MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING KO

Vocabulary Definition

Idealistic love Love which is not

realistic and is

based on the ideals

of courtly love

Patriarchy Society dominated

by males who rule

over females

Masculinity Traits relating to

being

stereotypically

male

Misogyny A mistrust or

prejudice against

women

Loyalty Having a strong

feeling of support

or allegiance

Audience Spectators or

listeners

Misnoting Wrongly

interpreting what

other people do or

say

Unconventional A person who

doesn’t behave in

the same way as

most other people

in society

Marriage Formal union of

two persons in the

eyes of god

Honour A quality that

combines respect

and reputation,

being proud,

honesty and

integrity

Chastity Not having sex

before marriage

Societal

expectation Social normalities

relating to the time

Terminology Definition

Motif a theme, subject or idea

that runs throughout

the play

Dramatic

Irony where the audience are

more aware of the

action happening than

the characters

Soliloquy an individual character

in a play speaking their

thoughts out loud to the

audience when alone on

the stage

Protagonists the main character who

propels the action

forward

Blank Verse a type of poetry that

uses iambic pentameter

(10 beats per line –

stressed/unstressed) but

doesn’t rhyme

Prose ordinary language that

people speak in

Juxtaposition placing contrasting ideas

close together in a text

Aside an individual character

sharing their thoughts

out loud to the audience

and some characters on

the stage, but not all of

them

Extended

Imagery used to create comedy

and striking images

relating to key

characters

Hyperbole use of extremely

exaggerated terms for

emphasis

Puns joke exploiting the

possible different

meanings of a word

SKILLS (AO1, AO2 & AO4)

Analysis using PEAZ:

Point: A clear analytical point which shows

insight and clearly answers the question

Evidence: Support with a short quote(s) or

example from the text.

Analysis: Make explicit where the quote is

from then explain the meaning and effect

of the quote(s) you use –both explicit and

implicit. Aim for two interpretations per

quote.

Zoom in on Language:Zoom in on a

specific language choice (use subject

terminology) and explore its connotations

and effect on the audience. Consider

whether Elizabethan audience would react

differently to a contemporary audience.

Refer to the writer: Evaluate

Shakespeare’s motive and how it supports

his intended purpose for the play

EXAM REQUIREMENTS - English

Literature - Component 1, Section A

EXTRACT ESSAY on MUCH ADO –20 mins

- 15 marks

Intro –link to question. Provide an

overview of the scene.

Throughout the essay –Choose relevant

quotes and analyse the language,

structure and effect of these quotes.

Refer to the question regularly.

WHOLE PLAY ESSAY on MUCHADO

–40 mins - 25 marks (5 for SPaG)

Prioritise your ideas in chronological

order.

Intro –using words of the question given

an overview that shows insight.

PEAZ 1 - choose a moment from the play

to explore with quotes & context

PEAZ 2- choose a 2nd moment from the

play to explore with quotes & context

PEAZ 3 - choose a moment from the play

to explore with quotes & context

PEAZ 4 –choose a moment to explore

with quotes and context

Conclude –Short summary of key insights

linked to the question and writer. 2-3

sentences max.

Act Key Moments

1 Scene 1: Leonato welcomes home Don Pedro, Benedick and Claudio, along with

Don Pedro’s sullen illegitimate brother. Beatrice and Benedick engage in a

‘merry war’ of words and Claudio falls in love with Hero.

Scene 2: Leonato is told a false rumour about Don Pedro’s intentions towards

Hero.

Scene 3: Don John talks to his servant, Conrad about his feelings of resentment

towards his brother and plots to disrupt Don Pedro’s plans by tricking Claudio

at the masked ball.

2 Scene 1: At the masked ball, the couples pair off: Beatrice with Benedick

(whom she insults pretending not to know it is him) and Don Pedro with Hero

(to woo her for Claudio). Don John tricks Claudio, telling him his brother wants

Hero for himself and Claudio falls for it easily, but Don Pedro proves his loyalty

when presenting Hero as his willing bride. Don Pedro proposes to Beatrice who

refuses him tactfully. Don Pedro organises the gulling of Benedick and

Beatrice.

Scene 2: Borachio pleases Don John with his plot to deceive Claudio and Don

Pedro and discredit Hero.

