Evaluate Key Characters and Their Development in 'Much Ado About Nothing'

To what extent is Benedick an insensitive character?

How far would you agree that Hero is a conventional Elizabethan woman?

How does Beatrice change throughout the play? 

How does Leonato reflect the patriarchal society in which Shakespeare was writing?

In the Literature exam, you may be asked to write about how a particular character is presented in an extract from 'Much Ado About Nothing'. You will also need to know the play well enough to write about how a character is presented in the play as a whole.

To achieve the highest marks in your exam response, you will need to offer a personal and perceptive interpretation.

This means that you need to:

- ask questions about the characters

- think about all of the different ways we might view them - positive and negative

- think if they change throughout the play and how

- evaluate how far we can say they possess a particular characteristic

Remember that you will also need to demonstrate a close analysis of the writer's techniques in presenting a particular character and relate your ideas to the key contextual factors surrounding the play. In this activity, we will practise evaluating characters in this way and will consider their presentation in different parts of the play.

You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples. These quotations are for reference only.