When the soldiers arrive at Leonarto’s house Claudio quickly falls in love with Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice resume their war if witty insults. There is a week left before they get married, so to pass the time, Hero and Claudio join up with their friends and decide to play a game. They believe Benedick and Beatrice are clearly meant for each other and so they try to get the arguing to stop and for them to fall in love with each other:
Benedick is out in the orchard. Don Pedro, Leonarto and Claudio are also out in the orchard and they discuss Beatrice’s ‘love’ for Benedick. Although, Benedick is hiding, the others know he is there and lead him to believe she loves him- he falls for it. Meanwhile, Beatrice overhears a conversation that she was ‘not supposed to’. Hero and her servant Ursula are walking round the gardens and purposely speak loud of how much Benedick is in ‘love’ with her.
Ursula: ‘But are you sure that Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely?’
Hero: ‘So says the Prince, and my new-trothed Lord.’
Whilst the conversation is occurring, Beatrice passes by and takes the bait. With a little help from their friends, they both believe that the other loves them and have totally fallen for every word of it.
Throughout ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ all Beatrice and Benedick seem to do is insult each other. Whilst she is outside Leonarto’s house, the messenger arrives on horseback to deliver a note to Leonarto. ‘I pray you, hath Signior Mountanto returned from the wars or no?’ Straight away, Beatrice fires an insult. She refers to Benedick as ‘Signior Mountanto’. This phrase is used to refer to someone as a cheat or con man. In Beatrice’s point of view, it seems as though Benedick is a very deceiving man.
Soon after the messenger leaves, Benedick returns back from war with Don Pedro, Claudio and others. This part of the story involves a lot of bickering between the two:
Beatrice: I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody marks you.
Beatrice asks why Benedick is still talking as nobody is listening to him. She clearly thinks that Benedick is a man of useless words.
Benedick: What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet still living?
Benedick believes that Beatrice always looks down her nose at others. He thinks she is no better than anyone else and should not act like she is.
Beatrice: Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must turn to disdain, if you come in her presence.
Beatrice asks how such sarcasm can die out if Benedick is here to feed it. She believes everyone will turn superior if they meet Benedick.
Benedick: Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted: and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart; for, truly, I love none.
He wishes he could find it in his heart to love the ladies back, but he loves none. Maybe this is because he hasn’t met the right one? As viewers we could interpret this remark as a ‘hit’ on Beatrice. He maybe hinting that he hasn’t found the right one yet, because he loves Beatrice so dearly and the right one is she.
Beatrice: A dear happiness to women: they would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood, I am of your humour for that: I had rather hear dog my bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.
Beatrice actually agrees with Benedick at this point. This maybe the only thing that the two of them agree on- their hate for marriage.
Benedick: God keep your ladyship still in that mind! O some gentleman or other shall ‘scape a predestinate scratched face.
He hopes that God keeps Beatrice thinking that way so that men will escape being hurt by her. He thinks men are in danger when loving Beatrice and believes they should keep away.
Beatrice: Scratching could not make it worse, an ‘twere such as face as yours.
Beatrice comes out with a very witty remark. Beatrice fires an insult directly to his personal feelings. She says he is such a bad-looking man that scratching could not make his appearance any worse than it is already.
Benedick: Well, you are a parrot-teacher
Beatrice has picked up all of Benedick’s words and returned them back to him in a different way. This feeds Benedick with the thoughts that he is a better arguer and all Beatrice is able to do is take his words and change them around a little.
Beatrice: A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours.
Any bird that speaks her words is better than an animal that behaves like Benedick.
Benedick: I would my horse had the speed of your tongue, and so good a continuer. But keep your way, i’ God’s name; I have done.
Benedick would like his horse to move as fast as Beatrice’s tongue and keep going like her tongue.
Beatrice: You always end with a jade’s trick: I know you of old.
This comment from Beatrice also shows that her and Benedick may have had some sort of previous relationship. She knows Benedick always ends with a dirty trick because she has experienced this before.
In Act 2 Scene 1 of the story. Beatrice claims she does not want to marry:
Leonarto: So, by being too curst, God will send you no horns.
Beatrice: Just, if he send me no husband; for the which blessing I am at him upon my knees every morning and evening. Lord, I could not endure a husband with a beard on his face: I had rather lie in the woollen.
This clearly states how strongly Beatrice feels about married life, especially about that with Benedick, as she ‘could not endure a husband with a beard on his face’.
Benedick and Beatrice do not seem to gain pleasure from meeting. Throughout the play you can’t ever imagine Benedick and Benedick enjoying themselves whilst in each other’s company.
From the many quotes I have chosen to add to my essay, it is clear that the couple are worst enemies. They cannot for one minute go without saying a distasteful or sly remark to the other. Their relationship at these times of communication is extremely negative. Throughout the film, their relationship differs but never gets any higher than ‘annoying each other’.
As Messina prepares for the wedding of Claudio and Hero, Don John, the bastard, arranges to have a woman resembling Hero’s image making love to a man in their window. Both Claudio and Don Pedro believe his evil scheme when Don John takes them outside to walk past the window in which the two (Margaret and a henchman) are making love. The next day, is the day of the wedding. At the altar Claudio condemns Hero as a whore for making love to another man on the eve of their wedding. He tells Leonarto…
Claudio: Give not this rotten orange to your friend… She knows the heat of a luxurious bed.
Only Benedick and Beatrice -as well as the local priest, Friar Francis- believes in Hero’s innocence. After the three plead their case in Hero’s favour, they convince Leonarto that there must be a mistake. They feel it best to pretend that Hero has died in shock of the accusations and with Claudio believing Hero is dead, will in grief, change his opinion of her.
Once again, Benedick and Beatrice argue about what to do next. During their conversation, Benedick tells Beatrice how much she means to him…
Benedick: I do love nothing in the world so well as you… I will make him eat it that says I love not you.
This is the first time throughout the film, that Benedick and Beatrice are closer than enemies. Benedick swears he will never marry and never love, but much to the viewers’ astonishment, declares his utmost love for Beatrice.
In a torrent of tongue-lash and goad, Beatrice then challenges Benedick to kill Claudio because he has dishonoured Hero.
Beatrice: O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place
Benedick cows before Beatrice’s tongue and agrees to do her bidding. Again, we see the once enemies, agreeing. It is not often we see both these people in a civilised manner towards one another. At this point, we as viewers, suspect something may be about to happen. We feel they both love each other, but have too much of a reputation as enemies to declare it. Benedick as confided with Beatrice about his feelings, now there is Beatrice to do the same.
Leonarto asks Claudio to marry his ‘niece’ in repayment of Hero’s death. Claudio agrees. Much to his amazement and delight, when the mask is removed off the lady to marry, he discovers it is hero. Benedick asks Beatrice if she will marry him and after some arguing, she agrees- proof that their enmity for each other has softened and their love for each other has quickened. The joyful lovers all have a merry dance before they celebrate their double wedding.
