In order to prepare for the exams on Thursday and Friday, please think about, discuss, and jot down answers to the following questions. Also, read through all your notes on Much Ado and through your Quotations sheets. There will be two sections on Friday’s exam: Quotation Identification, Short Answer. On Thursday, you will take the essay exam. You may earn up to 10 points extra credit on the exam by thoroughly answering the following questions. The preparation of one page of notes (including an outline, quotations, thesis statement, etc. ) for each essay topic is required for Thursday. The entire exam and essay will be worth 200 points.
1. Describe the following
characters and reflect on their function in the play: Benedick, Claudio,
Dogberry, Leonato.
2. Describe the following
characters and reflect on their function in the play: Hero, Beatrice, the Friar.
3. Define the term metaphor.
Give an example from the play. How
does Shakespeare’s use of metaphor contribute to the play as a whole?
4. Define the term pun. Give an
example from the play. How does Shakespeare’s use of puns contribute to the
play as a whole?
5. Define dramatic and verbal
irony. Give at least two examples (of either) from the play and label them. How
does Shakespeare’s use of irony contribute to the play as a whole? How would
the play be different without irony?
6. Define the term foil. List as many foils as you can think of in the play. Analyze Shakespeare's use of foil in the play. (i.e.
How is Shakespeare’s use of foils so important to the play as a whole?)
7.
Analyze the concept that the
beautiful is the good and how it develops in this play.
8. Explain how Much Ado About
Nothing is not only a play for Elizabethan times, but also a play for
modern times.
9. How does Shakespeare develop
the theme of the power of words in this play? Give several examples where
Shakespeare reveals the power of the word and then analyze them. Be sure to
discuss Benedick and Beatrice’s connection through
language, the power of words used well to create great disorder or to restore
order, and Dogberry’s role as a poor speaker.
10. Analyze Claudio’s love for
Hero. Is it a deep, true love? What is the love based on? What are your
predictions for their future?
11. Analyze the love between
Benedick and Beatrice. What is their loved based on? What are your predictions
for their future? Compare their relationship to that of Claudio and Hero.
13. How does the theme of
slander develop in the play? What is Shakespeare saying about slander, reality,
and love in this play?
14.
Explain the definition of a
classical romance and how it applies to Much Ado. For each of the following
terms, a) define it, b) explain who and how the play conforms: arete,
hubris, sophrosune, education for right rule.
15. Is Much Ado About Nothing a romance? Explain
how Much Ado does or does not fit
into that genre. Who is the hero and who is the heroine? How is the hero
educated? Is order restored? Is the hero prepared for right rule?
16. Analyze the foil between Don Pedro and Don John in the play.
Essay Topics: To prepare for this section, brainstorm and then prepare one sheet of notes for each topic to use on theessay exam. Include an outline, quotations, and a thesis statement on each page of notes. You will find out which topic to actually write on on the morning of the exam.
Comparison: Choose two characters from the play and compare and contrast them. Analyze their similarities and differences in personality, attitude, change, and symbolism. What is Shakespeare saying through the comparison of these two characters? How does he use them as a foil? Use specific examples and quotations from the play to support your opinions.
-or-
Analyze Much Ado About Nothing using the frame of the classical romance. Look at the definition on the web page and argue how the play fits within the definition. (For example, discuss how the terms hubris, sophrosune, education for right rule, the beautiful is the good, dissoi logoi (double speech) etc. apply to the play). Discuss Benedick's excellence (arete), his hubris, how Beatrice teaches him balance (sophrosune), and how he is prepared for right rule in the end (unlike the Prince and Claudio).