Scene Summaries (Much Ado About Nothing)

I.I

• Leonato receives a message that Don Pedro will be arriving

• Beatrice makes fun of Benedick

• Don Pedro arrives

• Benedick and Beatrice make fun of each other

• Claudio and Benedick discuss Claudio’s love of Hero

• Benedick talks about how he hates marriage

• Don Pedro devises a plan to woo Hero naming himself as Claudio

  • This litch makes no sense - i’ll never understand why they did this

I.II

• Antonio tells Leonato that he heard that the Prince is in love with Hero!

  • The Prince will tell her at the dance

• They decide to let Hero know in advance to prepare for an answer

I.III

• Don John is miserable and a villain, telling Conrade

• Borachio tells Don John the plan for Don Pedro will woo Hero then give her to Claudio

• Don John is upset because he wants to overthrow the Prince and hates loveee

II.I

• Leonato, Antonio, Hero and Beatrice discuss how Don Pedro is kinda weird and quiet

• Beatrice doesn’t want to be a wife (still)

• Don Pedro and Hero take to dance

• Margaret and Balthazar dance

• Antonio and Ursula dance

• Beatrice makes fun of Benedick (both are masked)

• Don John tells Claudio (referring to him as Benedick BUT HE KNOWS IT IS CLAUDIO) that Don Pedro is in love with Hero

  • and he should break them up

  • Makes Claudio think he is betrayed

• Pedro looks for Claudio + talks to Benedick about Beatrice

• Finds Claudio and tells him that Hero is his!

• Pedro asks to marry Beatrice

  • she says no obvi

• Pedro devises a plan to fix up Beatrice and Benedick

II.II

• Don John is upset that the wedding is going through

• Borachio creates a plan to get Claudio to think Hero is unloyal

  • Make them think Margaret is Hero and will see at the window

II.III

• Benedick talks about the partner he may want as he discusses Claudio’s love

• Pedro and Claudio enter as Benedick hides

• Pedro, Claudio and Leonato talk about how Beatrice is in love with Benedick (as Benedick is hidden)

• Beatrice enters to bring Benedick to dinner

• Benedick sees double meaning and love in her words (he made this up)

III.I

• Hero tells Margaret to get Beatrice to go the garden

• Hero and Ursula discuss how Benedick is in love with Beatrice (as Beatrice is hidden)

• Beatrice takes the bait and falls in love

III.II

• Don Pedro and Claudio discuss the changes in Benedick sue to looove

• Don John enters and tells Claudio and Don Pedro of Hero’s (fake) disloyalty

• Tells them to go to Hero’s window at night

• Claudio plans to go along with the wedding but shame her at the alter (Pedro will too)

III.III

• Dogberry appoints a constable of the watch

• They are to stop any suspicious person and be quiet

  • Especially around Leonato’s door as there may be hubbub due to the wedding

• Borachio and Conrade discuss how they fooled Pedro and Claudio into thinking Margaret was Hero

  • and Don John knew! He knew the whole time!

• Borachio and Conrade are captured by the watches who overhear the conversation

III.IV

• Margaret is dressing Hero for the wedding

• Beatrice comes in ‘love sick’

• Ursula comes to announce they are to leave now for the wedding

III.V

• Dogberry and Verges tell Leonato of the two criminals they have taken into custody

• Leonato tells them to examine them themselves as he has to be at Hero’s wedding

IV.I

• The wedding ceremony begins

• Claudio humiliates Hero, calling her disloyal

  • Leonato agrees sadly

• Hero faints

• Friar hatches a plan to tell everyone that Hero is dead so they feel sorry for her and forgive her

• Benedick confesses his love for Beatrice

• Beatrice asks Benedick to kill Claudio

• Benedick falters a little but agrees.

IV.II

• Conrade and Borachio are being examined

• The watches recount what they overheard

• Dogberry decides to get Leonato

• We learn that Don John has fled

• Conrade calls Dogberry an a s s

  • ragebait and it works

V.I

• Antonio tries to comfort Leonato as Leonato realises Hero has been slandered

• Leonato confronts Claudio

• Leonato and Antonio almost fight Pedro and Claudio

• Pedro and Claudio find Benedick as they want to be cheered up by his wit

• Benedick confronts Claudio

• Benedick tells Pedro that John has fled

• Pedro sees Borachio and Conrade tied up by Dogberry

• Borachio relays to Pedro their crimes

  • Pedro and Claudio realise their mistake

• Claudio begs forgiveness from Leonato

  • Leonato asks Claudio to marry Beatrice

• Leonato accuses Margaret of being involved

  • Borachio denies adamantly

• Borachio and Comrade are taken away

V.II

• Benedick praises Margaret’s wit

• Benedick is trying to write a sonnet for Beatrice

• Benedick tells Beatrice he had a word with Claudio

  • Tries to kiss her -no way jose!

  • not good enough

• Ursula tells them that Hero is proved innocent! - woo hoo!

V.III

• Claudio visits the tomb and reads Hero’s epitaph

• Balthazar sings a lil ditty

V.IV

• Leonato asks Antonio to bring Hero down the aisle to Claudio instead of Beatrice

• Benedick is also hatching a plan with the Friar

• Leonato says Claudio must not see the bride’s face until they are married

• Omg it’s Hero!!!

• Beatrice and Benedick find out the plan to get them to love each other

• Sonnets they wrote for each other are revealed

• Benedick and Beatrice loooove each other

• They all dance and live happily ever after

  • Apart from Don John who will receive his comeuppance tomorrow