A battle of the sexes- Much Ado About Nothing

Authors Avatar by noahperez (student)

‘A Battle of the sexes… but who wins?’

William Shakespeare’s classic play Much Ado About Nothing portrays the battle of the sexes, through romantic comedy.  This is a popular theme in Shakespearian comedies, perhaps most famously in The Taming of the Shrew and is an idea that has been revisited in plays, such as Pygmalian, novels such as Pride and Prejudice and films such as the 1959 comedy Battle of the Sexes.  Who wins in Much Ado About Nothing is to be discussed in this essay.  However, it is worth noting that the battle itself is a medium to explore the patriarchal society, and is a precursor to finding love and marriage.

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From the beginning of the play Shakespeare presents us with a woman, Beatrice whom as her character develops we understand to be an independent woman, not needing the heart of a man, ‘I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.’ Beatrice’s strong character and beliefs are shown also in rejecting Don Pedro, the most powerful man in the play, and her presence in such a male dominant society was extremely unusual. Shakespeare cleverly pioneers her to challenge society, maybe suggesting a female feat in a patriarchal society.

But then, ...

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