Writer's methods

How Shakespeare's form, structure and language create meaning: comedy and its near-tragic turn, the double plot,
prose and verse, witty dialogue and wordplay, overhearing and dramatic irony, Dogberry's malapropisms, song, and imagery of war, horns and fashion.
Prose for the wit of Beatrice and Benedick and the comedy of the watch, and verse for Claudio and Hero, the church scene and Beatrice's soliloquy.
The parallel gulling scenes in Act 2 Scene 3 and Act 3 Scene 1, and the dramatic irony of the watch knowing the truth before the wedding.
Puns and wordplay such as the 'skirmish of wit', Dogberry's malapropisms such as 'Comparisons are odorous', and the song 'Sigh no more, ladies'.
Imagery of war for courtship, horns for cuckoldry, and fashion and clothing for false appearances.

What you need to know