Much Ado About Nothing - Which man would you prefer to marry? Benedick or Claudio? Consider the ways in which each is presented before coming to a decision.

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Laura McPherson 11.4(7)  

Shakespeare Coursework – Much Ado About Nothing

Which man would you prefer to marry? Benedick or Claudio? Consider the ways in which each is presented before coming to a decision.

Benedick and Claudio are the main male characters in the play.  They are very contrasting in their action, words and approaches to love, which is shown throughout the play.

The first impressions we have of each are derived from their entrance and first words from Act1, Scene 1, when the soldiers have returned from war.  Benedick shows he is a witty and somewhat cocky character from even his first line, in which he and Leanato are joking about the fact that Hero is Leanato’s daughter.  Leanato says ‘Her mother hath many times told me so,’ Benedick’s reply being ‘were you in any doubt, sir, that you asked her?’ (1:1:79), showing his quick-witted and light-hearted nature.  Claudio’s first words however, speak of Hero, ‘the daughter of signor Leanato’ and he makes known to Benedick that he thinks she is a ‘modest young lady’ (1:2:119-121), meaning she is sweet and he likes her a lot.

As the play continues we begin to establish more of the men’s characters.  The remainder of Act 1, Scene 1 shows Benedick’s objections to love, for example his comment ‘shall I never see a bachelor of three score again’ (1:1:147) suggests that to him it seems all young men decide to get married but he doesn’t really understand why.  This, along with the competitive argument he has with Beatrice earlier in the scene, gives the impression that Benedick is a woman-hater who doesn’t believe in love.

Claudio, on the other hand, appears to be a shy but romantic man.  He refers to Hero as a ‘jewel’ and ‘the sweetest lady that ever (he) looked on’, (1:1:134 & 139) showing his admiration for her.  However, he is also conventional in the way that he approaches the topic of marriage, he not only is sure that he loves her, but also that she is ‘well worthy’ (1:1:164) in other words of suitable status to be his wife. Don Pedro agrees to ‘assume (Claudio’s) part is some disguise’ and ‘unclasp (his) heart’ ‘in her bosom.’ (1:1:249) This demonstrates Claudio’s shyness, and possibly an observation of the convention of the time. Don Pedro was more senior than Claudio and could therefore put in a good word with Hero’s father, as at the time it was necessary to have the father’s consent and appraisal.  This can be seen as both strength and a weakness as although it could show how sincere Claudio’s love is that he doesn’t want to do something wrong it could also serve as evidence of a weakness in the ability of the couple to confront one another.  

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Act 2, Scene 3 shows us a lot about Benedick’s characteristics. The other men decide that they will set up Benedick so that he overhears a conversation in which it is discussed that Beatrice is in love with Benedick, the girls do the same with Beatrice, as an attempt to get the two together.  The scene makes clear that Benedick is somewhat gullible as he falls for the trick being played upon him. ‘This can be no trick’ (2:3:181) he says ‘Why it must be requited’ (2:3:183).  He also shows himself to be secretly in love with Beatrice, ‘I will ...

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The Quality of Written Communication (QWC) here is extremely good. There is a range of diverse grammatical syntaxes used to vary sentences length and also a very sound knowledge of how to use complex punctuation in order to shape meaning in the answer. There are very few spelling mistakes - none at all that compromise the clarity of the essay. This candidate's QWC is very high indeed.

The Level of Analysis, were evident, is very good, The candidate have dug to an appropriate depth with regard to the question and deducing which man - Benedick or Claudio - they would rather marry. I would perhaps have liked to have seen a more evidently personal response, rather than pure analysis as this particularly question does address the feeling of the candidate themselves towards the characters. And in this respect there should be a consistently personal response to all the points made, with links back to the question. Where this candidate lost marks is that they did not actually answer the question explicitly by stating which man they would rather marry even in the conclusion. Even though the question is quite ridiculously worded, it is imperative that the candidate does this. Where the candidate excels is in the analysis of character that directly constitutes an appropriate appreciation of what makes a good husband, each point made backed up with an excellently-sourced quote from the play. Of course, it would have been far better if the candidate had outlined why the certain character traits they analyse do/do not suit them as a life partner but nonetheless, this is a sound analysis.

The answer here is very extensive, and a little too extensive to be considered completely focused on what is asked, as a lot of it waivers from the steer of the question, though much of what is relevant is very good and suggests that, with a little more directional incentive, this candidate could aim for a high A grade. As it stands, this essay is of a high B grade standard. The focus on the question is evident, even if the candidate does stray slightly. They have done well to draw upon numerous points in the source text to inform their answering this question, as this shows a good understanding of the whole text - an imperative requirement for candidates hoping to achieve higher than a low C grade.