William Shakespeare's

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Imagine the situation: There is somebody you hate so much that you can't abide being in the same room with this person. You dislike him or her and you are constantly bickering. At a certain point some people start to convince you that the person you cannot stand is crazy in love with you. Can you imagine that you and your biggest enemy become lovers?

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Imagine another situation: You fall in love with somebody at first sight! The two of you feel attracted by each other so much that you can hardly breathe. You don't want to be without your partner anymore. Soon you decide to marry this person and to spend the rest of your life with him or her. However, there are people who resent you for your happiness! They try everything to separate the loving couple. It's the day of your wedding, then. Can you imagine to be abandoned by your beloved partner because of mean lies?

Both conflictive situations are one of the main parts of Much Ado About Nothing. In the end, nothing is what it seems like . Life appears to be nothing but a masquerade. All dreams and plans vanish in an instant. Lovers become haters while the enemies' hearts start beating for each other. Often appearences are deceiving. But is there anything in the world that we can trust in at all?


Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy play written by William Shakespeare. You definitely might have heard about this famous author before. Shakespeare was the most important poet and playwright of the Elizabethan era (about 1600). He wrote at least 38 plays, more than 150 sonnets and many other works. A lot of famous phrases from his works survived and are known by a huge number of people this very day. Many things he wrote or said might still be important for us. Here you can see a small number of Shakespeare's quotations:

  • All the world's a stage
  • A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
  • Alas, I am a woman friendless, hopeless!
  • And oftentimes excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the excuse.
  • Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind
  • All that glisters is not gold
  • To be, or not to be
  • Nothing can come of nothing
  • Fortune's fool

In your groups, get together and discuss which of the quotations are familiar to you. Discuss also the meaning of the sentences. Are they valid in present times?


Got interested in Shakespeare and his wonderful play about "true and false" and "appearance vs. reality"? Klick through the WebQuest and, step by step, you will discover  more about his fascinating comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

Have fun exploring the WebQuest and Much Ado About Nothing!



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