(Recorded Course) The Comedies of Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing with Kevin O’Brien

NOTICE: This is an older course recorded with Adobe Connect and/or Vimeo recordings. We are currently working to replace the recordings with new Zoom recordings.  Please don't hesitate to email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com with any questions.

How to get the most out of

The Comedies of Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing with Kevin O’Brien:

This course consists of reading and discussing Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado about Nothing, spending roughly each class session discussion an Act of the play.  There are weekly short quizzes that will be graded automatically by Moodle, and a Final Essay.  For a grade on the Final Essay, you may either ...

you may have your parents or tutor assess your work by grading it themselves.  Parents, if you choose to grade the Final Essay yourself, you should have some knowledge of this play, and you should make sure the essay is well written, with no errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation.

Total Classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: None.

Suggested Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested Credit: 1/2 semester Literature, Shakespearean Literature, or English

Class Instructor: Kevin O’Brien
Instructor Email: kevin@classeswithkevin.com 

Course Description: Much Ado about Nothing is one of the classic comedies of Shakespeare.  It features the sparkling battle of wits between Beatrice and Benedick, two star-crossed lovers who act as if they can’t stand each other, but secretly are in love with each other!  The interplay between the humor of the main plot and the tragic elements of the sub-plot are fascinating, and bring out clearly one of the main themes of the play: how can irresponsible boys turn into mature young men?  This play also explores issues that are relevant to us today: specifically, how do we sort through the lies that people in society are telling us, in order to arrive at the truth? Portions of the play will be read aloud in class, with students taking part as characters if they wish.

Course Outline:

  1. Introduction

  2. Act One

  3. Act Two

  4. Act Three

  5. Act Four

  6. Act Five and Conclusion

Course Materials: Much Ado about Nothing, any notated edition.  No Fear Shakespeare is a good online resource for the text and a helpful side-by-side modern paraphrase.

Homework: A close reading of each Act will probably take about an hour per week.  There are weekly quizzes and a Final Essay.