Much Ado About Nothing Cupid Quotes

In William Shakespeare’s renowned comedy Much Ado About Nothing, a lot happens when nothing needed to happen. What could have been a simple course of events turned into a plot of schemes, mayhem, passion and deception because a few characters decided to play god. Specifically, the love god: Cupid. This Roman child of the Goddess of Love, Venus, is known for his mischievous meddling in making people fall in love with each other. It seems he has a few comrades to his cause in this play, for the characters of Don Pedro, Claudio, Leonato, and Hero take it upon themselves to bring fire and ice together in holy matrimony, only fire and ice take the form of the quick witted, proud pairing of Benedick and the Lady Beatrice. The references to Cupid

By the middle and end of the play, he is referred to as a clever god worthy of reverence. In the beginning, references to him are using to mock other characters. Immediately in Act I, one of the first words out of Beatrice’s mouth is a reference to Cupid to poke fun at Signor Benedick. “He challenged Cupid at the flight,” she says, “and my Uncle’s Fool, seeing the challenge, subscribed for Cupid and challenged him at the bird bolt.” In this short line, Beatrice uses Cupid to portray Benedick as foolish and selfish. He is foolish for putting up a town notice to challenge a love god, and he is selfish for taking advantage of a jester. Through lines like these, Beatrice is quickly revealing her hate for Benedick, but staying true to her character, she only does so whilst speaking in a tongue of

In his eye “she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on,” much to Benedick’s dismay, who is committed to being a bachelor. Benedick is so confused and somewhat angry that he is already losing his friend to love upon returning home from war that he both mocks Claudio and questions his intentions. Claudio lacks confidence in his suit for Hero, which is revealed by his sad tone and mannerisms in the conversation. Benedick tries to make sense of Claudio’s intentions and asks “Do you play the flouting jack, to tell us Cupid is a good hare finder and Vulcan a rare carpenter?” In this line, Benedick switches the responsibilities between the two creatures to display his confusion. Cupid is brought into the conversation again as Benedick frustratedly mocks his friend. Once Don Pedro enters the scene, upon congratulating Claudio for finding a new prospect to woo, he then switches to Benedick as his own prospect. He says that “I shall see the, ere I die, look pale with love.” This line foreshadows the Prince’s goal to make Benedick go against his constant pledge to remain a bachelor and reject all forms of love. Benedick emphasizes this claim by responding with, you may see me “with anger, sickness, or with hunger, my lord, not with love. Prove that I ever lose more blood with love than I will again with drinking,