A Student’s Guide to ’Much Ado About Nothing’
mandy_lloyd | Friday September 20, 2019
Categories: KS4, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE Pre-2015 Resources, AQA English Literature, Unit 4 Approaching Shakespeare, WJEC Eduqas GCSE, WJEC GCSE Pre-2015 Resources, WJEC GCSE English Literature, Archived Resources, KS5 Archive, AQA A Level, AQA A Level Pre-2015 Resources, AQA A Level English Language & Literature B, ELLB4, AQA A Level English Literature A, LITA3, LITA4, AQA A Level English Literature B, LITB2, LITB4, EDEXCEL A Level, Edexcel A Level Generic Skills, Edexcel A Level Skills Resources, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET02, Edexcel A Level Pre-2015 Resources, EDEXCEL A Level English Language & Literature, OCR A Level, OCR A Level Pre-2015 Resources, OCR A Level English Literature, F663, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level Pre-2015 Resources, WJEC A Level English Language & Literature, LL3, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT4, Drama, Much Ado About Nothing, Hot Entries, Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Plays, Writing, Drama Analysis
Associated Resources
This brief study guide focuses on the themes, language and issues of the play relevant to the current A-Level Literature specification AO2 requirement of form, structure and language: ‘demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in which structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts’.
The guide also explores some areas of the historical context of the play which will assist you with AO4 marks e.g. ‘understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received’.
Top Tips for Studying Shakespeare
- Do try to watch a live theatre performance of the play. If this is not possible watch a film/television version. There are two excellent videos of the play: BBC Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing available from BBC Educational Publishing which stars Robert Lindsay and Cherie Lunghi and of course, Kenneth Brannagh’s 1993 film. This is a popular and imaginative version with Branagh playing the role of Benedick and Emma Thompson starring as a wonderful Beatrice.
- An excellent way to study a complex play is to watch a DVD version of it while alternating reading and watching each scene, using the pause button as you go to allow you to make useful annotations. This way of studying the play will help you to understand Shakespeare language in ways little else can.
Work through the whole play until you understand the plot and what role the main characters play both in terms of the…
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