The play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare is a comedy that tells the tale of two pairs of lovers: Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedict. Though the main plot of the story revolves around Hero and Claudio, Benedict and Beatrice’s romantic relationship is an important subplot to the story. In “Much Ado About Nothing”, Shakespeare uses irony, hyperbole, and use of language to illustrate Benedict and Beatrice as a nontraditional spin on the ideal couple through the strength and security of their love, as can be shown in dialogue not traditionally associated with love.
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.
In Shakespeare 's Much Ado About Nothing, there are example of both loveless marriages, like Claudio and Hero 's, and marriages based on true love, like Benedick and Beatrice. The relationship based around fake love has encountered many problems and barely held on, not setting a bright example for the future. Shakespeare shows that for a marriage to work, true love must be the main basis or else the smallest issues will destroy the weak
Love in Much Ado about Nothing William Shakespeare presents love very differently in his play, Much Ado about Nothing. There is paternal, philia, innocent and romantic relationships; all that are key in the plot of the story. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, love is described to be and not to be many things; however, two descriptions really connected to Much Ado about Nothing. Leonato’s paternal love for Hero proves itself to not be lovable because of the biblical definition of the emotion; in fact, one of the only true loves, in my opinion, that Hero experiences is her philia with her cousin Beatrice.
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. The first thing that is emphasized in the play, Much Ado About Nothing is the vulnerability and dangers of love. It’s shown that falling in love is a constant danger, and that no one gets out of the ordeal unharmed.
(I, I, Pg.4). Benedick tries to say that Beatrice is the only lady that he doesn’t love. He tries to hide the way he feels. At the party Benedick and Beatrice seem to find their way to each other, and Benedick doesn’t know that Beatrice knows that it is him, and she starts to talk about him, “ Beat. Why, he is the prince’s jester: a very dull fool; only his gift is in devising impossible slanders: none but libertines delight in him; and the commendation is not in his wit, but in his villany; for he both pleases men and angers them, and then they laugh at him and beat him.
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.
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.
William Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, features a wide cast of characters and follows a variety of plotlines that deal with love, loss, deception, and redemption. Within the scenes of the play, the old adage “you don’t know what you have got until you lose it” is clearly applicable, especially in the case of Hero and Claudio’s love story, but this sentiment can surely be changed to “you don’t know who you are until you lose it”. This changed aphorism constitutes as a motto for Benedick, a soldier who fought for Don Pedro and one of the central characters of the play. Using wit as an armor to protect his softer self, Benedick’s views on marriage seem steadfast and evident; he will never, ever marry. Benedick commits himself to
Even though she and Hero are close, they are not much alike. While Hero is polite, quit, respectful and gentle, Beatrice is feisty, cynical, witty and sharp. Although Beatrice is outspoken and seems hard she is vulnerable. Once she hears Hero talking about how Benedick is in love with her she opens herself to the sensitivitis and weaknesses of love. Unlike Hero who is will do anything her father asks and will agree to an arranged marraige to marry anybody that her father picks, Beatrice refuses to marry because she feels that she has not found the perfect man for her?
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).”
In Act II, Prince and Leonato and Claudio are going to trick Benedick into thinking that Beatrice loves him. Prince says to Leonato “Come hither, Leonato. What was it you told me of today, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick.” (II.III.95-97). This means that Beatrice confessed her love for benedick to her Uncle and Leonato told Prince about it.
However, due to their lack of trust, suspense is built to sustain a plot. Just as the problem arises quickly, the complication is resolved just as simply with the marriage of the young lovers. Throughout the play, the relationship between Beatrice and Benedict serve as a comedic relief. There snarky replies are well crafted such as Benedict’s view on Beatrice’s replies: “she speaks poniards, and every word stabs: if her breath were as terrible as her terminations, there were no living near her; she would infect to the north star.” In the final act, audience find compassion that Benedict and Beatrice hate relationship settles to a love relationship.
(2.3.231) The next scene is the final part of their plan, to convince Beatrice that she is in love with Benedick. Hero, Margaret and Ursula talk together while Beatrice is listening. Their conversation is fairly similar to the one the guys had. After the girls are done deceiving Beatrice and leave Beatrice comes to the realization that maybe she does love Benedick after all.
Thesis Shakespeare illustrates the fine line between illusion and reality using love, which is a passion-driven combination of the two. The young lovers’ behavior, both in moments of potion induced dreams and wide awake reflection, highlight how close illusion and reality get when love is in the air, and how reason is all but thrown out when lovers reach a dream-like