Who's Who
Who is Hero’s cousin?
Beatrice
Who says: “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me”?
Beatrice
Where does the play take place?
Messina, Italy
Who falls in love almost immediately when they return from war?
Claudio with Hero
Who wrote Much Ado About Nothing?
William Shakespeare
Who is the illegitimate brother of Don Pedro?
Don John
Beatrice calls Benedick the “Prince’s ____.”
Jester
Who is tricked into believing Beatrice loves him?
Benedick
Who agrees to woo Hero on Claudio’s behalf?
Don Pedro
Around what year was the play written?
1598–1599
Which character is described as “too wise to woo peaceably”?
Benedick
What insult does Don John use to describe himself?
“I am a plain-dealing villain”
Who helps Don John set up the trick against Hero?
Borachio and Margaret
What “trap” do Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio set for Benedick?
They stage a conversation knowing he is eavesdropping
What type of play is Much Ado About Nothing?
Comedy
Who is the constable in charge of the Watch who accidentally uncovers Don John’s plot?
Dogberry
When Benedick says, “If I do not love her, I am a Jew,” what is he really admitting?
That he’s finally fallen in love with Beatrice, despite all his past denial.
What plan does Friar Francis suggest after Hero is accused?
That Hero pretend to be dead until her innocence is proven
How does Beatrice show her loyalty to Hero after the wedding scene?
She demands Benedick kill Claudio
What is the main difference between comedy and tragedy in Shakespeare’s plays?
Comedies end in marriage/reunion, while tragedies end in death/disaster.
Who is Margaret, and how is she (unknowingly) involved in Don John’s scheme?
She is Hero’s waiting gentlewoman; Borachio uses her to impersonate Hero at the window.
Which character says: “Silence is the perfectest herald of joy”?
Claudio
What piece of evidence eventually exposes Don John’s scheme?
Borachio’s drunken confession overheard by the Watch
What does Claudio have to do as penance after shaming Hero?
Mourn her, then agree to marry Leonato’s “niece” (really Hero in disguise)
In Shakespeare’s time, who would have played Beatrice and Hero?
Men/boys (since women couldn’t act on stage)