MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – 2020 LIST OF TOPICS

1. Much Ado About Nothing warns against the misuse of power. Discuss.

2. “If you swear, my lord, you shall not be forsworn.”

Being honest is a dangerous business in Much Ado About Nothing. Do you agree?

3. Pride is the chief mischief-maker in Much Ado About Nothing. Discuss.

4. “When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.”
In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare mocks the foolishness of holding
preconceptions. Discuss.

5. ‘‘Tis once, thou lovest, and I will fit thee with the remedy.”
What view of love does the play present, in the end?

6. Despite its comedy and its happy resolution, Much Ado About Nothing is an
unsettling play. Discuss.

7. “Oh God that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place.”
The men of the play are found wanting, one and all. Discuss.

8. Don John exposes the flaws in the people and society of Messina. Discuss.

9. Beatrice is better suited to war than love. Do you agree?

10. Messina is a place in which reputation and appearances matter more than genuine
feelings. Discuss

11. In Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare reveals that chivalry is dead and that men
can be as capricious as women. Discuss

12. There are very few genuine relationships in Much Ado About Nothing. To what extent
do you agree?

13. Through the various couplings in Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare explores
what makes a meaningful relationship. Discuss

14. The comedy in Much Ado About Nothing is used by the characters to deflect genuine
feelings and insecurities. Discuss

15. The women of Messina know themselves better than the men in the play. Do you
agree?

16. In Much Ado About Nothing human appetites and vulnerabilities clash. Discuss
17. Don John is not entirely to blame for the conflicts in the play. Discuss

18. Much Ado About Nothing reveals that people are susceptible to the power of
suggestion and have limited free will. Discuss.

19. How does Shakespeare use comedy for serious purposes in Much Ado About
Nothing?

20. In Much Ado About Nothing everyone is out for themselves. Do you agree?

21. Don Pedro is as much to blame as Don John for the harm done to others in the play.

22. Much Ado About Nothing reveals the corrosive effects of class and gender
hierarchies. Discuss

23. The motivations of Don Pedro, Borachio and Margaret are among the most enigmatic
in the play. What is Shakespeare exploring through these characters?

24. To what extent can Claudio’s rejection, shaming and abuse of Hero be explained or
understood?

25. While Dogberry and the Watch are the laughing stock of the play, through them
Shakespeare also makes the other characters appear foolish. Discuss.

26. In Much Ado About Nothing how is marriage presented?

27. Beatrice is the strongest and most insightful character in Much Ado About Nothing.
To what extent do you agree?

28. Much Ado About Nothing is a play about the absurdity of the human condition.
Discuss

29. In spite of its comedy and irreverence, Much Ado About Nothing is an unpleasant
play and the ending does not resolve the tensions that exist.

30. “It must not be denied / but I am a plain-dealing villain”

Despite his melancholic nature, Don John is a likeable character compared to the
other male characters. Do you agree?

31. “It must not be denied / but I am a plain-dealing villain”

Don John is the worst villain in Much Ado About Nothing. Do you agree?

32. “If I see anything tonight why I should not marry her tomorrow… where I should wed,
there I will shame her.”
 Claudio is the most despicable character in Much Ado About Nothing. Do you agree?

33. Benedick and Beatrice are actually more compatible than Claudio and Hero. Do you
agree?

34. Much Ado About Nothing is as tragic as it is comic. Discuss.

35. “The greatest note of it is his melancholy.” (Don Pedro noting Benedick’s transformation in 3.2)
Why do so many characters in Much Ado About Nothing view love as an affliction?

36. In Much Ado About Nothing the audience is positioned to excuse some instances of
deception and abhor others. Discuss.

37. In Much Ado About Nothing, how is the audience positioned to view male characters’
loyalty to the brotherhood?

38. Much Ado About Nothing is a play that celebrates the triumph of illusion over reality.

39. It is the women in the play who understand what true love is. Do you agree?

40. It is the misguided concern for reputation which creates the conflict at the heart of the
play. Discuss.

41. ‘Modestly examine himself, to see how much he is unworthy so good a lady.’
None of the men in the play deserve to find love. Do you agree?

42. Despite his flaws, Leonato wants what is best for his daughter and niece. Do you
agree?

43. “Give not this rotten orange to your friend.”

Who or what is the source of the rottenness in Much Ado About Nothing?

44. Much Ado About Nothing is a play about the enduring power of love. Discuss

45. ...also the watch heard them talk of one Deformed.

What deformities are present in those who inhabit the play, and are these overcome?

46. “The fashion is the fashion.”

In what ways do the characters in Much Ado About Nothing adopt disguises or play
roles, and for what purposes?

47. “... for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion.”

To what extent does Benedick change through the course of the play?
48. “A miracle, here’s our own hands against our hearts.”
In Much Ado About Nothing why are the characters so unsure about what they
desire?
49. The inconstancy of humankind is the central point of exploration in Much Ado About
Nothing. Discuss.

50. “Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably”

In Much Ado About Nothing what does Shakespeare suggest makes for a good
relationship?

51. What is the role of gossip and rumour in Much Ado About Nothing?

52. ‘Speak low if you speak love’. The characters in Much Ado About Nothing fear love
as much as they desire it. Discuss

53. Much Ado About Nothing reveals the corrosive effects of class and gender
hierarchies. Discuss

54. Much Ado About Nothing suggests that everyone has the capacity to grow and
change. Discuss.

55. The men in Much Ado About Nothing are preoccupied with honour but show little
themselves. Do you agree?

56. Much Ado About Nothing endorses down-to-earth reality and condemns artificial
convention.

57. Don John is the most dangerous character in the play. To what extent do you agree?

58. How does Shakespeare use comedy for serious purposes in Much Ado About
Nothing?

59. The characters of Much Ado About Nothing are victims of their penchant for disguise
and deception. Discuss.

60. Based on the evidence of the play, are Benedick and Beatrice likely to make a
successful couple?

61. In this play, Hero and Claudio are equally the victims of others. Do you agree?

62. While there is much knavery in Much Ado About Nothing, it is self deception that the
play truly explores.
63. The limitations of circumscribed gender roles are at the heart of the play, Much Ado
About Nothing. Discuss

64. In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare endorses the advancement of women. Do
you agree?

65. There are no heroes in Much Ado About Nothing, only happy accidents.

66. In Much Ado About Nothing, marriage is the antidote to both love and war. Discuss.

67. There are few characters in the play who are not guilty of disloyalty. Discuss.

68. Honesty is a rare quality in Much Ado About Nothing. To what extent do you agree?

69. When all is said and done, Don Pedro is to blame for the strife in Much Ado About
Nothing. Do you agree?

70. Much Ado About Nothing is a play about the potency of language. Discuss.

71. Much Ado About Nothing explores the inequalities that exist in the relationships
between men and women.

72. Much Ado About Nothing warns against romantic idealism. Discuss.