Much_Ado_About_Coursework-1.doc

Liberty Fitz-Claridge Page 2/25/2009

An exploration of the nature of the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick and what it contributes to Much Ado About Nothing

* * *

The relationship between Beatrice and Benedick is a major contributor to several key oppositional themes in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. It echoes themes of the difference between appearance and reality, love and hate, men and women, and deception and misunderstanding. In addition to this, their relationship contributes to the play’s theme of double meanings, or multiple layers of meaning. It also provides humour and interest throughout the play, giving a secure background against which the gradually rising drama, the climax, and the resolution of the Hero-and-Claudio plot is played out.

Beatrice and Benedick are at first presented as being in a constant “merry war” with each other – although in fact it is more Beatrice attacking Benedick than the two attacking each other. Indeed, the very first thing she says to Benedick is a provocative comment that “nobody marks” him. This is why Shakespeare quickly establishes her in Act 1 scene I of the play as a woman defiant against the contemporary convention of women being meek, submissive and modest. Hero’s adherence to this convention is emphasised by the contrast of her and Beatrice. Not only does this stark contrast exaggerate Hero’s character, it also amplifies that of Beatrice – something which will be important for the later development of her relationship with Benedick.

Beatrice demonstrates her talkative feistiness in Act 1 scene I by interrupting a conversation to enquire about a “Signor Mountanto,” which we quickly learn to be Beatrice’s insulting nickname for Benedick, as ‘mountanto’ was the technical term for an upward thrust in fencing – suggesting him to be a social climber or a ‘stuck-up’ swordsman. Its additional sexual connotation gives this piece of wordplay a double meaning – another theme of the play for which Beatrice and Benedick are largely responsible.

Beatrice proceeds to insult Benedick in a wide range of other ways, saying he eats too much, is only a good soldier “to a lady,” is a “stuffed man,” and that he “ever changes with the next block.” To avoid giving the audience the misconception that the things Beatrice says are true, Shakespeare chooses to introduce Benedick immediately after her torrent of insults, and we see that Benedick is easily a match to her. After Beatrice’s provocation, their conversation consists of each character twisting the other’s words and launching them back as a new insult – whereas the messenger Beatrice tried to do this with was politely baffled. Thus, we see that there is a “skirmish of wit” between Beatrice and Benedick.

Audience members have reason to wonder at this point: Why is there such a conflict between Beatrice and Benedick? There are a few hints as to why in Act 1 scene i. Beatrice, in reply to Benedick’s comment that despite being “loved of all ladies” he “love[s] none,” retorts that she would rather hear her “dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves” her. This remark suggests not only a contempt for romance but a contempt for men in general – as does the wordplay she uses to insult Benedick before he arrives. In reply to the Messenger’s assertion that Benedick “hath done good service” in the war that ended prior to where the story begins, Beatrice belittles his achievement in the war by contradicting the Messenger (slighting Benedick) and simultaneously introducing military allusions. She does this by riposting that, indeed, Benedick is “a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an excellent stomach.” Hence, she has given the word ‘stomach’ a double meaning: one being a sarcastic remark that, yes, he has done good service, and the other – the real meaning – being that he eats too much. Similarly, ‘trencher-man’ is also a reference to trench warfare.

The animal imagery in this first conflict between Beatrice and Benedick is not insignificant: this sort of imagery is used throughout the play, and is most probably one of Shakespeare’s methods of setting up both characters as ‘wild animals’ that need to be ‘tamed’. Meanwhile, the imagery used by Claudio, Hero, Don Pedro and Leonato is largely concerned with wealth, social status, and gods and goddesses. This is one way in which Shakespeare shows how unconventional the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is when compared to that of Claudio and Hero. Therefore, it would be reasonable to interpret their first ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

We already know from Act 1 that Benedick and Beatrice are old friends (as Beatrice says, she knows him “of old”). In Act 2, Beatrice hints of a past relationship between herself and Benedick, saying in reply to Don Pedro’s comment that she has “lost the heart of Signor Benedick” that he once “lent” it to her, but that he won the possession of her own heart “with false dice.” The exchanging-of-hearts metaphor combined with the dice imagery here suggests a feeling of having been cheated on Beatrice’s part (as dice suggest gambling, and gambling is often associated with cheating).

There are many clues in this scene to suggest that, beneath the surface of what their relationship appears to be, Benedick and Beatrice actually care about each other. At the beginning of the scene, Beatrice finds an opportunity to bring Benedick up in conversation, suggesting, “He were an excellent man that were made just in the midway between him [Don John] and Benedick.”

Beatrice’s remark is similar to the one Benedick makes in Act 1 scene i: when Claudio asks for Benedick’s opinion of Hero (clearly hoping for it to be positive), Benedick has only disparaging comments to make about her –– much like those that Beatrice made about him. But Benedick almost appears to forgive Beatrice for her disdainfulness as he compares her to Hero, saying that if Beatrice were not “possessed by a fury,” she would exceed Hero in beauty as much as “the first of May doth the last of December.” The word ‘possessed’ is also important here: it suggests that Benedick does not think Beatrice’s attacks on him are her fault, or that she attacks him for a good reason – just as a person who has been possessed by the devil has no control over his actions.

Another element of comedy this sub-plot contributes to is Shakespeare’s illustration of human folly. Beatrice is determined not to marry and be “overmastered with a piece of valiant dust”; Benedick seems to firmly believe that marriage will make an “oyster” out of him, depriving him of what he is so proud of – his wit. And yet, the topic of love and marriage always seems to find its way into their conversations with each other and with other characters in the play.

