Key quote: "I had rather hear a dog bark at a crow than hear a man say he loves me" Beatrice, Act 1 Scene 1

Analysis Beatrice expresses her disdain for love and marriage , establishing her witty, unconventional attitude towards gender norms .

Key quote: "Sweet, Hero, now thy image doth appear/ In the rare semblance that I loved it first" Claudio, Act 5, Scene 1

Analysis Claudio's shallow love for Hero is revealed as depending solely on her reputation and outward appearance .

Key quote: "Oh God! That I were a man, I would eat his heart in the marketplace" Beatrice, Act 4, Scene 1

Analysis Beatrice laments the limitations of her gender , wishing she could openly challenge Claudio's dishonouring of Hero as a man would.

Key quote: "Adam's sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kindred" Beatrice, Act 2, Scene 1

Analysis Beatrice radically suggests men and women are equal , refusing to marry and be subservient to someone she views as her peer.

Key quote: "Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, /Men were deceivers ever" Balthasar, Act 2, Scene 3

Analysis The song implies men's inherent nature is to be unfaithful , which is hypocritically accepted by society, while women must remain virtuous.

Key quote: "I cannot hide what I am" Don John, Act 1, Scene 3

Analysis Don John, the play's malcontent, admits his villainous nature is due to his illegitimate birth .

Key quote: "Give not this rotten orange to your friend. / She's but the sign and semblance of her honour" Claudio, Act 4, Scene 1

Analysis Claudio insults Hero using a corrupted metaphor, suggesting a woman's value lies solely in her honour , and worthless once her presumed virtue is lost.

Key quote: "She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived" Leonato, Act 5, Scene 4

Analysis Hero metaphorically died when her honour was questioned, only able to truly live again once her innocence was proven .

Key quote: "There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her. They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them" Leonato, Act 1, Scene 1

Analysis Leonato compares Beatrice and Benedick's banter to a military skirmish, setting up their love through an extended metaphor of love as war .

Key quote: "Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders..." Dogberry, Act 5, Scene 1

Analysis Dogberry's confusing misuse of language (in order to appear refined) undermines the honour of his decision to bring the criminals, Borachio and Conrad, to confess.

GCSEEnglish LiteratureAQAFlashcards

Much Ado About Nothing (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Flashcards

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FrontMuch Ado About Nothing: Key Quotations
Key quote: "I had rather hear a dog bark at a crow than hear a man say he loves me"
Beatrice, Act 1 Scene 1

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Cards in this collection (10)

Key quote: "I had rather hear a dog bark at a crow than hear a man say he loves me"
Beatrice, Act 1 Scene 1
Analysis
Beatrice expresses her disdain for love and marriage, establishing her witty, unconventional attitude towards gender norms.
Key quote: "Sweet, Hero, now thy image doth appear/ In the rare semblance that I loved it first"
Claudio, Act 5, Scene 1
Analysis
Claudio's shallow love for Hero is revealed as depending solely on her reputation and outward appearance.
Key quote: "Oh God! That I were a man, I would eat his heart in the marketplace"
Beatrice, Act 4, Scene 1
Analysis
Beatrice laments the limitations of her gender, wishing she could openly challenge Claudio's dishonouring of Hero as a man would.
Key quote: "Adam's sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kindred"
Beatrice, Act 2, Scene 1
Analysis
Beatrice radically suggests men and women are equal, refusing to marry and be subservient to someone she views as her peer.
Key quote: "Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, /Men were deceivers ever"
Balthasar, Act 2, Scene 3
Analysis
The song implies men's inherent nature is to be unfaithful, which is hypocritically accepted by society, while women must remain virtuous.
Key quote: "I cannot hide what I am"
Don John, Act 1, Scene 3
Analysis
Don John, the play's malcontent, admits his villainous nature is due to his illegitimate birth.
Key quote: "Give not this rotten orange to your friend. / She's but the sign and semblance of her honour"
Claudio, Act 4, Scene 1
Analysis
Claudio insults Hero using a corrupted metaphor, suggesting a woman's value lies solely in her honour, and worthless once her presumed virtue is lost.
Key quote: "She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived"
Leonato, Act 5, Scene 4
Analysis
Hero metaphorically died when her honour was questioned, only able to truly live again once her innocence was proven.
Key quote: "There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her. They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them"
Leonato, Act 1, Scene 1
Analysis
Leonato compares Beatrice and Benedick's banter to a military skirmish, setting up their love through an extended metaphor of love as war.
Key quote: "Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders..."
Dogberry, Act 5, Scene 1
Analysis
Dogberry's confusing misuse of language (in order to appear refined) undermines the honour of his decision to bring the criminals, Borachio and Conrad, to confess.