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Analysis of much ado about nothing
Character analysis of shakespeare's beatrice in much ado about nothing
Beatrice and benedick in much ado about nothing
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While they are conversing, Beatrice plainly states that she wants Benedick to “kill Claudio...a villain, that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured [her] kinswoman (Shakespeare 74-75).” Beatrice makes very bold actions, and she is not afraid of doing so. This shows how Beatrice and Hero are foils of each other because Hero takes actions that are safe and pleasing to others, while Beatrice does what she wants and doesn’t care about what others think of her actions. Another example of this occurs during the Masquerade Ball. Beatrice talks with Don Pedro and is quoted to have said, “My cousin tells him in his ear that he is in her heart (Shakespeare 27).”
Shakespeare has a way of making his plays have a whole array of themes and perspectives to see the story from. One can argue that the main theme can usually be something along the lines of Love or Deception or even Honor. In particular, looking at Much Ado About Nothing, you can apply the same. I would argue that shakespeare chose to develop the theme of deception throughout this play. In particular, the way that Beatrice and Benedick end up falling in love is all thanks to deception.
Intro: In the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare the relationship between the two main characters Romeo and Juliet has been seen as a model relationship for a long time, their relationship is used in songs and in media a lot. What a lot of people don’t know is that Romeo and Juliet had known eachother for a very short amount of time and they don’t establish the traits a good relationship has, while the characters George and Lennie ,in Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, do establish good relationship traits. Romeo and Juliet have qualities to their relationship that make it good but George and Lennie develop better traits like trusting each other, sharing a common goal and protecting each other which make their relationship better.
In the play, Beatrice and Hero are shown to have very different personalities. Beatrice is independent and confident while Hero is shy and quiet. While Beatrice and Hero are talking about Don John towards the beginning of the play Beatrice says, “How tartly that gentleman looks I never can see him but I am heartburned and hour after” (Shakespeare 3). This line shows that Beatrice is not afraid to speak her mind. This also shows Beatrice using her wit and not being quiet or soft-spoken.
In Much Ado About Nothing, the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice develops throughout the course of the play. As their relationship develops from hatred to friendship to romance, these characters are forced to make sacrifices in order to make room for the new love in their lives. Benedick, in particular, makes a sacrifice out of love that shows the powerful impact of love on his life. Benedick’s willingness to sacrifice his friendship with Claudio for Beatrice demonstrates the emboldening, life-changing impact that love has on a person’s values and loyalties. Benedick’s loyalties completely shift from his fellow soldiers to Beatrice after he and Beatrice profess their love for each other.
John Ruskin once said, “It is better to lose your pride with someone you love than to lose that someone you love with your useless pride.” Similarly, in Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare also suggests that the biggest barrier between romantic love is pride. He asserts, this by telling the readers that love is a far more authentic feeling than pride, and that love can only grow if an individual is able to set aside their pride and allow themselves to be both vulnerable and receptive to authentic feelings. The first thing that is emphasized in the play, Much Ado About Nothing is the vulnerability and dangers of love. It’s shown that falling in love is a constant danger, and that no one gets out of the ordeal unharmed.
This book starts out with the main character Beatrice (Tris) going to her school to take a simulation test, this test will decide where she is most suited to live and work for the rest of her life. After taking the test she finds out that she fits into three of the five factions: this is called being divergent and is pretty much unheard of and also very dangerous as the government will kill anyone who is divergent if they find out. The five factions are: Abnegation: Values selflessness.
Relationships based on love, like Benedick and Beatrice 's, have a strong foundation that will stand the test of time since they are rooted in love. Benedick and Beatrice 's relationship showed that love and friendship being involved in a relationship is both healthy and necessary. True love involves more than just the physical attraction Hero and Claudio experience. Without being able to relate to a person on an intellectual and emotional level, there 's no way the relationship will be able to overcome any problems. Despite Beatrice’s request for Benedick to challenge Claudio and Hero’s shame weighing heavily on them, their relationship still prevailed.
The audience may understand the concept of love and romance flowing within the characters because it was to portrayed that way but the critics would argue the fact that some of the characters like Beatrice and Benedick were made to fall in love with each other through deception. As simple as the characters were, the situations arousing in the play became more complexed as scenes passed by. What led to the trouble and chaos in the play also led to the solution in the end, when Claudio and Don Pedro were deceived into thinking by Don John that Hero was unfaithful. That very same idea also solved the problem in the end when Leonato, Hero’s father, deceived Claudio by making him believe that she is dead and that it is his duty to clear Hero’s name by reading out on her tomb and marrying the said niece who looks just like Hero. Again the plotting against own is present where the said niece turns out to be Hero and she comes back to life again.
This juxtaposes Claudio and Hero’s relationship is based on purely on physical looks, which are not always truthful. In an opposing manner, Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship was not started from a completely dishonest place. Over years they had built a relationship through passive aggressive remarks rather than physicality, thus ensuring that they would know each other at their core. Therefore in order to move the relationship along it only took light coaxing of the small truths to progress their love. For instance, in Act One Beatrice and Benedick’s “merry war” of arguments is viewed as a type of flirting instead of actual anger or annoyance towards each other (1.1.50-54).
In addition, they questioned whether their relationship with each other is true picture of true love where Claudio and Hero love each other, as well as Benedick and Beatrice. Shakespeare’s two couples, Claudio-Hero and Benedick-Beatrice, in Much Ado About Nothing are two different relationships that has express the love-hate relationship within the play. The reason why the relationship between Hero and Claudio is so “perfect” is because this is what an ideal couple people want to look like. In short, Claudio and Hero’s love story is a fairytale.
It was a set up marriage and she would just try to make the male proud. Relationships, in the modern day, are more egalitarian than they use to be. This allows Benedick and Beatrice to represent more of a modern time ideal couple, than Claudio and Hero. A great quote about relationships is “ Respect is as important as love in a relationships”
Moreover, Claudio's quickness on believing that Broachio, who claims to be Hero’s supposed lover, comes to show that he is unworthy of her. On their wedding he publicly shamed her by stating, “Give not this rotten orange to your friend…Behold how like a maid she blushes here” (4.1.32-34). This then causes Leonato to fake Hero’s “death” so that Claudio can grieve her memory and admit that he was wrong on publicly bashing her. Shakespeare’s
In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing many characters are compared and contrast as many are paired up. Two characters in particular who could be contrasted and compared are Hero and Beatrice. Hero and Beatrice are cousins and a very different from one another. However, as the play progresses and the characters begin to develop, some similarities between the two begin to show up. Leonato is Hero’s father while Beatrice has no parents.
When Hero and Claudio relationship fell apart from a very ridiculous reason, Benedick and Beatrice stayed strong by each other side. Beatrice even though always believe in the independent life now she finally admits to Benedick that she loves him when she states, “As strange as the thing I know not. It wee as possible for me to say I loved nothing as well as you, but believe me not, and yet I lie not, I confess nothing, not I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin. ”(4,1,283-287).
