When he saw her after the war “ war thoughts have left their places vacant, in their rooms come thronging soft and delicate desires” this means that now the war is over he can think about love.
Claudio speaks in poetry, which is false. The traditional way for an Edwardian man to speak when he is in love.
When Benedick asks Claudio if he would buy hero, Claudio replies, “Can the world buy such a jewel?”- He is questioning if it is possible to buy something so precious and beautiful.
He also says, “ in mine eyes, she is the sweetest lady that I ever looked upon” – he thinks she is attractive. He is attracted to her looks.
He is after her money, he asks Don Pedro “Hath Leonarto any son, my lord?” Leonarto has no son so hero is heir to his fortune.
Benedick asks Claudio if he wants to be married. Claudio says “I would scarce trust myself, though I had sworn the contrary, if hero would be my wife”
This means he would not usually want to be married but now he would, if hero would marry him.
Hero does not say much in the beginning, her father speaks for her, she is a conventional daughter, she does what she is told to do by her father and does not make any choices of her own. We do not know hero’s feelings. If she were to get married, her husband would be her father’s choice.
Don Pedro “woos” hero at the party then gives her to Claudio with permission of Leonarto.
Claudio is weary that things are happening too fast –
“ And less my liking might too sudden seem…”
Benedick thinks that marriage causes a man to lose his freedom. He says, “thou wilt needs thrust thy neck into a yoke”
He does not want to ever get married, “I will live a bachelor”
He doesn’t want to end up like Claudio who has changed and is acting differently since he fell in love.
“No music with him but the drum and the fife…he would rather hear the tabor and the pipe” this means Claudio would rather listen to fancy dinner music then the war music he would hear before.
“He would have walked ten mile afoot to see good armour…lie ten nights awake carving the fashion of a new doublet”
Benedick doesn’t like the way a man is supposed to act when he is in love or the way a man is supposed to speak. Claudio changes his speech from prose to poetry. – “He was wont to speak plain to the purpose, like a soldier, and now he turned to orthography”
Benedick still has respect for women, he talks about his mother – “that a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she brought me up, I likewise give her most humble thanks”
But this doesn’t change his ill feeling toward love and marriage.
He expects to become a “Cuckold”. A Cuckold is a man whose wife is committing adultery behind his back. Benedick does not trust women not to do this.
Beatrice feels the same. She says “I shall die a maid”, she does not want to get married. “ Up to saint peter…he shows me where the bachelors sit” she would rather die than get married.
Beatrice says that no man is for her, she cannot find the right man, “ he that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man” this means that she thinks that men with beards are too old and men without beards are too young.
She will not fall in love “not till god make men of some other metal than earth”.
Beatrice and Benedick are compatible; they both feel the same about love and marriage.
At the party scene, all the guests are wearing masks.
Don Pedro is to pretend to be Claudio and ‘woo’ Hero for him.
Don Pedro says to Claudio “ I will assume thy part in some disguise, and tell fair Hero I am Claudio, and in her bosom I’ll unclasp my heart.”
The trick was played on Claudio by Don John.
Don John purposely asks Claudio if he is Benedick, knowing that he is Claudio, when Claudio replies, “I am he” Don John tells Claudio (as Benedick) that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself.
Claudio is gullible and believes this. This shows that he does not trust Don Pedro; he feels betrayed “Friendship is constant in all other things”
Claudio’s reaction is presented in poetry, which means it is not his true feelings. He ends the verse of poetry with “farewell therefore Hero” this shows how willing he is to give up on his ‘love’ for Hero. The relationship is weakening.
Beatrice speaks to Benedick at the party; he pretends to be someone else but she knows it is him.
She insults him and he tries to defend himself.
She says, “He is the prince’s jester, a very dull fool” this means that he is like a clown, he fools around but he is dull and boring. Benedick is hurt by these comments. The fact that he is upset by her insults shows that he cares about her.
The other characters had been observing Benedick and Beatrice’s love/hate relationship. Don Pedro had an idea.
The other characters play a trick on Benedick and Beatrice. Don Pedro, Leonarto and Claudio speak very blatantly about Beatrice’s supposed love for Benedick knowing that Benedick is hiding within earshot of them. Don Pedro says to Leonarto, “ What was it you told me of today, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signor Benedick?”
Benedick’s reaction to this was disbelief at first, “ Is’t possible?”
But he believes it as he heard it from Leonarto. “ The white-bearded fellow speaks it.”
To make the trick more believable they say that Beatrice “ would rather die than show any sign of affection” which would explain why Benedick has not realised that she loves him.
In the previous scene Benedick had described his perfect woman as “fair”, “wise” and “virtuous”. After hearing that Beatrice loves him, he realises that she has many of the qualities of his perfect woman. He falls in love with her, “for I will be horribly in love with her.”