Scene 3: Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro gull Benedick into believing that

Beatrice loves him and he falls quickly in love with as a result.

3Scene 1: Hero and her servants gull Beatrice, who like Benedick, swiftly decides

that she will return his love.

Scene 2: Don Jon tells Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is disloyal and offers to

prove it that night.

Scene 3: We are introduced to the useless Dogberry and his Watch, who

overhear Borachio and Conrad talk about the success of the plot to smear

Hero. They arrest Borachio and Conrad.

Scene 4: On the morning of the wedding, Hero is preparing for her wedding.

Scene 5: Dogberry tries to tell Leonato about the plot, but Leonato cannot

understand him and grow impatient and heads off to the wedding.

4Scene 1: At the wedding, Claudio breaks into a rehearsed and outraged speech

about Hero’s dishonesty. When Leonato asks for evidence Claudio reveals he

has seen her at her window with Borachio. Don Pedro supports him and

Leonato is convinced. Hero faints and Don Pedro and Claudio leave. Beatrice is

convinced of Hero’s innocence, as is the Friar and they concoct a plan to prove

it. Benedick works out that the villain will be Don John. Alone, Beatrice and

Benedick confess their love for each other and Beatrice asks Benedick to kill

Claudio, he refuses but agrees to challenge him.

Scene 2: Dogberry tries the case against Borachio and Conrad.

5Scene 1: Leonato challenged Don Pedro and Claudio to a duel for their shaming

of Hero. Don Pedro and Claudio are surprised when Benedick tells them he

cannot be their friend after their behaviour and that Don John has fled. The

Watch bring in Borachio who confesses his crimes and Claudio and Don Pedro

are devastated at their part in Hero’s ‘death’. Don Pedro and Claudio beg

forgiveness and Leonato says Claudio should marry Antonio’s daughter.

Scene 2: Benedick tries to write a poem for Beatrice to show his love. They

hear news of the discovered plot against Hero.

Scene 3: Claudio, still believing Hero is dead, visits her tomb in repentance and

hangs an epitaph on it.

Scene 4: At the wedding, Hero enters wearing a mask and reveals herself to

Claudio who is overcome. Beatrice and Benedick also reveal their love for each

other and they plan a double wedding. Don John is said to have been arrested.

Themes

Deception As is typical in the comic form,

deception can be seen both as

malicious and benign in this play.

Signified by the use of masks. The

courting of Hero for Claudio by Don

Pedro and Don John’s subsequent

trickery; the duping of Don Pedro and

Claudio by Don John; the gulling of

Beatrice and Benedick; Hero’s death.

Shaming /

Honour Don John’s shame at the nature of his

birth can be seen as one of the motives

for his villainy. The aborted wedding

ceremony is the climactic moment of

the play. Both Claudio and Leonato

know their social status couldn’t

survive association with a shamed

woman so attempt to remove her from

their lives. Benedick later shames

Claudio and Don Pedro for their

wrongful shaming of Hero. Despite the

happy ending, the central shaming is

so terrible that this section of the play

is more in keeping with a tragedy.

Love and

Marriage Marriage is front and centre in Much

Ado About Nothing. In the first scene

in the first Act, Claudio sets eyes on

Hero and intends to marry her. There’s

scheming to marry Beatrice and

Benedick, to un-marry Hero and

Claudio, and then to actually marry

Hero and Claudio. Marriage is seen as

a trap by both Beatrice and Benedick,

but the happy ending is dependent on

their union. Beatrice refuses Don

John’s proposal, but accepts

Benedick’s. Tension between courtly

and romantic/natural love is also

explored.

Gender The play both perpetuates and

subverts stereotypes of gender.

Claudio and Don Pedro fall for Don

John’s plot because they expect to be

cuckolded (seen through the repeated

jokes about it which could be seen

today as toxic masculinity). Hero is

seemingly given no choice in her

future marriage partner and while

Beatrice as a strong female figure does

make her own choices, this is because

she has no living father and when she

is married, she is silenced.

