ICE Much Ado About Nothing
Write a well-organized essay that answers one of the prompts below. Your essay will be 4-5
paragraphs in length and contain two examples from Much Ado About Nothing and one from a
current event or personal experience (see prompt). You may use direct quotes or anecdotal
evidence.
1. Shakespearean Social Networking
In Shakespeare’s time, the letter "H" in the word “nothing” was silent. The resulting word,
“noting,” referred to the act of noticing or overhearing. The characters in the play did a lot of
noting as they gossiped, eavesdropped and intentionally mislead one another. Write about the
consequences of the characters’ noting. Indicate if the behavior was beneficial or harmful, and
how the characters used noting as a tool to get what they wanted. Compare the noting in Much
Ado About Nothing to the gossip, misunderstandings, deceiving and “eavesdropping” that can
occur in social media.
2. The Relevance of Love
While none of the characters in Much Ado About Nothing actively look for love, the play ends
with marriages. Claudio and Hero, for example, only know each other for an instant before they
marry. Discuss the different ways in which the characters show any type of love, not just
romantic love. Compare the love between Claudio and Hero, and Benedict and Beatrice. Discuss
instances of love in today’s society that are incidental, result from the formal duty of marriage
and come from the act of forgiveness.
3. A Game of Lies and Deceit
The protagonists and antagonists in Much Ado About Nothing equally lie and use deceit
throughout the play. Write about how the characters use and respond to deceit, lies and
manipulation. Indicate if you think using lies to solve a problem would work in real life, as it did
in the play. Shakespeare suggests a person like Don John may be so deceitful because he’s
naturally bad, and there is such a thing as a good deception as long as it benefits the greater
good. Write about whether you agree or disagree with the playwright and give reasons why.
4. Words Speak Louder than Actions
Some of Shakespeare’s plays are violent because of swordfights and suicides. The violence in
Much Ado About Nothing mainly comes from the characters’ words. Benedict, for example, says
that Beatrice’s words are like daggers. Give examples of how the characters in the play use
words to intentionally hurt one another. Write what you think Shakespeare’s reason was for
having the characters use violent language. Provide examples of how others use speech as a form
of violence today.