The same trick is played on Beatrice. She overhears Hero and Ursula talking about Benedick’s supposed love for Beatrice.
Ursula says to Hero, “But are you sure that Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely?” To make Beatrice more persuaded they say that Benedick is too good for Beatrice; they call her “ disdainful” and “scornful”.
Beatrice’s reaction is spoken in rhyme, which means she is adapting to the language of love, poetry.
After the trick, Benedick tries to act like a conventional lover and tries to make himself look more attractive and younger. He doesn’t do this very well, he cannot act conventionally, and neither can Beatrice, she gets a “cold”.
The fact that they cannot act in the traditional way implies that it is true love. They speak to each other in prose, representing true feelings.
At the party, Borachio woos Margaret. He takes her up to Hero’s chamber.
Meanwhile, Don John tells Claudio and Do Pedro to go to Hero’s chamber window where they see Borachio making love to Margaret, Borachio calling Hero’s name. Claudio and Don Pedro are tricked into thinking that Margaret is Hero and that Hero has been unfaithful to Claudio.
The Plan was for Claudio to shame Hero at the altar, the trick goes to plan and Claudio disgraces Hero at the wedding, “ tomorrow, in the congregation, where I should wed, there I will shame her”
Claudio Is gullible and he does not trust Hero. At the wedding he shames Hero “ Behold like a maid she blushes here “, “ her blush is guiltiness, not modesty”
Beatrice’s reaction to the scene at the wedding s disbelief. She believes that hero is innocent and is upset by the accusations, “ o on my soul my cousin is belied”
Benedick is on Beatrice’s side. He tries to find Hero an alibi, “ (to Beatrice) “ lady, were you her bedfellow last night?” but it doesn’t work as Beatrice was not with Hero that night.
Benedick thinks Don John is behind the trick, “ the practice of it lies in John the bastard”.
He tries to help, he tells Leonarto to listen to the friar’s plan.
After the wedding, Benedick tries to comfort Beatrice; he asks if there is anything he can do to make the situation right, “ is there any way to show such friendship.
He Tells Beatrice that he loves her and she says she was about to say the same thing to him “I was about to protest I loved you.”
Benedick asks again if there is anything he can do for her. “ Come bid me do anything for thee”
She tells him to “kill Claudio” he refuses but compromises by challenging Claudio.
Beatrice is distressed and wishes she could do something for hero but she can’t because she is a woman. “ O, that I were a man for his sake”
In this scene the power and authority is swapped regularly between the two characters, Beatrice shows power by telling Benedick to “Kill Claudio” but Benedick compromises, which shows he is equally powerful.
They speak in prose all through the scene, they are speaking their true feelings, their relationship is honest and truthful. They trust each other.
Leonarto believes Claudio that Hero is guilty but the friar persuades him to postpone punishment until they know the truth about what happened and meanwhile, pretend that Hero is dead, tell Claudio he has killed her and make him feel guilty.
“ So will it fare with Claudio when he shall hear she died upon his words”
The villains are caught by dogberry and the watch.
As a punishment, Claudio is asked to hang an epitaph on Hero’s tomb and to marry Antonio’s daughter who is “almost a copy” of Hero.
Claudio agrees to the punishment and hangs an epitaph on the tomb.
The next day he goes to Leonarto’s to marry his niece to find that Hero is alive and he will be marrying her after all.
If hero was really dead, Claudio would have married Leonarto’s niece (if she existed) and he would have inherited Leonarto’s and Antonio’s fortunes. The fact that he agreed to marry the other girl shows that he didn’t really love Hero and was after her money. So I am not convinced of their future happiness.
In the last scene between Benedick and Beatrice, they still exchange witty comments but in a flirty way. “ I do suffer love for, I love thee against my will”
Benedick asks the friar to marry them alongside hero and Claudio.
When they are with the friar, he asks her if she loves him, to which she replies “no more than reason” he says the same to her and they realise the trick that was played on them by Don Pedro and the others.
Claudio shows Beatrice the poetry written by Benedick about her and Hero shows Benedick the sonnet written for Benedick by Beatrice. “ Here’s our own hands against our hearts” they realise how much they really do love ach other and decide to marry after the exchange of a few more witty comments!
The fact that both the poems were written very badly shows how they cannot act in the traditional way no matter how hard they try. This proves it is true love. We are convinced of their future happiness.
The relationship between Claudio and hero is weak. his ‘love’ for her is based on her wealth and her looks, she married him because her father told her to. They both act conventionally which is how they are supposed to act according to tradition.
Claudio speaks in poetry, which is false and untrue.
The relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is based on trust, honesty, knowledge and true love.
They speak in prose, true feelings and are compatible and well suited.
I think Shakespeare was trying to tell us that a loving relationship should be based on trust, honesty and knowledge rather than tradition, looks and money.
