Claudio and Heroes relationship is typical of Elizabethan times. Hero is a submissive, powerless and vulnerable character who takes on a role of the “dutiful daughter” She seems to act to the will of her father and other characters and does what she thinks will please them the most. Hero keeps quiet and only speaks when it is appropriate. To strengthen this image of her personality, Shakespeare doesn’t give her any line until act ll where she says “He is of a very melancholy disposition” To Claudio she would be a perfect woman, beautiful, quiet and powerless. It is important that Heroes character is the way it is because without that the whole issue of courtly love would not be a strong aspect of the play.
Beatrice’s character however, contrasts to heroes. Beatrice is a confident, witty character who is highly articulate and uses her wit to constantly attack romantic love, especially if she is involved personally. Beatrice constantly attacks Benedick, when he is speaking she disrupts him saying “Scratching could not make it worse an ‘twere such a face as yours” this may be because other characters see them as a fitting couple. The two characters, Beatrice and Benedick, are very alike in the play and quite obviously make the perfect couple, they are both witty and stubborn, and they have very similar personalities. It is as if from the beginning they are destine to be together
To show how characters are suitable for each other Shakespeare gives characters the same types of lexis to speak or the same linguistic devices to use in their speech. For example Benedick and Beatrice both use the same kind of lexis towards each other. At the beginning of the play both characters showingly dislike each other arguing together saying “well, you are a rare parrot teacher” getting a reply of “a bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours”. The two of them are not only arguing but they both associate each other with animals. Both characters hold a battle of wits with each other when they argue both characters use the same kinds of witty, comical, snappy language. As the play progresses however, Beatrice’s and Benedick’s attitude towards each other changes. Both characters discover that they like each other and their language and actions show this. Shakespeare used poetic devices to show this change of feeling, imagery for example. When Benedick is tricked into believing that Beatrice likes him he says “shall quips and sentences and these paper bullets of the brain” Beatrice also uses this kind of lexis when she too is tricked into believing that Benedick likes her, she says “bind our love up in a holy band”. Shakespeare probably did this because Elizabethan theatres were unsophisticated places and actors had to create mood and atmosphere using just language. Props were usually not used and so Shakespeare used things such as comical relief in the play to keep the audiences attention.
Although Claudio and Hero’s relationship is very different to that of Benedick’s and Beatrice’s Shakespeare used linguistic devices to show their feelings towards each other. Claudio and Hero are typical courtly lovers and therefore would use much more romantic language towards each other such as “and when I lived I was your other wife; and when you loved, you were my other husband.”
The play revolves around the two pair of lover, the necessary outcome of the play is marriage and celebration but there must be a dramatic threat along the way to keep the audiences interest. This is where the character Don John come in. There must also be comical relief in the play to keep the audience enjoying themselves. At a certain point in the play, Benedick takes on that role. When he hears Beatrice likes him he becomes clumsy and comical saying things such as “you take pleasure, then, in the message” when Beatrice clearly does not. This contrasts to Claudio’s character who is rather serious and wants to marry Hero for money and status. Typical relationships of the time would have been that way.
In conclusion the two relationships differ from each other quite dramatically in this play, although they both end up with a happy ending. Claudio and Hero are courtly lovers. They have little to say for themselves and tend to do as others wish to make their marriage work. Their marriage is simple and desirable to everyone. However Beatrice and Benedick share negative attitudes towards courtly love. Benedick has an inability to make romantic gestures but takes pride in his character even though Beatrice uses it against him. He likes his “Batchelor status” and swears not to turn to romantic love as Claudio did. Beatrice is much like Benedick in a way but does want to marry eventually. Both characters have the convention of romantic comedy. Their relationship is eventually a loving one but unlike Claudio and Hero, with whom it was love at first sight, their relationship is slow, steady and progressive. Both relationships are happy ones but both differ dramatically throughout.
