If you compare how she talks to Don Pedro with how she talks to Benedick you can see she considers herself and Benedick to be equal in superiority but secondary to Don Pedro.
Benedick is the character the audience warms to. Beatrice is highly spoken of by other characters and Don Pedro asks her to marry him but she turns him down. We imagine she probably has someone else in mind.
It is then Don Pedro’s idea to get Beatrice and Benedick together.
At the beginning of Act 2:3 Benedick makes a long speech about the changes in Claudio now he is in love. “…will after he hath laugh’d at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn, by falling in love, and such a man is Claudio.” Ironically his speech fits Benedick himself quite well by the end of the play.
While Benedick listens to the plotters he tries to find proof in what they are saying and comes to the conclusion that if “the white bearded fellow” speaks it then it must be true. He seems much more eager for their words to be true rather than untrue and by the end of their plotting he has very quickly changed his opinion of Beatrice.
While Hero and Ursula plot to get Beatrice to love Benedick they also talk about how she is perceived by other people and want her to think about she can change herself and become less sharp. The majority of this scene is comic but the description of Beatrice’s character is genuine. Just as the men did, they talk about how Beatrice should see Benedick. “How wise, how noble, young, how rarely featured.”
Like Benedick, Beatrice also decides his love must be requited. She says this in blank verse showing it is an important speech that displays a yearning to love and be loved.
From this point in the play she becomes a far more serious character. She seems to have been more affected by Hero’s criticism of her character than Benedick is by what he hears, and her change seems to be sincere and genuine.
Benedick also changes in the next scene and becomes happy rather than aggressive. The others feign amazement at this change and tease him about being in love.
In her next scene Beatrice complains of a cold, just as Benedick did with toothache in his last scene, but the audience knows they are suffering in another way – love-sickness.
After Hero has been accused of being unfaithful and fainted Benedick takes Hero’s side along with Beatrice. Here they declare their love for one another in a conversation that is more serious than any they have had before. This is because of the mood of the scene but is also due to their new relationship. This is not a happy declaration though as they cannot be happy until Hero and Claudio are.
Benedick challenges Claudio for Beatrice showing he would do anything for her – even kill his best friend. I cannot imagine Claudio doing the same. Don Pedro and Claudio mock him about being in love but Benedick is prepared to be humiliated by his friends in order to marry. Now he is in love he has become more serious and mature.
The scene where Benedick tries to write a love sonnet contrasts sharply with the scene before. This also brings the welcome return of the sharp, witty Benedick. He finds it hard to fit the mould of the romantic, courtly lover like Claudio and compares himself with Claudio who finds it easy to woo and is frustrated that he cannot. “I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.” His incapability to make romantic commitments and gestures is commented on by himself and others throughout the play and Beatrice uses it against him on several occasions. This could be because he has hurt her in the past.
Beatrice and Benedick now return to their usual banter but the former bitterness is gone and the tone is warm and tender teasing. As their wit is such a connection between them, it seems logical they use it in their romance.
As usual Benedick asks Beatrice straight out with no flowery, romantic language “Do you not love me?”
The play is ended by Beatrice and Benedick being told of each others love by Hero and Claudio as in the start.
Claudio: “And I’ll be sworn upon’t, that he loves her,
For here ‘s a paper written in his hand,
A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashioned to Beatrice.”
Hero: “And here ‘s another,
Writ in my cousin’s hand, stol’n from her pocket,
Containing her affection unto Benedick.”
After Benedick has told Beatrice of his love she says “…I yield upon great persuasion, and partly to save your life, for I was told, you were in consumption.” Benedick puts a stop to more of Beatrice’s wit by simply kissing her.
The other viewpoint on marriage and commitment in this play is Hero and Claudio. Jealousy, mistrust and love play major parts in their relationship. Claudio’s role is the courtly lover – the romantic hero of the play.
He is extremely interested in beauty and fitting in. He also needs people’s approval and reassurance before making a decision. He asks Benedick what he thinks of Hero and when Benedick gives him a joking answer he tells him to be serious. After Benedick has given a positive answer Claudio starts praising Hero. He is very concerned with his honour and how he appears.
He is quick to fall in love with Hero for her beauty before her personality. He describes Hero as a “jewel” showing he does not see her as a person but more as an object to be obtained and desired. He then asks Don Pedro “Hath Leonato any son, my Lord?” This would suggest that he is finding out whether she will inherit all of Leonato’s money. Don Pedro then replies “No child but Hero” and he immediately gives a speech in blank verse about how much he loves Hero. “…how fair young Hero is.” He seems to be genuine but could he just be shallow?
The fact Claudio says he is in love with Hero after only knowing her well for a very short amount of time suggests he may not be as sincere as he seems. The quotation “But lest my liking might too sudden seem” shows that he realises it could seem a little strange that he has fallen for a girl with a potentially large inheritance too quickly.
At the time Shakespeare was writing though, the idea of ‘love at first sight’ was increasingly popular (for example Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight) so the audience would not have found this strange.
The first of several misunderstandings takes place in Act 1.2 and although small, sets up the scene of confusion in the minds of the audience.
