Much ado about nothing exploring the relationships between Claudio and Hero & Benedick & Beatrice!!!

Authors Avatar

Examine the ways in which Shakespeare presents the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero?

Shakespeare gradually during the play changes our perception of Benedick and Beatrice’s and Claudio and Hero’s relationship through; dramatic irony, verbal  irony sudden plot twists and other dramatic devices that build up tension and ignite the audience’s interests.

First, looking at verbal irony, this is most apparent in the scene between Beatrice and Benedick, where the character Beatrice uses metaphorical language to describe Benedick ‘no less than stuff’d man’. Beatrice implies that Benedick is a coward, a man of no substance or worth, a hollow man with no feelings. This suggests to the audience that Beatrice has been hurt by Benedick in the past.

Similarly, Benedick, on his arrival, greets Beatrice with an insult. After she says to him ‘nobody marks you’, Benedick responds with mockery ‘my dear Lady Disdain is you yet living’. he calls Beatrice ‘disdain’, a scornful woman who looks down on others, Benedick goes on to say that he is ‘loved of all ladies’ except Beatrice but claims that he ‘loves none’. Beatrice responds that women everywhere ‘ought to rejoice’.

 Their war of wits reaches climax when Benedick calls Beatrice ‘a rare parrot-teacher’ a speaker and repeater of empty words. Beatrice responds ’a bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours’ the characters constantly refer to each other as animals ‘I would my horse had the speed of your tongue’ Beatrice and Benedick’s anticipation of each others responses and their clever ability to counter each others insults signifies to audiences that the characters have a strong connection, which audiences would like to see develop towards the end of the play.

Shakespeare uses the dialogue between Benedick and Beatrice to contrast it to the relationship between Claudio and Hero, whereas one relationship is zealous and explosive. The attraction between Claudio and Hero is superficial and lies in exterior appearances this is most obvious when Claudio refers to Hero as ‘the sweetest lady’ he has ever seen prompting the audiences to think that Claudio is a shallow man, because he is overwhelmed by her beauty.

Join now!

It is also interesting that before Claudio proclaims his love for Hero, he asks whether Leonato has ‘any son’ and is told ‘Hero is his only heir’ sparking speculation amongst the audience that Claudio may want Hero for her inheritance, this supports the point that Claudio is a shallow man.

His naivety is clear when he immediately falls in love with Hero and wants to marry her ‘can the world buy such a jewel’. The audience can infer from this that Claudio is a bit of a spontaneous character, considering that he has just returned from a battle ...

This is a preview of the whole essay