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Vocabulary Definition

Idealistic love Love which is not realistic and is based on the ideals of courtly love Patriarchy Society dominated by males who rule over females Masculinity Traits relating to being stereotypically male Misogyny A mistrust or prejudice against women Loyalty Having a strong feeling of support or allegiance Audience Spectators or listeners Misnoting Wrongly interpreting what other people do or say Unconventional A person who doesn’t behave in the same way as most other people in society Marriage Formal union of two persons in the eyes of god Honour A quality that combines respect and reputation, being proud, honesty and integrity Chastity Not having sex before marriage Societal expectation Social normalities relating to the time Terminology Definition Motif a theme, subject or idea that runs throughout the play Dramatic Irony where the audience are more aware of the action happening than the characters Soliloquy an individual character in a play speaking their thoughts out loud to the audience when alone on the stage Protagonists the main character who propels the action forward Blank Verse a type of poetry that uses iambic pentameter (10 beats per line – stressed/unstressed) but doesn’t rhyme Prose ordinary language that people speak in Juxtaposition placing contrasting ideas close together in a text Aside an individual character sharing their thoughts out loud to the audience and some characters on the stage, but not all of them Extended Imagery used to create comedy and striking images relating to key characters Hyperbole use of extremely exaggerated terms for emphasis Puns joke exploiting the possible different meanings of a word

SKILLS (AO1, AO2 & AO4)

Analysis using PEAZ: Point: A clear analytical point which shows insight and clearly answers the question Evidence: Support with a short quote(s) or example from the text. Analysis: Make explicit where the quote is from then explain the meaning and effect of the quote(s) you use – both explicit and implicit. Aim for two interpretations per quote. Zoom in on Language: Zoom in on a specific language choice (use subject terminology) and explore its connotations and effect on the audience. Consider whether Elizabethan audience would react differently to a contemporary audience. Refer to the writer: Evaluate Shakespeare’s motive and how it supports his intended purpose for the play EXAM REQUIREMENTS - English Literature - Component 1, Section A EXTRACT ESSAY on MUCH ADO – 20 mins

- 15 marks Intro – link to question. Provide an overview of the scene. Throughout the essay – Choose relevant quotes and analyse the language, structure and effect of these quotes. Refer to the question regularly. **WHOLE PLAY ESSAY on MUCH ADO

