Students examine literary devices such as foils, malapropisms, allusions, and elegies. They explore and interpret themes and determine the function of songs in the plays. Students explore the specifics of play production in Shakespeare’s time, and discover the significance of names and titles. Study guides and answer keys are included for each act.

The supplementary materials include writing assignments, additional projects, a character quiz and an objective test with answer keys. This unit includes 12 Lesson Plans / 22 Handouts / 92 pages, aligned to Common Core standards, grades 9-12, high school.

Literary Form

British Drama

21st-Century Skills

• Collaboration
• Critical thinking

Overview

Set in Messina, Ado about Nothing concerns two sets of lovers and their inability to trust each other. The play also depicts characters that confuse reality with illusion. Furthermore, the title tells the audience that the characters will eavesdrop and then make a great fuss over nothing. Because the play is a comedy, the problems with trust and eavesdropping are resolved happily, and, as customary, the play ends on a festive note of dancing before the nuptials of the two sets of lovers. The drama illustrates that even slander and distrust be forgiven.