This is perhaps what prompts Don Pedro to propose the undertaking of “one of Hercules’ labours” in Act 2 scene i: to make Benedick and Beatrice fall in love with each other. The audience will probably notice that none of the other characters are reacting at all cynically. This is either another hint that Beatrice and Benedick already do love each other – as the other characters’ lack of scepticism could be due to their premature awareness of Beatrice and Benedick’s real feelings – or merely a further contribution to the play’s theme of human folly – because Leonato, Hero and Claudio will accept anything Don Pedro the prince suggests.

However, in the following scene Don Pedro’s plan seems to work as he, Claudio and Leonato stage a conversation in which they claim that Beatrice is in love with Benedick, fabricate instances of Beatrice fighting with her feelings, and wonder at how it could be so, given their rudeness to each other. This scene is made more comical by Benedick’s soliloquy at the beginning of the scene, in which he speculates on the changes Claudio seems to have gone through since falling in love.

The repeated sentence structure he uses when stating these changes helps to emphasise them: he says he has “known when” Claudio listened only to military music, “and now” he would rather listen to music more appropriate at fairs and other entertainments. He has “known when” Claudio’s interests lay chiefly in things related to war, “and now” he is more interested in fashion. This perhaps illustrates his unease about (or even his fear of) love and marriage.

Another notable part of Benedick’s soliloquy is the question he poses to himself: “May I be so converted and see with these eyes?” He is referring to Claudio’s ‘eyes’ – wondering whether he might change his mind about the views he has. Shakespeare uses the same ‘eye’ metaphor throughout the play to indicate misprision or misunderstanding on the speaker’s part. In this context, it could then be deduced that, as well as further illustrating Benedick’s views on love and marriage, Shakespeare is actually disapproving of Claudio’s point of view. This metaphor shows the different levels of misunderstanding and reinforces the element of comedy: Benedick thinks Claudio is a fool for being so romantic, but he is the one who is about to be fooled into becoming a like fool.

After the staged conversation is over, Benedick seems to forget his vehement claim in Act 1 scene 1 that he will always “wear his cap with suspicion” as he gives reasons for the conflicting claim that Beatrice’s love “must be requited.” He decides that he “must not seem proud” because “Happy are they that hear their detractions and can put them to mending.” Although a valid statement in itself, the context in which Benedick makes it implies that he was at fault for not loving Beatrice in the first place. Even more comical excuses follow: Benedick admits now that a “man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.” He maintains that he cannot continue to act the way he does (as the “prince’s jester,” continually mocking Beatrice) because “the world must be peopled.”

The weakness of these excuses further suggests that rather than dutifully choosing to love her (as he claims he is doing), he has loved her all along. This is even confirmed later in the play (Act 5 scene ii) when he tells Beatrice that he loves her “against [his] will.”

The success of both gullings is yet another element of comedy contributed by the sub-plot of Beatrice and Benedick: surrealism – as it is implausible (though not impossible) that such a deception would work in real life. An interesting difference between the gulling of Beatrice and the gulling of Benedick is that Benedick’s is in prose, whilst Beatrice’s is in blank verse. The blank verse used by Hero, Margaret and Ursula in the gulling of Beatrice suggests a sort of composedness: it is more likely to convince Beatrice and to make her fall in love with Benedick, which in turn suggests her to be less susceptible to trickery than he.

The ‘battle of the sexes’ theme which could be attributed to Much Ado About Nothing is illustrated in the continuous exchange of insults between Beatrice and Benedick. Their battle provides an interesting contrast with the Claudio and Hero plot, and in this way, their relationship also contributes to the play’s theme of the difference between appearance and reality: the appearance of Beatrice and Benedick loathing each other overlays the reality of their loving each other, whilst the appearance of Claudio and Hero loving each other overlays the reality of their distrusting each other. Perhaps, therefore, one of Shakespeare’s chief reasons for including the Beatrice-and-Benedick subplot in what would have otherwise been a common drama was to call attention to the social battle of the sexes – the difference between men and women – and to point out that men seem to be winning this battle.

In Act 4 scene I when Beatrice and Benedick’s mutual love is confirmed between the two characters, their relationship makes a further contribution, namely some additional drama, to the climactic denunciation of Hero. They are brought together through the tragedy when Benedick makes the decision to stay and try to comfort Beatrice after the other characters have left.

It is notable in this conversation (the first serious exchange between Beatrice and Benedick) that they speak to each other in direct, short sentences. Even when Benedick declares his love for Beatrice, he does not veil the admission with ambiguous wordplay. This provides more contrast with Claudio and the way he handles his initial love of Hero, and shows that beneath their surface relationship of mocking banter, Beatrice and Benedick actually have a profound respect for each other.

Benedick’s first use of the word “thou” (in this case denoting affection) to address Beatrice on line 271 is another signification of the change in their relationship, and of their honesty in this exchange, because in all of their previous conversations they addressed each other with the polite word “you” – despite all of their previous conversations being exchanges of insults (thereby giving them a sarcastic quality).

Their integrity and respect is made more visible in this scene through the sudden change from the other characters’ blank verse, to the pure prose in Beatrice and Benedick’s conversation: the Friar, Leonato and Claudio are still composed, inhibited despite the melodrama of the situation, whilst Beatrice and Benedick’s conversation is more focused on its own content.

The relationship between Beatrice and Benedick contributes a playful sort of energy and vitality to Much Ado About Nothing which helps to make the play a comedy. This light-heartedness is shown in their battle of wits at the beginning of the play, and it even continues until the end when they mock each other and deny their mutual love. But this time their skirmish, instead of having undertones of bitterness, is a paradoxical expression of their deep love for each other.

In order for Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing not to be a trivial, generic drama, he needed for the plot to be more complex than the Claudio-and-Hero plot would be on its own. The Beatrice and Benedick subplot fills this vacancy so excellently – enriching the play with additional drama, interest, comedy and originality – that it is often confused as the main story within the play.

* * *