40 mins - 25 marks (5 for SPaG ) Prioritise your ideas in chronological order.** Intro – using words of the question given an overview that shows insight. PEAZ 1 - choose a moment from the play to explore with quotes & context PEAZ 2- choose a 2nd^ moment from the play to explore with quotes & context PEAZ 3 - choose a moment from the play to explore with quotes & context PEAZ 4 – choose a moment to explore with quotes and context Conclude – Short summary of key insights linked to the question and writer. 2- 3 sentences max. Act Key Moments 1 Scene 1: Leonato welcomes home Don Pedro, Benedick and Claudio, along with Don Pedro’s sullen illegitimate brother. Beatrice and Benedick engage in a ‘merry war’ of words and Claudio falls in love with Hero. Scene 2: Leonato is told a false rumour about Don Pedro’s intentions towards Hero. Scene 3: Don John talks to his servant, Conrad about his feelings of resentment towards his brother and plots to disrupt Don Pedro’s plans by tricking Claudio at the masked ball. 2 Scene 1: At the masked ball, the couples pair off: Beatrice with Benedick (whom she insults pretending not to know it is him) and Don Pedro with Hero (to woo her for Claudio). Don John tricks Claudio, telling him his brother wants Hero for himself and Claudio falls for it easily, but Don Pedro proves his loyalty when presenting Hero as his willing bride. Don Pedro proposes to Beatrice who refuses him tactfully. Don Pedro organises the gulling of Benedick and Beatrice. Scene 2: Borachio pleases Don John with his plot to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro and discredit Hero. Scene 3: Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro gull Benedick into believing that Beatrice loves him and he falls quickly in love with as a result. 3 Scene 1: Hero and her servants gull Beatrice, who like Benedick, swiftly decides that she will return his love. Scene 2: Don Jon tells Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is disloyal and offers to prove it that night. Scene 3: We are introduced to the useless Dogberry and his Watch, who overhear Borachio and Conrad talk about the success of the plot to smear Hero. They arrest Borachio and Conrad. Scene 4: On the morning of the wedding, Hero is preparing for her wedding. Scene 5: Dogberry tries to tell Leonato about the plot, but Leonato cannot understand him and grow impatient and heads off to the wedding. 4 Scene 1: At the wedding, Claudio breaks into a rehearsed and outraged speech about Hero’s dishonesty. When Leonato asks for evidence Claudio reveals he has seen her at her window with Borachio. Don Pedro supports him and Leonato is convinced. Hero faints and Don Pedro and Claudio leave. Beatrice is convinced of Hero’s innocence, as is the Friar and they concoct a plan to prove it. Benedick works out that the villain will be Don John. Alone, Beatrice and Benedick confess their love for each other and Beatrice asks Benedick to kill Claudio, he refuses but agrees to challenge him. Scene 2: Dogberry tries the case against Borachio and Conrad. 5 Scene 1: Leonato challenged Don Pedro and Claudio to a duel for their shaming of Hero. Don Pedro and Claudio are surprised when Benedick tells them he cannot be their friend after their behaviour and that Don John has fled. The Watch bring in Borachio who confesses his crimes and Claudio and Don Pedro are devastated at their part in Hero’s ‘death’. Don Pedro and Claudio beg forgiveness and Leonato says Claudio should marry Antonio’s daughter. Scene 2: Benedick tries to write a poem for Beatrice to show his love. They hear news of the discovered plot against Hero. Scene 3: Claudio, still believing Hero is dead, visits her tomb in repentance and hangs an epitaph on it. Scene 4: At the wedding, Hero enters wearing a mask and reveals herself to Claudio who is overcome. Beatrice and Benedick also reveal their love for each other and they plan a double wedding. Don John is said to have been arrested. Themes Deception As is typical in the comic form, deception can be seen both as malicious and benign in this play. Signified by the use of masks. The courting of Hero for Claudio by Don Pedro and Don John’s subsequent trickery; the duping of Don Pedro and Claudio by Don John; the gulling of Beatrice and Benedick; Hero’s death. Shaming / Honour Don John’s shame at the nature of his birth can be seen as one of the motives for his villainy. The aborted wedding ceremony is the climactic moment of the play. Both Claudio and Leonato know their social status couldn’t survive association with a shamed woman so attempt to remove her from their lives. Benedick later shames Claudio and Don Pedro for their wrongful shaming of Hero. Despite the happy ending, the central shaming is so terrible that this section of the play is more in keeping with a tragedy. Love and Marriage Marriage is front and centre in Much Ado About Nothing. In the first scene in the first Act, Claudio sets eyes on Hero and intends to marry her. There’s scheming to marry Beatrice and Benedick, to un-marry Hero and Claudio, and then to actually marry Hero and Claudio. Marriage is seen as a trap by both Beatrice and Benedick, but the happy ending is dependent on their union. Beatrice refuses Don John’s proposal, but accepts Benedick’s. Tension between courtly and romantic/natural love is also explored. Gender The play both perpetuates and subverts stereotypes of gender. Claudio and Don Pedro fall for Don John’s plot because they expect to be cuckolded (seen through the repeated jokes about it which could be seen today as toxic masculinity). Hero is seemingly given no choice in her future marriage partner and while Beatrice as a strong female figure does make her own choices, this is because she has no living father and when she is married, she is silenced.

