word book report

I am still currently reading Vampire Academy and I am hoping to finish it during the school holidays!! Now one of the girls that ram away from the academy is getting trained by Dametri to regain full power so she is eligable to fight and defend as a gardian. I really can't wait till the end.