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Give not this rotten orange to your friend.

Much Ado About Nothing - Dialogue

This GCSE English Literature quiz looks at dialogue in Much Ado About Nothing, focusing on Beatrice, Benedick and how Shakespeare uses speech to create comedy and reveal character.

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Fascinating Fact:

Dialogue between Beatrice and Benedick is rapid, witty, and filled with insults, which disguises real affection. Their “merry war” of words shapes the play’s comic energy and reveals their similarity.

In GCSE English Literature, studying dialogue in Much Ado About Nothing means looking at how characters speak, interrupt, joke and argue. Their words show changing relationships, hidden feelings and the play’s mix of romance and conflict.

Key Terms

Dialogue: A conversation between two or more characters on stage, used to share information and reveal personality and relationships.
Repartee: Fast, witty exchanges of speech in which characters answer each other quickly with clever or teasing remarks.
Subtext: The hidden feelings or meanings behind what a character says, suggested by tone, word choice or situation.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How does dialogue create comedy in Much Ado About Nothing?

Shakespeare uses quick exchanges, misunderstandings and exaggerated insults to create comedy. Beatrice and Benedick’s lively speech and the overheard conversations about them provide many of the play’s funniest moments.

What can I learn about Beatrice and Benedick from their dialogue?

Their dialogue shows that both are intelligent, independent and afraid of being hurt. Their joking insults hide genuine attraction, so changes in their speech patterns reveal growing trust and honesty.

Why is studying dialogue important for GCSE Much Ado About Nothing?

Dialogue is important because there is no narrator to explain events. By analysing what characters say, how they say it and who hears it, you can explore themes, relationships and dramatic irony.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"Moreover, sir, which indeed is not under white and black, this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass. I beseech you let it be remembered in his punishment"

Borachio

Dogberry

Antonio

Ursula

The clownish constable, Dogberry, works out the truth about Don John's plot and the slanderous accusations against Hero. Here he says "plaintiff" when he means "defendant" and he continues to repeat Conrad's dismissive insult

2 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"O lord, he will hang upon him like a disease. He is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio. If he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere [he] be cured"

Beatrice

Hero

Leonato

Don Pedro

Beatrice's comment presents friendship with Benedick as a misfortune. This quote is an example of her "skirmish of wit" with Benedick, although he is not yet present to hear her

3 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"Do not live, Hero, do not ope thine eyes"

Claudio

Don Pedro

Leonato

Beatrice

When Hero faints, Leonato reveals that her death would be less distressing than the shame he believes she has brought upon him

4 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"O God, sir, here's a dish I love not. I cannot endure my Lady Tongue"

Don John

Benedick

Leonato

Beatrice

By "Lady Tongue", Benedick refers to Beatrice

5 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"I cannot hide what I am. I must be sad when I have cause, and smile at no man's jests"

Hero

Benedick

Don Pedro

Don John

The melancholic Don John demonstrates a fatalistic view of life

6 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"What, bear her in hand until they come to take hands, and then with public accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancour - O God [...] I would eat his heart in the market place"

Leonato

The Friar

Don Pedro

Beatrice

Beatrice wishes she were a man so that she might legitimately engage in vengeful violence against Hero's false accuser: "O God that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place"

7 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"And when I lived I was your other wife; / And when you loved, you were my other husband"

Beatrice

Hero

Ursula

Margaret

After her feigned death, Hero presents herself as having been born afresh, "another Hero"

8 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"There, Leonato, take her back again. / Give not this rotten orange to your friend"

Claudio

Don Pedro

The Friar

Don John

Claudio rejects Hero at the altar, publicly humiliating her

9 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"I will teach you how to humour your cousin that she shall fall in love with Bendick, and I, with your two helps, will so practise on Bendick that, in despite of his quick wit and his queasy stomach, he shall fall in love with Beatrice"

Dogberry

Leonato

Don Pedro

Claudio

Don Pedro plays matchmaker with Beatrice and Bendick

10 .

Match the dialogue to the correct speaker.

"Did I not tell you she was innocent?"

Leonato

Benedick

Beatrice

The Friar

The Friar observes Hero closely when she is accused and reads the truth in her face, rather than placing trust in the reports of others. He is presented in direct contrast to her father, who believes the report of the other men over his own daughter

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Much Ado About Nothing

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)