Shakespeare often refers to women at this time as wives, potential wives, or whores. However when he writes the character of Beatrice, he is one of the first to write about an “unconventional wife to be”, and with a setting such as the patriarchal world of Messina, a character so outgoing, and distinct as Beatrice is unusual and extremely memorable.
Beatrice sees herself as equal to most men. She is witty and confident, and cannot pass through the day without making a joke or
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remark about her ultimate opposition, Benedick.
‘Why he is the prince’s Jester’
However she doesn’t just make jokes about Benedick, but about the whole of the living, breathing, male race. One of the main reasons that she does this is because of the absence of her father. This has opened her eyes and she is able to see the unfairness of her society. A good example of this is the scene of Hero and Claudio’s wedding. There is no question that Claudio is lying or may be wrong about Hero, and even Hero’s father sides with him.
In the play the audience is also told in so many words that there has once been some kind of relationship between Beatrice and Benedick. This is also a motive for the two to fight like cat and dog, and to make those bad jokes about each other, that the audience has come to know and love.
It would not be possible to describe the character of Beatrice in three or four words, however, sarcastic, confident and fiery are a good start.
When she is constantly reminding the audience of how she dislikes Benedick, the hope of a new love is on the horizon. In the first dance scene, Beatrice reveals her true feelings and deep emotions to Don Pedro (The Prince of Aragon), and to top it all off he proposes marriage. This could be a turning point for Beatrice, but she turns him down and continues to live her life as she has done since she was born.
A life with Don Pedro would have changed that of Beatrice, but it may not have changed it for the better. It is obvious that there is one man for Beatrice, and one man only, Benedick!
‘She were an excellent
wife for Benedick.’
Talking about Hero is a totally different matter. Hero is the conventional wife to be and a man of her time would be stupid to pass up such an opportunity. She is a loyal, obedient and forgiving young woman. We know this from her actions and what is said in the play, by, about, and to her;
‘Daughter, remember what I told you:
If the prince do solict you in that kind,
you know your answer.’
These two lines spoken by Leonarto show her loyalty and the
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level of acceptance and obedience shown towards her father, family
and community.
The two women, Hero and Beatrice are two very different people. They have been bought up together and are as close as sisters, as Beatrice demonstrates when she sticks up for Hero in the wedding scene;
‘O, on my soul, my cousin
is belied!’
I can’t help but feel that in some ways Hero has the characteristics of a bat. Her eyes and mind seem to be blind to what is going on around her, where as Beatrice is able to see the amount of male domination in Messina. Hero’s character is so innocent and naïve, she cannot understand Margaret’s wise cracks about what to expect from her wedding night;
‘Twill be heavier soon by the
weight of a man.’
Throughout the play we see two romances blossom in many different ways. With Beatrice and Benedick, pranks are pulled to bring them closer together. But with the criticism about their success with the opposite sex, and trying to make each other feel a maximum of two inches tall, Beatrice and Benedick are able to bring themselves together without any help from their friends.
Shakespeare uses comical romance with the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick but with Hero and Claudio the traditional ‘love at first sight’ storyline is implied. The relationship between Claudio and Hero is much more conventional, as well as conventional it is also romantic and idealistic. The audience can also see that the relationship contains many of the characteristics of Hero. The relationship is mainly dependant on Hero’s ability to ‘forgive and forget’.
In Shakespeare’s day using a ‘go between’ when proposing was normal, and it was almost essential to gain the fathers blessing and permission. His approval was a bonus. You may remember from the play that when Benedick proposes to Beatrice none of the conventional activities of a proposal take place. This is because of Beatrice’s absent father. These actions follow the characteristics of Beatrice as Hero’s characteristics are shown in her relationship with Claudio.
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By looking at the partners of the two women you can learn a little more about Beatrice and Hero, such as what they look for in not only a man but in later life. As the decision to marry in Shakespeare’s day was not to be taken lightly, it was a decision that would affect the rest of your life.
By looking ad comments and reviews of the play, we can see that Much Ado About Nothing is a play of many genres. It is classed as a comedy but with its exploding romances and conniving villain, the play could easily be classed as a romance, and very nearly a tragedy.
Another thing to think about with the writing of the character of Beatrice is how Shakespeare was able to come up with these ideas living in the time that he did. For example Beatrice living the life that she does. Not only does the basic story line of Beatrice fit into our everyday lives, but also, would it be true to say that William Shakespeare, was a prime example of an early feminist expressing his views and opinions in comedy. To me it seems like he was writing a few hundred years in advance of his time.
So as you can see William Shakespeare used many different ways and techniques to achieve what he did in much ado about nothing and I am sure that there are many more that I am yet to discover. I think that in this case, I will agree with Dianna Lynn Kitching, of the Washington gazette when she says;
‘A fun read, with great characters,
that almost everyone seems to love.’
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