Much Ado About Nothing - Reading Journal Act 1

Elements/Ideas Found in Act 1

• The war is over but the war has only begun

The soldiers are back from the war and all is good and merry but this could dramatic irony. It creates a juxtaposition between the calm after the war and the war that is going on within the characters and their relationships, e.g Beatrice and Benedick's feisty banter

• Introduction of comedic aspects

Beatrice and Benedick again with their banter is comedic 

• Introduction of some main themes

 Love, War

• Basic character profiles and descriptions

 First scene helps to introduce many of the main characters and understand how they portray themselves

• Questioning the comedy? 

Don John shows a combination of mixed views to the reader

• Jealousy
• Afraid to show real self to others
• Spoilt for attention
• Disagrees with brothers morals

Much Ado About Nothing - Scene One Lesson Plan

Thoughts and Ideas as to what we as teachers want to portray :-

The Acts that are of more Significance in Act One Scene One.
The moment where Claudio sees Hero and falls instantly in love with her.

Looking back at the English Literature Objectives and linking them to Much Ado.

Act One Scene One 

• The introduction to the Ended Wars.
• Then the apparent war between Benedict and Beatrice
• Claudio seeing Hero and falling madly in love with her
• Leonato hearing the potential marraige proposal for his daugther from his broter Antonio
• Don John's sudden hatred, realised and that for his brother Don Pedro.

Questions

What would us as teachers want to class to focus on - link questions to the objectives ( Covering all the Assessment Objectives).

• The fact that the roles are reversed in theme,where the war has ended but begins between both Beatrice and Benedict but Don John towards Don Pedro ( the differenc in Don John being it's towards his brother)
• Obvious Malice and disdainful opinions from Don John towards his the feelings he has of his brother( and for and unknown reason?)- but what caused it?. - Did the war make him become a man who's heart turned to stone having no empathy towards the fact that they are brothers despite him being a "Bastard". 
• To what extent is the civil war between the characters the most importnt part of the play (ask class to find instances where the war in hate or evn mere jest is shown, with opinions) of this could be the most vital part of the whole of the play.

- (Teachers) Relate these comments to the war between Beatrice and Benedict same with Don John towards Don Pedro.

• How would Shakespeare's language affect the way the charcter portray those moments of anger or hate, even the moment of comedic jest?
• The Emotions emotions he might have used to make the characters come to life?

(Teachers) - What is the Chracter of Beatrice like, how does she seem different from the ladies back then and how they would be back then in that time/era?.
- How the ladies back then would have been more ladylike in speech and in manner of presenting themselves as delicate creature, much like Hero's character whom to that effect seems to be portrayed as being fragile, and not as assertive or loud mouthes as her "Dear Cousin".
- Beatrice's character does not follow the sterotypical roles that women carried in those times. She seems more outgoing,fiesty,abrupt in speech 

-The question that should also be asked is - Why would Beatrice as someone who hates Benedict ask for him, even if it be in jest?.

At the start of the play Act one Scene One - (Teachers ask Students) - who has the upper hand in the play Beatrice or Benedict?! And why does it matter throughout the course of the play?, Does it unravel anything?.

• But in the fact that in trickery Siginior Benedick is love struck by the possible fact that Beatrice might love him, therefore showing signs of sensitivity. This shows how the role is reversed where Beatrice denies her love for much longer than him, with him wanting to requite her, of that love.

• Here is where there might be a possible role reversal, where Benedict in anger and jest talks to Claudio: - "That i niether feel how she should be loved, nor know how she should be worthy, is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me; i will die in it at the stake".

The point being tht there could be and underlying meaning in him talkin so manly trying to hide his own feelings for one woman in particular i.e Beatrice. it makes his character seem in denial of the fact that there could be some buried feelings towards Beatrice and yet still refuses to acknowledge it.

Lesson Plan 

• Students finding Quotes representing conflict between the characters
• The Focus Point should be the Conflict- Tha civil war between the characters
• Is the main war more significant part of the play or is the war between the characters?
• What is the comedic aspect of the war within the play, the playful banter between Beatrice and Bendict?
• Is the war more on the lines of comedy or is it more serious? If both argue as to why Shakespeare made it this way? ( Reasons, Quotes to back up arguement)
• Make a point as to how the characters seem to fight their own wars within the progression of the play and how this affects the development of the play- how Shakespeare harnesses this to his advantage evolving the play, the Emotions used when th characters act etc?.