Discuss the presentation of the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado about Nothing'

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Victoria Canavan                Final draft

Discuss the presentation of the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ referring to the whole play.

Beatrice is the niece of Leonato, a wealthy governor of Messina. She is feisty, cynical, sharp and witty. Benedick has recently returned from fighting in the wars. He is also witty, and like Beatrice is always making jokes and puns. They both continue a ‘merry war’ against each other, in which Beatrice often wins the battles. ‘They never met but there’s a skirmish of wit between them’, as Leonato says. They both appear content never to marry and swear never to fall in love. Beatrice then describes their last fight, when ‘four of his five wits went halting off’, and she continues teasingly to mock Benedick. The similarities in Beatrice’s and Benedick’s personalities and opinions are sure to bring them together from the beginning. They both rebel against the social ‘rules’ followed by most of the other characters when it comes to their opinions about love and marriage. Ironically, the effort they put into fighting creates the opportunity for them to become closer.

One theme in the play is the taming of wild animals, which is the imagery that appears throughout the play. In the scene where Claudio and Don Pedro tease Benedick about his hatred of marriage, he is compared to a wild animal. Don Pedro states, ‘in time the savage bull doth bear the yoke’. This could mean Benedick will be tamed and, in time, will fall in love. Benedick mocks this statement and claims he will never give himself to any woman.

In the plot involving Beatrice and Benedick, the symbol of a tamed animal symbolizes the social calming that must happen for both characters to be ready to fall in love and marry. Beatrice’s promise to submit to Benedick’s love by, ‘taming my wild heart to thy loving hand’, gives the audience imagery of a wild hawk being tamed and suggests that Benedick is to become Beatrice’s master. This could also be suggested in the way Benedick uses ‘thou’ to address Beatrice and Beatrice uses ‘You’ to address Benedick. Shakespeare may have used this technique to show Beatrice has less status than Benedick. It could also mean that she is being more reserved and cautious towards Benedick.  

The love story between Beatrice and Benedick begins from the love between Claudio and Hero. Their relationship also depends upon and compliments Claudio and Hero’s relationship. These relationships are contrasted with each other. This appears significant because they link together to create an image of understanding and harmony. Beatrice and Benedick previously know each other and continue a ‘merry war’ that started when they first met. When they eventually fall in love it shows their maturity that they can show their feelings. In contrast to the young lovers Claudio and Hero, they are older and more mature. However, their constant competitiveness reveals them to be childish when it comes to love. Claudio quickly falls in love with Hero when he arrives, while Beatrice and Benedick resume the war of witty insults they have carried on from the past. By the end of the play, however, Beatrice and Benedick have earned each other. This is in contrast to Claudio and Hero who appear to have formed a relationship and marry in a short space of time.    

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In Elizabethan society, men were usually socially dominant compared to women. Men were assumed to be superior to women. Wives were assumed to be their husband’s legal property. ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ shows Beatrice and Benedick in constant competition with Beatrice mostly winning, which would be unusual in a society where men were socially dominant. Beatrice rebels against the unequal status of women in Renaissance society: ‘I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving’. Beatrice does succumb to love but immediately assumes a dominant male role in demanding Claudio to be killed. ...

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