Characters (^) Characteristics Quotes Beatrice Swears she will never marry but is tricked into falling in love with Benedick. Loyal, feisty, quick witted, assertive, unconventional, outspoken, tamed “I wonder that you will still be talking Signor Benedick: nobody marks you” Act 1:1 – Dismissive tone and insult – Beatrice is putting Benedick in his place and letting him know that he is of little interest to her or anyone else. “Would it not grieve a woman to be over-mastered with a piece of valiant dust?” Act 2:1 – Rhetorical question – Beatrice argues persuasively as to why she wishes to remain unmarried – men are nothing more than ‘dust’ who bring pain and upset to women. Lack of equality between genders. “I will requite thee, / Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand.” Act 3:1 – Juxtaposition – Beatrice, much like Benedick earlier in the play, rejects he former proud and scornful nature, and decides to embrace the joys of love. Passionate, animalistic nature v tender romantic love – emphasises her transformation as a result of Hero and Ursula’s deception. “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.” Act 4:1 – Hyperbole – Beatrice is openly confessing to Benedick for the first time how she really feels about him; she loves him unconditionally. “Is he not approved in the height a villain that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman? O that I were a man!” Act 4:1 – Exclamatory cluster of three – For Beatrice, codes of chivalry and honour should not purely exist in the male world; she wishes to defend Hero, but her gender denies this. Benedick A confirmed bachelor he shifts allegiances and supports Hero after her shaming. Obstinate, cynical, misogynistic, loyal, gulled, honorable What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?” Act 1:1 – Insult and dismissive tone – Benedick shows surprise that Beatrice is still alive. His choice of nickname reflects her brutal treatment of the opposite sex. “I should think this is a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it” Act 2:3 – Benedick is suspicious when he overhears Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio talking about how much Beatrice loves him, but because the respectable and honourable Leonato is involved, he believes it “But doth no the appetite alter? A man loves the meat in his youth he cannot endure in his age.” Act 2:3 – Metaphor – Benedick is aware that his transformation will mean he appears hypocritical to many, yet concludes that people can change their minds as they mature “I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?” Act 4:1 – Hyperbole – Benedick is expressing honestly and openly his love to Beatrice. Adjective – highlights this is very unusual behaviour when you compare it to their usual ‘merry war’ “Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably” Act 5:2 – Adverb – Although now beyond their previously antagonistic conversations, Benedick still seems to cherish the idea of verbal battles between them, and believes arguments are a healthy attribute of love. Hero Only daughter of Leonato, she is shamed by Claudio and pretends to die to save her reputation Innocent, submissive, victim, polite, submissive, passive “I will do any modest office, my lord, to help my cousin to a good husband.” Act 2:1 – Cooperative – Hero is willing to deceive her cousin Beatrice if it will help her to find a husband worthy of her. Hero supports the institution of marriage – stereotypical Elizabethan woman. “Let Benedick, like covered fire, / Consume away in sights, waste inwardly. / It were a better death than die with mocks” Act 2:1 – Simile – Whilst Ursula and Hero deeply cherish Beatrice, they are also aware of just how hurtful and humiliating her sarcastic, biting attacks can be. “Is it not Hero? Who can blot that name / With any just reproach?” Act 4:1 – Dramatic irony and metaphor – Hero is striking a defiant tone – she realises the importance of her ‘name’ within society, and challenges anyone to prove their accusations. “If I know more of any man alive / Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant, / Let all my sins lack mercy!” Act 4:1 – Alliteration - Hero valiantly tries to defend her honour, bravely trying to stand up to accusations by highlighting her own good character. Nothing certainer: one Hero died defiled, but I do live.” Act 5:4 – Third v First person - Hero makes a defiant stand – her reputation is restored, and she stands before those gathered to reclaim her honour and family name. Claudio In love with Hero but easily duped twice Gullible, naïve, idealistic, romantic, heroic, repentant “Doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion” Act 1:1 – Metaphor – Claudio is a powerful soldier brave in battle with strength beyond his years, yet he is young and has an innocent character. “Can the world buy such a jewel?” Act 1:1 – Metaphor – Claudio is mesmerised by Hero’s beauty and shows his interest in marriage (and he views her as a commodity which can be bought) “For beauty is a witch / Against whose charms faith melteth into blood” Act 2:1 – Personification – Claudio claims that when it comes to love friend cannot trust each other – even the strongest friendships cannot stand the corrupting powers of beauty. “Give not this rotten orange to your friend” Act 4:1 – Metaphor – Claudio believes he has been deceived by Hero’s outward beauty as she is not the honourable woman he believed her to be. Claudio has been deceived by Don John’s treachery. “Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear / In the rare semblance that I loved it first” Act 5:1 – Claudio has learnt of Borachio and Don John’s deception and now sees Hero as the ‘rare’ beauty he originally saw her as. Don Pedro The prince, sets up Beatrice and Benedick Authoritative, courteous, match- maker, duped, masculine “I shall see thee, ere I die, look pale with love” Act 1:1 – Jokes – Don Pedro is confident that Benedick will eventually succumb to love despite his protests to the contrary. Foreshadows his later matchmaking with Beatrice. “Here, Claudio, I have wooed in thy name, and fair Hero is won. I have broke with her father, and his good will obtained.” Act 2:1 – Don Pedro has helped to arrange the marriage between Claudio and Hero. Deception – Verb ‘won’ implies Hero is simply a prize that Don Pedro has secured through duplicitous means. “I will but teach them to, and restore them to the owner.” Act 2:1 – Metaphor – Don Pedro makes clear to Benedick his intentions were honourable when he wooed Hero on Claudio’s behalf. Don John has intimated that Don Pedro was wooing Hero for himself. “I would have thought her spirit had been invincible against all assaults of affection.” Act 2:3 – Battle imagery - Don Pedro is discussing how Beatrice is incredibly resistant to love. Deception of Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him. “As I wooed for thee to obtain her, I will join with thee to disgrace her.” Act 3:4- Don Pedro vows to support Claudio in his public shaming of Hero in response to her infidelity. Dishonour and deception. A woman’s voice means nothing. Don John Don Pedro’s bastard brother. The villain of the play Isolated, melancholic, vengeful, villainous, malevolent “I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace” Act 1: 3 – Metaphor – Don John is making it clear that he would rather be a thorn in his brother’s side, than a good brother. Villain. Defies customs. “Any bar, any cross, any impediment will be medicinable to me” Act 2:2 – Anaphora - Don John is making it clear that any obstacle or barrier to Claudio’s happiness would be like medicine to him. He partly blames Claudio for Don Pedro’s battle victory at the start of the play. “The word is too good to paint out her wickedness” Act 3:2- Metaphor– Don John depicts Hero as worse than wicked. In saying she is disloyal he knows Claudio will not be able to stand the humiliation, both personally and socially. Leonato Hero’s father. Quick to believe she is impure Rash, patriarchal, hospitable “Daughter, remember what I told you: if the Prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer.” Act 2:1 – Leonato mistakenly believes that Don Pedro is going to ask his daughter for her hand in marriage and wants Hero to accept. Decisions about marriage was usually conducted between men - patriarchal society, and father’s made decisions. “Do not live, Hero; do not open thine eyes” Act 4:1 – Imperative - Leonato totally disowns Hero as a daughter, and cruelly wishes that she would die so as to hid her, and his own shame. “I say thou has belied mine innocent child” Act 5:1 – Leonato has had a change of heart – his faith is restored in his daughter’s innocence, and now he intends to defend and reclaim her honour. Dogberry Night Watch. Comical, farcical, inept, injudicious “First, who think you the most desertless man to be constable” Act 3:3 – Malapropism- Dogberry is speaking to his new recruits of the Watch. Comic figure for light relief. “They have belied a lady, thirdly they have verified unjust things, and to conclude, they are lying knaves” Act 5:1 – Listing – Dogberry lists the crimes committed by Borachio and Conrade. Whilst not the cleverest man, Dogberry is still aware of the difference between right and wrong. Context Comedy : a genre based on traditional Roman comic plots in which a pair of lovers are tricked into separation and overcome their foes to marry at the end of the play. Features

