Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of Much Ado about Nothing and what we know about where the play is set.

The play takes place in Messina, which is an escape from the war.
Messina is a place where there are strict social expectations. Women are expected to marry and to obey the wishes of their father.
Messina is governed by a man called Leonato. The action takes place within or just outside his house.
Don Pedro and the soldiers he commands are guests in Leonato’s household, and have just returned from war.
The play is set in a religious world where being unfaithful or having sex before marriage is viewed as wrong.
In Messina, the Watch are the local law enforcement and are responsible for keeping the peace.

Every performance of Much Ado about Nothing will be set in a place that has all of the things above but they can do that in lots of different ways. For example, the play could be set anywhere in the world which is an escape from war and conflict, such as a stately home used as a hospital after World War I or a luxury holiday resort close to a war zone, as long as the facts above are included.

Why do you think changing the world or setting of the play might be helpful for modern audiences? Where might you choose to set Much Ado about Nothing?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of Much Ado about Nothing by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.

The activity in the Teacher Notes on the Productions page develops on this and asks students to think about modern designs and how to build new worlds for the play.