Beatrice And Benedick In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

In Shakespeare's time, plays had specific expectations. Comedies were expected to make use of wordplay, have a country setting, and have a happy ending. Tragedies also dealt with love and relationships, but in a more serious way. It was often tied to the shame of characters. The play usually ends with one or many characters dying. William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing involves presence of tragic elements even though it is a comedy. Tragedies often have unhealthy relationships involving the honor or shame of characters. The relationship between Beatrice and Benedick crosses over to a more tragic element. The distrust between the two creates doubt that there could be a happy ending. When Beatrice says,“Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust?”(2.1.57-60), she seems to have an extremely low opinion of Benedick. Benedick seems to have an issue with the entire female gender when he questions,“Do you question me, as an honest man should

Many of Shakespeare's comedies derive part of their humor from cases of mistaken identity and subterfuge among the characters. Don John is the main suspect when it come to lies and deception. This is seen first when Don John tells Claudio that,”[Don Pedro] is enamored on Hero”(2.1.(134-136), which makes Claudio temporarily believe that Don Pedro went to Leonato and Hero on his own behalf. He states that,''Any bar, any cross, any impediment will be medicinal to me: I am sick in displeasure to him, and whatsoever comes athwart his affection ranges evenly with mine. How canst thou cross this marriage?''(2.1.4-10). What he means by this is that causing trouble makes him happy at the displeasure of others. He went beyond mere joking mischief and caused true pain to Hero. The audience may be left feeling that Don John is evil, which crosses the line between comedy and