happy endings, love, slapstick, marriage plots, misunderstandings, social commentary. Much Ado ends with a dance to signal harmony. England ruled by Elizabeth I. Depictions of strong and resourceful females are common. Elizabeth felt her power was tied up in her honour and chastity (she is often known as The Virgin Queen ) and she worried that if she married she would have to defer to her husband, so she remained unmarried. Setting: Messina is a large port city at the north-eastern tip of the island of Sicily near Italy. The setting could be a place of play and restoration. Yet, the society was strictly bound by custom and convention. Shakespeare uses the setting to both enable romance and to critique rigid social customs. Bastards : children conceived outside marriage – were common figures in early modern Europe where male infidelity was often tacitly accepted. But bastards had a precarious role outside the family since they were denied the inheritance rights of legitimate children and were often isolated by being both within and without their father’s society. The idea of bastards as scheming villainous figures is repeated widely in early modern plays. Cuckolds are men depicted with animal horns as a shameful sign that their wives had been unfaithful. They became a running joke in many early modern ballads, pamphlets and plays like Much Ado. To be cuckolded was seen as an assault upon notions of masculinity. In Shakespeare’s England, marriage was widely viewed as a social and spiritual necessity. But there was also a growing genre of self-help guides offering man-to-man advice on how to cope with the failings of women and the burden of marriage. Women were often depicted as manipulative and immoral, deceptive and superficial, hiding their sins beneath a show of virtue.

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