Here I would like students to apply the situation of both characters to themselves. What would they do if they were Beatrice? What would they do as Don Pedro? How would they feel on either side? Do they side with a particular character and why? Two things to specifically focus on during the brainstorms are (1) to discuss why Beatrice risks saying what she does, and (2) to discuss how she might get out of this when her “joke” (if it was a joke) is taken straight.
Masquerade Party Scene (Act. II, Sc. I- Much Ado about Nothing) Discussion and Scenework
Student will answer the following questions in an open discussion.
-
Have you ever had a crush on someone? Did you know if the feeling was mutual?
-
How did it make you feel knowing or not knowing their reaction? What did you do?
-
How do you tell a person that you may not like him/ her or the things they do?
-
What rules did Don Pedro break? Did anyone else break any rules? What were they?
-
SPARK QUESTION: In the line by Don Pedro, “Will you have me lady?” what do you think he meant? Did he mean to ask her to marry him? Was he responding nonchalantly to her previous statements? Do you think he cares for Beatrice? Was she really asking for a husband or was she venting or just teasing? How would you react to that?
(For grades 5-8
, how would you react to someone suggesting inappropriate behavior towards you, or an unwanted friendship?)
Students will use the masquerade party scene to recreate a modern version. Students are welcome to recreate the content beforehand that leads Don Pedro to the line, “Will you have me, lady?” Think of a time when you said something you really didn’t meant to say or said something jokingly which was taken seriously: how did your peer react? What were the consequences? What was the outcome? Students will also act out their new scenes in groups.
Examples for Modern rewrites:
-
Pressure of a Relationship
-
Difference in Orientation/ Gender
-
Difference in Race/Ethnicity
-
Difference in Religion
-
Difference in Age
-
Difference in Class
-
Difference in Political Views
-
Difference in Education