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Do you also think that Benedick is Claudio’s foil? In the play: “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, a villain named Don John tricked Claudio by making him believe that Hero have been cheating on him which resulted in Claudio getting mad and ruining his and Hero’s wedding, accusing Hero that she was being unfaithful. After that, Hero faked her death and one of Don John’s minions admitted that he was paid to make Claudio believed things about Hero that are not true; Claudio married who was supposed to be Hero’s cousin without knowing that it was Hero that he was married to which surprised him and made him happy when it was revealed that it was Hero that he was married to. In this story, I do believe that Benedick serves as Claudio’s
Furthermore, Claudio and Hero do not have the freedom to marry without a deal being struck, due to their relationship being built around a transaction. This is shown when Leonato says “Count, take of me my daughter,
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).”
Claudio, Hero and Don Pedro all realize how perfect Beatrice and Benedick are together and so they set up a plan to deceive the two of them into falling in love. Don Pedro comes up with the plan to be having Benedick eavesdropping on Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio chatting about how much Beatrice is secretly in love with Benedick. Just as they expected , their plan goes off without a hitch. After the group is done talking and they all leave, Benedick comes out of hiding and start talking about what he just heard and realizes that he is in love with Beatrice. “I will be horribly in love wit her.”
Hero sent a friend to go and tell Beatrice that herself and Ursula were talking about her. When they knew Beatrice was ease dropping, they began to talk about how Benedick was in love with her. Hero was also saying, however, that Beatrice was too proud to ever love anyone. She did this on purpose. This impacted the audience because while Beatrice thought she just overheard that Benedick loves her, she really just got set up.
Education, fair for all? I should think so, but only because of the case of Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954, in which, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine from the public education system. Due to it's nature, education is one of largest factors for surviving and because of this fact, it was starting to be seen as inherently unfair for those whose children had to deal with the segregation created by the "separate but equal" doctrine. The case brought many unequal points in this doctrine to light for all to see, such as, the segregation of students based solely upon the coloring of their skin, which, had a tedency to slow the educational and/or mental growth of colored children.
When Beatrice asks Benedick to duel Claudio for her, he agrees and plans to duel him. Benedick and Claudio are best friends who had fought in battle together, but the love of a woman completely changes Benedick’s allegiance from his fellow soldiers to his new love. Before falling in love with Beatrice, Benedick would have done everything possible to protect his brothers in battle. Now, love has emboldened him to make a choice that he would not have previously made. Benedick’s sacrifice of a meaningful friendship proves that he is now completely devoted to his relationship with Beatrice and is willing to do whatever necessary to preserve that relationship.
Therefore, he clearly considers Beatrice as a potential life partner and lover. By not fighting for his love, Don Pedro sacrifices his probable content future with Beatrice to appease her. This shows that Don Pedro will not pursue his own happiness if it interferes with someone else’s. Don Pedro comes to a conclusion after interacting with both Beatrice and Benedick; the conclusion is as he says, “She would make a good wife for Benedick” (II, i, 295). Setting up Beatrice and Benedick together would satisfy Beatrice’s want of a suitable husband.
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).
Hero, Beatrice’s cousin appears as a foil to Beatrice. Hero is sweet, naive, gentle and is willing to do whatever the people in her life command. She does not initiate anything on her own or make decisions. Beatrice is known for being outspoken and for her sharp-witted and comical remarks she makes towards Benedick. The two have been in a "merry war" and have refused to marry.
Benedick spent quite a while saying that he would never get married; he even went as far to say that he would “die a bachelor,”(II.iii.25). But, after overhearing Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato discuss Beatrice’s love for him, his perception on the idea of marriage changed, which they were quite aware of. While commenting on Benedick’s appearance, Claudio states, “I hope he be in love,”(III.ii.28) to which Benedick replied, “ I have the toothache,”(III.ii.28). It is clear that Benedick was trying to change the subject to avoid discussing his interest in Beatrice out of embarrassment for his feelings. Despite believing that Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato do not know of his love for Beatrice, it was they who planted it in his mind that Beatrice loved him first, but they play along to make him feel
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”
This is shown with their views on marriage. Hero is willing to marry whoever her father asks her too and when Leonato finds out that Don Pedro seeks marriage with Hero, he encourages Hero to marry and says to Hero, “Daughter, remember what I told you. If the prince does solicit you in the kind, you know your answer” (II.i.57-58). Beatrice, however rebels completely against marriage and says “If he send me no husband; for the which blessing / I am at him upon my knees every morning and evening” (23-25).
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).
