Benedick in turn mocks Beatrice through name in the same scene by referring to her as “Lady Disdain” meaning ‘Lady scorn’. He mocks her further in the same line by exclaiming, “…are you yet living?” This mocking battle continues for several lines but in the end Benedick ends with a “Jade’s trick” and slyly excuses himself from the engagement. The audience finds the use of names funny because it makes the audience feel superior to the characters because they are laughing at the misfortune of others when the characters name is being mocked. The use of misunderstanding and mistaken identity causes humour in the audience because they feel they know more than the characters and so again feel superior to the characters on stage in terms of the knowledge of the situation.
The messenger in line 72 exclaims, “…the gentleman is not in your books” to which Beatrice replies “an he were, I would burn my study.” Here Shakespeare uses double entendre to suggest Beatrice’s total dislike for Benedick. ‘Books’ is a metaphor for her life and conscience, and so by burning her ‘study’ she is eradicating Benedick from her memory and thoughts.
Shakespeare uses the comedic device of inversion to create humour because before Benedick’s entrance, Beatrice was the witty, sarcastic character. However, now that Benedick enters the scene, she is met with equal wit and so a contest begins to determine who is the wittiest and cleverest with words. Beatrice is the victor but the comedy and humour was created in the insults targeted at each other and the effects it had on both characters e.g. facial expression and aggravation. The audience (both modern or contempory) would find this humorous because they feel dominant over Benedick and Beatrice and are not being mocked but are acting as neutral on-watchers witnessing the onslaught and the effect of embarrassment felt by the two characters.
In line 98, Benedick questioned if Leonato had to ask his wife if Hero was his child, to which Leonato replied, “Signor Benedick, no; for then were you a child”. Some interpret this line in this manner; Leonato (teasing) implied ‘of course not, Signor Benedick. You were only a child when my daughter was born, and not yet old enough to seduce my wife.’ This use of bawdiness acts as a comedic effect because creates a build up of tension within the audience, as they feel awkward and vulnerable as sex is an intimate topic, which embarrasses and intimidates the common man or woman. And so the audience laugh because of this build up of awkward tension and by laughing they relieve it. Shakespeare also depicts this as a light hearted atmosphere because the characters are able to joke about these intimate things without feeling hostility and so this allows the audience to feel confortable.
Shakespeare creates a light hearted atmosphere towards the end of the scene when we learn of Claudio’s affectionate love for Hero (the daughter of Leonato) and also his desire to marry her. His feelings are shown when he say’s “that I love her, I feel”. Marriage is an aspect witnessed in every one of Shakespeare’s comedies. It is heart warming because it allows the audience to feel joy for someone else and maybe reflect on their own ambitions and personal memories. At the same time we see Benedick’s absolute denial to embrace love and his strong aspiration to be an old aged bachelor. This creates humour because we pity his loneliness to come and also we find Benedick enjoyable to watch, as he is out-spoken in his opinions and stubborn to embrace love and live the normal life. His character depicts that of a teenager; but instead of rebelling against his parents, he rebels against life and takes pride in not conforming to social convention by marrying and living the ‘boring’ life.
Benedick’s violent language when expressing love, which is such a beautiful notion, is humorous in itself. “…Pick out mine eyes with a ballad-maker’s pen and hang me up at the door of a brothel-house for the sign of blind Cupid.” This creates laughter among the audience because they laugh at the extremity of his views. They cause the audience to become nervous and threatened slightly by his violent expressions towards love that they can’t help but laugh to relieve the climax. The audience, whether contempory or modern, still laugh at Benedick’s early character because he is a stereotype of the typical bachelor who secretly seeks love but never admits to it.
Shakespeare uses many comic devices to create humour and a light hearted atmosphere in Act 1, Scene 1. However, the most influential of these devices was the use of wit and wordplay, which allowed the audience to feel superior over the victims being mocked on stage i.e. Benedick and Beatrice, and so in turn permits the audience to laugh.