Leonato is honoured Don Pedro would consider Hero as a wife although this was overheard incorrectly by Antonio. He leaves to get Hero “better prepared for an answer” when the Prince approaches her. He is telling her that she should say yes.
This scene suggests Hero is weak and submissive and always does as her father says. Beatrice also implies this in Act 2.1 when she says “Yes faith, it is my cousin’s duty to make curtsey and say, father, as it please you”.
From Leonato’s quote above we can see that women had no authority and were given away to their husbands without a say in the situation. Marriage was very much like a business so Don Pedro’s offer to woo Hero for Claudio and Leonato’s reaction would have been accepted as normal behaviour.
At the masque we see the first of many hasty accusations from Claudio. When he is told by Don John that Don Pedro “swore he would marry her tonight” he instantly believes him without any evidence and is too quick to doubt his close friend.
This shows how untrusting and suspicious he is. He is also very quick to change his mind about the woman he claims to love by saying “farewell therefore Hero” even though she has done nothing wrong. This also shows he is too easily swayed. Don Pedro then tells Claudio that he is mistaken and Hero has been wooed in his name. Suddenly he is back in love with Hero now she is his and describes his happiness by saying “silence is the perfectest herald of joy”. This shows his emotions to be weak because he claims to be deeply in love with Hero but is quick to fall out of love.
The next time Claudio mentions the impending marriage is in Act 3.2. This is the point at which the atmosphere saddens giving the audience the idea that something bad is going to happen. Here, Don John tells Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero has been unfaithful. Claudio has no proof yet of this accusation and Don John is well known for his evil ways but he is still willing to put Hero to shame without considering what she has to say.
He says “If I see anything tonight, why I should not marry her tomorrow in the congregation, where I should wed, there I will shame her.” This speech seems a little pre-meditated, as do some other speeches mentioning Hero. Would someone such as Benedick, upon hearing their fiancée has not been virtuous and with no proof, forge a plan so soon after hearing it? I think not. I suspect Benedick would have investigated further as he seems more trusting than Claudio.
However, in Claudio’s defence Don Pedro was also deceived.
That night Claudio sees Margaret and Borachio at the chamber window but immediately assumes it is Hero. He leaves swearing he will “meet as appointed next morning at the Temple, and there, before the whole congregation shame her.” He shows himself to be hasty in taking revenge because he still does not try and talk to Hero.
His reaction to Hero’s apparent infidelity seems to be based around his sense of hurt pride and is more concerned about his reputation than the possible rejection from the woman he is supposed to love. He thinks love should be innocent and pure and is not prepared to accept anything else.
His behaviour at the wedding is very harsh because he thinks he has proof of Hero’s infidelity.
The majority of this scene is written in blank verse showing that it is an important scene. Claudio calls Hero a “rotten orange” and a “wanton”. He accuses her of knowing the “heat of a luxurious bed” but still does not ask for her side of the story!
It is interesting to see how quickly everyone believes his harsh words – even her own father who is probably devastated that she has done something to lower his status with Don Pedro. This is another example of a woman’s lack of power in society and Hero faints rather than defend herself.
Even after being told Hero had died of a broken heart Claudio still does not seem to feel guilty. In fact when Benedick arrives to challenge him he begins to make jokes. He describes Leonato and Antonio’s challenge by saying, “We had like to have had out two noses snapp’d off with two old men without teeth.” They do not seem to feel awkward staying in the house of a man whose daughter they have slandered and ‘killed’.
When Hero’s innocence is proved by a confession from Conrade and Borachio Claudio seems genuinely in remorse as we see in the quote ”I have drunk poison while he utter’d it” but he denies he killed her. He will not accept responsibility for his actions.
As it is a romantic comedy Claudio must undergo a challenge so he will become more mature and worthy of Hero’s love.
It is quite surprising that Leonato is still willing to let Claudio marry Hero but he is highly spoken of by Don Pedro so would be a good son-in-law to have showing again that practical rather than romantic consideration ruled most marriages.
By Act 5.3 the ends are beginning to tie up. Claudio promises to commemorate the day Hero died every year. Could he now be grieving for her?
At the wedding where Claudio has promised to marry Hero’s cousin he still asks to see her face before marrying her but is told he “shall not till you take her hand.” This shows that Claudio still cares very much about appearances.
When Hero is unveiled Claudio is overjoyed but is this because Hero is alive or because he will not have to feel guilty anymore? Hero says very little in this scene except to show Claudio he is forgiven. A modern audience can find this difficult to accept but marriage is the usual conclusion in romantic comedies.
Unlike Hero and Claudio, Beatrice and Benedick did not jump into their relationship as they had already known each other for a long time. Their relationship is based on the exploration of each others character partly due to their constant banter.
Claudio seems to have a suspicious nature and is quite shallow but I believe he does love Hero.
At the beginning of the play Hero and Claudio seem to fulfil the view of true love but by the end of the play Beatrice and Benedick’s love seems to be the most sincere.
Overall Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship seems to be more genuine and trusting that Hero and Claudio’s.
