Impulsivity In Much Ado About Nothing

Although society and people are always changing, some things simply don’t change. Often times ideals and behaviors are listened to and carried down through time, receiving a tweak here or an adjustment there, allowing people to learn. This process connects the past to the present and is one reason why many of Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant today. In his play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare, through almost all of the characters, expresses a theme of impulsivity that is developed by progressively more and more irrational and impulsive actions. His concept of impulsivity is realistically relevant to today and can be seen through the behaviors of and patterns within society. First of all, in the beginning of the play, Beatrice, Benedick,

After Claudio, Pedro, and Leonato imply Beatrice’s complete love for Benedick, Benedick says, “They day the lady is fair - ‘tis / a truth, I can bear them witness; and virtuous...” (II.iii.219-220). Benedick’s rapid change of heart implies his impulsivity because up until that moment, he hated Beatrice. Simple words and suggestion should not change hate to love, lest they are impulsive and irrational. The same concept applies to Beatrice when Hero and Ursula talk aloud and suggest that Benedick is a wonderful man. Though Beatrice clearly has shown that she does not feel the same way, she also changes her mind from hate to love, virtually in an instant. This can relate to today’s problem of peer influence in adolescents. As stated in the article Peer Influences on Adolescent Decision Making, “the role of peer influences as [is] a primary contextual factor contributing to adolescents' heightened tendency to make risky decisions.” In the scene, it is vital that Hero and Ursula — who can be considered peers to Beatrice — are the one’s that talk about Benedick, rather than someone like Leonato or Pedro, because, as peers, they are closer and have more influence on Beatrice. It can also be noted that Beatrice may be as young as her early 20’s, which can suggest a cause for some of her adolescent-like behavior that will contribute to the theme by mean of contrast to other characters more adult-like