Beatrice And Benedick In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

Character foils can be found all over in Much Ado about Nothing by WIlliam Shakespeare. In “Much Ado about nothing” by William Shakespeare, there is a romance between Beatrice and Benedick, Claudio publically shames Hero, and character foils are the ones who make the play better, and show other characters traits. Beatrice is a foil for Hero because of their different actions, opposing personalities, and their differing thoughts and opinions.

Shakespeare’s plays are often associated with great love stories. Love is a subject which is omnipresent in both his tragedies and comedies. In comedies, love is even a requirement that “is always fulfilled despite all of the blocking complications” (Charney 27). These complications are often the main plot of the plays, the reason why the story unfolds the way it does. It is these complications that give depth to the characters, their relationships and their love. The ways these complications unfold give us indications as to how two individuals relate to each other and how deep their connection is. They reveal holes in character traits and test the characters’ faith, trust and trustworthiness. These attributes are among the ones questioned in both The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado about Nothing. In these two plays are four main relationships which unravel over the course of the events. These are four love stories with their own complications and obstacles to overcome. Yet, as individual as they may seem, they share certain similarities between them. On the one hand we have Bianca and Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew and Hero and Claudio in Much Ado about Nothing who share a certain resemblance in the way their relationships form and especially how said relationships then express themselves. More importantly, there are Kate and Petruccio in The Taming of the Shrew and Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing who share one striking complication in their

"Much Ado about Nothing" is a traditional Shakespearean play. Many of Shakespeare stories are about young people who are in love with each other. . Claudio, one the main figure in

George Sand once said, “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” This quote means love is the only happiness that everyone can have. Both Benedick and Claudio’s relationship in Much Ado About Nothing shows that they both have happiness from their loved ones. Benedick and Claudio’s relationship represent realistic relationships from back then and today. In William Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick and Beatrice relationship’s represent the most realistic relationship in terms of today’s society compared to Claudio and Hero relationship because Benedick and Beatrice got to know each other before being a couple, they argue

Hero express that you must manipulate someone's love life no matter the consequences when she explains, “some cupids kill with arrows, some with traps” (3.2.112). You must use trickery, to reveal their true feelings for the other person. In Much Ado About Nothing trickery and deception are central themes in the play. At least, every character in this play have been a victim of trickery or deception. This comes to show that manipulation can reveal the true feelings and thoughts about one another.

The heart wants what it wants. Before this obvious, but quite metaphorical statement , became a well known saying, it isn’t always true as pride in the way of the authenticity of love. In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, he shows a clear exposition of this. 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. Benedick depicts that although many people fall in love and enjoy it, he will not be vulnerable to give himself to the world of love.

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.

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.

Deceiving Beatrice and Benedick was necessary because if everybody didn’t get involved to deceive them they have never ended up together and having a happy ending. While Benedick was sitting the orchard, Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio go

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. As a result of her not having any parents she has more freedom. Beatrice is best described as cynical and sharp while Hero is very quiet, respectful and gentle. The ways the two react and don’t react to things creates a very huge difference between them and it reveals a lot about who they are. Shakespeare constant use of dramatic irony and contrasting plots show just how easy it is for Hero and Beatrice to be compared on contrasted.

Throughout Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing play we explore the similarities and differences in cousins Beatrice and Hero. Beatrice speaks her mind and makes her own decisions in every aspect of her life. That is what contracts the two, Hero is portrayed as property and her beauty is her asset. Beatrice comes off as very bold, coldhearted and independent. However, both of the characters represent both traditional aspects of feminism in the sixteenth century.

Much Ado About Nothing analyzes how traditional gender roles shape behavior and actions in society. Many of the characters in the play, such as Benedick and Beatrice, actively attempt to defy the expectations placed upon them by virtue of their sex, while others nearly perfectly match the stereotypes- Hero and Claudio being prime examples. Benedick and Beatrice represent defiance of the norm- Beatrice repeatedly claims that she will avoid marriage at all costs, and Benedick doesn’t seem any more likely to place himself in a position to be cuckolded. The two of them engage in several bouts of cleverly written banter, each blow professing the gospel of celibacy. In this, if nothing else, they are in agreement- Benedick

During the Elizabethan era, courtiers were highly regarded in society, for being noble, virtuous, courteous, and graceful. They also immensely value their honor, a vital quality in the courtier system. If honor is absent, shame takes its place. The courtiers then transform into fools, filled with indignity. In Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare critiques this courtier system by jokingly look into the assets and flaws of the current nobles and aspiring nobles. In this play, the characters and their intentions of displaying honor and hiding shame are distinguished and expressed through their language towards others.

Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, is a play about multiple relationships. Hero and Claudio are the first relationship, and Beatrice and Benedick are the other relationship. The play talks about the ideal traits of a couple in the Shakespearian time period. Times have changed, as couples have evolved and have generally become less “traditional”. Back in the day, the female would submit to the male. 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.

What seems to be a comedy play for an audience who enjoys a theatre with good humor and romance, “Much Ado About Nothing” contains much more than just entertainment. If we dig in deep, William Shakespeare’s play has much more than a tragic story with happy ending; even that is debatable. The theme of this play revolves around deception, plotting against your own, personal gains and rejection. 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.