Much Ado About Nothing Signor Benedick Character Analysis

When reading a book, watching a movie, or viewing a play, one eventually chooses a character they have come to admire. You might like a character due to a certain trait they possess, their striking good looks, or maybe even the uniqueness of their name. Even though society has reached a consensus on what is generally considered admirable amongst the many diverse life-forms we encounter, it is also true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In my eyes, during the time I’ve spent reading/watching Much Ado About Nothing, I have come to applaud one specific character over all, Signor Benedick. In the very beginning of the play, the only information we read about Benedick is through others. For example, in act 1 scene 1, “He is no less than a stuffed man.”, Beatrice doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind on Benedick. Because of this, the reader tends to regard Benedick in a particular way without reading his lines first. Once we meet Benedick, he still seems quite odd. For instance, in act 2 scene 1, “I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedick. Nobody marks you.” , Benedick is found talking to himself by Beatrice. If we only ever read about Benedick through others, we’d never really get to know him. He would just seem like a self-righteous fool. Despite Beatrice’s shallow remarks on

The reader’s attachment to Benedick is a result of experiencing this character arc. Readers sympathize more with characters who are flawed or lacking in some way and who manage to change for the better by the end of the story. One example of this is Benedick’s opposition towards romance and marriage. In the beginning of the story Benedick was against marriage, and yet he was sick in love and married by the end of the