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Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare is a comedic play about love and misunderstanding.

There are a number of characters in the play, including the lovers Beatrice and Benedick and Hero and Claudio, as well as Don John, Don Pedro and Leonato.

The main ideas or issues present in a text are called themes. In Much Ado About Nothing, these include the themes of love, appearance and reality and the ideas of ‘nothing’ and ‘noting’.

Shakespeare uses witty wordplay, blank verse and a five act structure to present this comedy.

Much Ado About Nothing is a play and the choices the director makes influence and affect the audience. Think about casting, performance choices and staging.

The following question will help you prepare essays and practice for exams. Try re-writing each example in your own words, making improvements as you go.