“Alas poor hurt fool”
This is Benedick talking about himself.
“Now will he creep into sedges: but that my lady Beatrice should know me, and not know me.”
This shows that Benedick has some feelings for Beatrice, I can tell this from where he says “my lady Beatrice” in the quotation above. Where he makes the comment
“Should know me, and not know me”
By this I think he means that Lady Beatrice knows him from the outside and what he looks like but doesn’t know his inside and doesn’t know about all the feelings that he has for her.
The way Benedick and Beatrice are brought together is rather funny because they are tricked. First of all Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato speak of how Beatrice loves Benedick, Benedick who has hidden from them was speechless, Don Pedro says
“Do so, farewell. Come hither, Leonato, what was it you told me of today, that your niece Beatrice was in love with signor Benedick”.
Once these three have finished they all go in to eat and they send Beatrice to go and call in Benedick to eat. In the film Benedick is posing on the water fountain, his body language suggests that he is trying to flirt with Beatrice but Beatrice shows no mercy and just walks away. On her way back to Leonato’s house, Beatrice overhears Ursula and Hero speaking. They are talking about signor Benedick, and how much he loves Beatrice, Beatrice is overwhelmed with joy.
This part of the story is really romantic, it is when Beatrice and Benedick actually admit to each other that they love each other. This happens at Claudio and Hero’s wedding. Beatrice gets really upset, so Benedick goes over to see her. Beatrice tells him what’s wrong. One of Benedick’s lines was
“I do love nothing in the world so well as you, is not that strange”?
And one of Beatrice’s lines were
“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest”.
This changes the readers view of the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice, after thinking there is contempt between them to now be thinking they will be married. Their first kiss comes right at the end of the play and Beatrice and Benedick live happily.
The relationship between Hero and Claudio is funny but also strange. The reason for this that there is a twist towards the end and it is rather romantic and nice the way they are brought together.
At the beginning of the play, it seems like love at first sight because Don Pedro and his men return and Hero and Claudio do not take their eyes off each other and were always smiling at each other. Claudio speaks to Benedick of his love for Hero, and then Benedick tells Don Pedro of Claudio’s love for Hero and Don Pedro say he will talk to Hero and get her to take Claudio’s hand in marriage.
This is the moment they are brought together. It is the party and straight away Don Pedro takes Hero’s hand so she can be his partner for the night. Claudio was very upset because he thought that Don Pedro was courting Hero for himself. Don Pedro told Hero the Claudio loves her and that he wants to marry her, she agrees to take Claudio’s hand. Hero comes over to Claudio and they speak and decide to get married. Then Leonato says
“You may take my daughters hand in marriage”
Claudio was very exultant and kissed Hero. The reason for Leonato saying that to Claudio was to do with the social context of the play. In them days the man had to ask the father of whom he wishes to marry if he could take her hand in marriage, but because Leonato new that they were to be wed before Claudio new, he said Claudio could take her hand.
This is where Don Johns plan comes in, his sideman Borachio is going to have sex with Margaret, at Hero’s balcony but he is going to pretend his is making love to Hero. Don John then tells Claudio and Don Pedro of Hero’s unlawful behaviour and takes them both to see her. Claudio is devastated, thinking that his true love has deceived him. The reason for his disgust is that she has lost her virginity before her wedding and that she hasn’t lost it to him. Now day’s virginity doesn’t matter in most relationships, unless it’s due to religion. The virginity of Hero in the play is to do with the social and cultural context of the play. Along time ago it really mattered about virginity. This deception seriously affects Claudio’s views of Hero. It’s the wedding day and Leonato takes Hero’s hand and walks her down the aisle to meet her beloved Claudio. Then Claudio starts to tell everyone of Hero’s betrayal. Claudio’s anger really shows when he says
“There, Leonato take her back again, give me not this rotten orange to your friend, she’s but the sign and semblance of her honour.”
This shows the audience how angry Claudio is but the audience already know that it wasn’t Hero at the balcony. This really does change the audience’s view because they don’t know if Claudio will ever find out the truth.
This next part is one that changes the play dramatically and changes everyone’s verdict of Claudio and Hero, Leonato’s plan of faking Hero’s death, really hurt Claudio because he had just found out that he had been hoaxed about Hero’s unfaithfulness. He goes to where Hero is supposedly buried and is very emotional. Leonato and Antonio go over to see him who is very upset that his cherished Hero had died. Leonato talks to Claudio and asks him to take Antonio’s niece’s hand in marriage. Claudio agrees because he feels he has let down Leonato.
The wedding day arrives and changes the relationship dramatically. Claudio is thinking that Hero is dead and is ready to marry Antonio’s niece. Antonio’s niece steps forward and takes off her vale, Claudio is speechless.
He says
“Another Hero” showing his affection for her by hugging her. Hero replies
“Nothing Certainer. One Hero died defiled, but I do live, and surely as I live, I am a maid”
and she smiles at Claudio and they get married.
Hero’s and Claudio’s relationship was much more realistic than Beatrice and Benedick. The reason for this is because a lot of people these days fall in love at first sight, not like Beatrice and Benedick who had a bit of a laugh at each other’s expense, but it could be called a normal way of finding love because they are brought together by friends, which a lot of friends do for there best friends.
This doesn’t happen these days. The relationships were totally different the only thing that was the same is that they both ended blissfully.
