Recipe:

Cupcake Recipe 
Beatrice,
Why have you chosen this character?
Primarily because she is my favourite character in the play but I also think she has an interesting and challenging personality to try and create something sweet around.
What is your first impression of this character?
That she puts up a front of wit and confidence to protect herself from being hurt.
Recipe:
Butter Cream icing with lemon: To represent the bitterness in her character through her wit but also to show how bitter she must have felt after Benedick left her in their previous relationship. The butter icing is to show that even though there are hints of bitterness within the character she still by the end of the play conforms to the institutionalized idea of love and that her character all along has been longing for marriage and love which is what everyone else in the play was striving for.
Melted chocolate in the centre of the cake: Even though Beatrice is a feisty character she still has a soft side to her which is shown when Hero is wronged and Beatrice reacts so emotionally and passionately because somebody she cares about is hurting. 'Sweet Hero! She is wronged, she is slandered, she is undone.'
Plain sponge: Whilst Beatrice has a sweet and caring side to her she refuses to show anyone this and often covers up how she is really feeling with a straight face and a witty remark the plain sponge represents this front as it is covering the melted chocolate on the inside.

Deception in much ado about nothing

[2.3]
Gulling- To fool or deceive someone,
Gulling is used heavily throughout the play but starts primarily in act 2 scene 3.
Music is used on page 210 from line 60-75 as a song is sung by Balthasar. Whilst Balthasar and Don Pedro consider the song to be innocent and romantic W.H. Auden interpreted the song in a different way and said it could be considered about the irresponsible nature of men and how foolish it is for women to take them seriously. It could be considered that it is in the very nature of men to 'gull'.

Benedick 'I should think this a gull, but that the white bearded fellow speaks it. Knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence.' 

The language within this quote suggests that he is trusting of the 'white bearded fellow'(Leonato)
Presumably because he is Beatrice's uncle and also because he thinks that it is impossible
for a man of his age to consider 'tricking' him.- 'knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence'. 'I should think this a gull' suggests that Benedick cannot quite believe the
conversation he has just overheard and is in total disbelief. His disbelief would
most likely stem from the conversation revolving around Beatrices love for him and
he will not openly admit any feelings he has for her. This once again links back to the
idea of institutionalized love and how it is these two characters constructed by Shakespeare
are challenging it. On page 217 Benedick says 'This can be no trick'. This shows that the
gulling between Claudio/Leonato/Don intended to be heard by Benedick has been
successful in planting the thought that Beatrice is in love with him in his head. The trio talk of Beatrice being in love with Benedick and talk of ways of expressing her love.
 'She found 'Benedick' and 'Beatrice' between the sheet'. It seems out of character for
Beatrice to be expressing her feelings through 'romantic' poetry but Benedick believes this and the audience suspend their disbelief of Benedicks naivety for the benefit of the narrative.
On page 217 Benedick says 'They say this lady is fair- 'tis a truth, I can bear them witness. And virtuous- 'tis so, i cannot reprove it. And wise, but for loving me. 
The gulling has made Benedick question himself, this is also out of character for him as he is
normally so self assured. 'And wise, but for loving me.' may suggest that he feels she is too good for him.
When Leonato, Caludio and Don talk of Beatrice they highlight qualitites found also in Benedick and reflect his character in her making her seem more appealing.

Lesson two- social context

Beatrice contradicts the opinions of Knox and Elyot as she as a woman is non of the things listed above.
Her and Benedict reject institutionalized love which Hero and Claudio accept easily

 The Book Of The Courtier- Baldesar Castiglione 1561
I have also seen a most fervent love spring in the heart of a woman who seemed at first not to bear him the least affection in the world, only for that they had heard say that it was the opinion of many that they loved together.

Lesson One- Exploring Comedy

COMEDY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FUNNY.
Old comedy (BC)- Greek- Bawdy/Scatological/sketches
New Comedy (BC) Greek- romance/reuniting/plot/happy ending/fast paced/witty

CHARACTERS IN COMEDY
-Love struck young man
- Cunning/cowardly slave
- Bragging Soldier
-Kind hearted prostitute
- Angry father

MARRIAGE SOLVES EVERYTHING IN COMEDY.

The use of bawdy humour and innuendo creates comedy within much ado.
.Crude
.double entendre
.Wit (Beatrice is always quick with her retorts)
Sex and innuendo are a key source of comedy.
Embarrassment is a key to laughter. (Theories of comedy)
(The audience suspend their disbelief for the sake of the play.)