How Beatrice and Benedick's relationship is presented in Shakespeare's comedy 'Much Ado about Nothing?'

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Amarpreet Hullait

How Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship is presented in Shakespeare’s comedy ‘Much Ado about Nothing?’

Beatrice and Benedick are one of Shakespeare’s famous couples that light up the stage, I think: although hero and Claudio are supposed to be the main characters Benedick and Beatrice, absorb most of the interest.

‘Let but Beatrice and Benedick be seen, lo in trice

The cockpit, galleries, boxes, all are full’  

(Leonard Digges, 1640)

As they play begins , the men are coming back from war, Beatrice displays interest in Benedick from the start as  she enquires about ‘Signor Mountanto’ referring to Benedick, she uses the word ‘Mountanto’ which is a fencing term for ‘an upright blow or thrust’ She probably intends it with a sexual innuendo also since a stallion ‘mounts’ a mare. She is the one who first mentions him, who brings him up again in a seeming irreverent context in act 2 scene 1 ‘he is the prince’s jester, a very dull fool’ it seems as though she is creating an image of herself as a feminist . her ‘merry war’ with Benedick, however she does give a lot of importance to Benedick. The audience knows enough to identify the different characters especially the object of Beatrice’s interest ‘Signor Mountanto’ otherwise known as ‘signor Benedick of Padua’ – who engages immediately with her quick fire exchange of insults the ‘merry war’.

When the ‘merry war’ begins the audience can feel the sexual tension between the two characters, as Beatrice says ‘is it possible Distain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as signor Benedick?’ she says meet, which means appropriate and with a pun on ‘meat’ this shows she is thinking of his manhood, showing the sexual tension between Beatrice and Benedick. ‘I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted’ Benedick picks up on the point that she doesn’t find him attractive, this explains he does care about her opinion more than any one else’s , this can be seen when Claudio confides in Benedick about his love of hero; ‘ can the world buy such a jewel?’ , here Claudio and Benedick both brand hero as an object ‘yea, and a case to put it into’ whereas Benedick refers to Beatrice as a woman, it seems as though, Beatrice is known as ‘lady tongue’, and she plays the court jester to the family who tolerate her outrageousness without really ‘noting’ her, but Benedick does ‘note’ her ‘exceeds her as much in beauty as the first of may doth the last of December.’  Here you can see that during the battle of words, Benedick has taken the time to notice her beauty, and personifies her to the living months, beautiful weather contrasting in the description of Hero, as she is described as an object.  

Benedick doesn’t appear to be bothered about Don Pedro and Claudio laughing at him, as much as he does of Beatrice’s opinion as he is annoyed that Beatrice insulted him. Benedick has taken the pose of a ‘woman hater’ even though he claims to be ‘loved of all ladies’ – ‘would you have me speak as a professed tyrant to the sex?’ when Beatrice says ‘I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow. Than a man swears he loves me’ Beatrice here is using a sense of reverse psychology, if Benedick despises her, and she’s just given away what would annoy her most, a man swearing he loves her. This shows that he does like her and she likes him. Each knows that the other is acting, and each is in the others thoughts.

Beatrice claims to abhor the idea of marriage to Benedick, or any other man Beatrice describes marriage as a dance ‘a scotch jig’ Beatrice implies that ‘wooing’ is ‘hot and hasty’ that it is exciting and passionate, so fast like the first steps of the ‘scotch jig’ then the wedding  is modest, as the jig slows down, here she says that mid way through marriage there’s hardly any passion or fun, ‘then comes repentance’ ,here Beatrice explains that you will repent getting married, like the ‘cinquepace’ a sequence of five steps followed by a great leap. It is evident from this that Beatrice has given marriage a lot of thought and even though she presents the negative view in public, I believe as Beatrice is the first to mention marriage to Benedick. This shows that marriage is definitely on her mind.

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 However, She also hints at some earlier romantic attachment between them; Don Pedro’s comment that she has lost his heart meets the retort:’ indeed my lord, he lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it’ here Beatrice highlights her heartache, At this point the audience see a softer side to Beatrice and it becomes apparent that her wit is her shield.  This could explain the mutual hostility as well as the shared eagerness to requite each other’s affection later on.

The character of Beatrice cannot be properly understood, except in contrast with Hero, ...

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