“I looked upon her with a soldier’s eye” a soldier is a character who is left alone for a long time with no female company. For a period of time Claudio has had no female company and has been surrounded by male comrades, perhaps he has a lot of pent up sexual frustration. He has been involved in battle and protecting Don Pedro, therefore had no opportunity to consider love or indeed marriage. Now the battles have ended, he has the time to think about coming home and settling down with a wife.
Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship totally contrasts to that of Hero and Claudio. Theirs is true love, and for personal gratification. Beatrice is independent and a very strong female character, she refuses to be drawn into marriage and let a man get close to her. She claims that there is no man for her. It appears that Beatrice is afraid of love and being loved as her independence maybe lost as a result. She declares….
“He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is no less a man,”
Beatrice is saying that she is making it impossible for her to love any man. Beatrice does not give her heart away lightly, but when she does it will be loyal and true love. Beatrice stands by Hero throughout the play never doubting her. Maybe Beatrice is afraid of men, this could have been contributed to her fatherless childhood or Shakespeare is depicting the independent women of the Renaissance society. She rebels against the unequal status of women in the Renaissance society….When she wishes to take Claudio on for unfairly shamming Hero.
“I cannot be a man wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving”
She does not want to be controlled by a man, not wishing to be suppressed in a relationship – not claiming what you want, but instead agreeing to the terms of a man. Benedick takes a similar view on marriage to. He bluntly refuses to marry – believing women to be deceivers….
“I will do myself the right to trust none; and the fine is, for the which I may go the finer, I will live a bachelor”.
Beatrice and Benedick both talk passionately of their mutual dislike of the opposite sex, thus between them there is an underlying passion. They keep up their guard with wit and the competition is furious between them, both trying to out wit, insult and out smart the other. They are both appearing to be vulnerable characters, both terrified of being publicly humiliated by the other one, to be opened up by the weakness of love. The couple defy the rules of society – breaking its rules. The audience asks whether their love would surface without society setting them up?
Has Shakespeare created this joining just for comedy value, or has he brought them together to show the pressures on the young to marry early? I think that is just for the comedy value. Other characters in the play set the couple up- marriage is the ideal, and it presumed that Benedick and Beatrice need to be brought together, to be married ultimately will enhance their mutual respect in society. Beatrice and Benedick are more mature than a conventional relationship – and although it develops out of social pressure they are both two stubborn individuals. They are both very selective of who they hold close, but when intimate with characters they are both true to their love. Beatrice’s love for Hero does not waiver. There is a love well known and moulded. Beatrice has unrelented faith and does not base her opinions on what she seen. She is not easily deceived even when Hero’s own Father doubts his own daughter when set up by Don John. I think that Shakespeare is trying to get the message across that there are different depths of love.
Claudio is also quick to judge Hero, and publicly shame her; this places an emphasis on the importance of public image. You could say that Claudio’s actions are just, but are they the actions of a man so much in love?
“… Not to knit my soul to an approved wanton.”
When in love a person drops their inner morals, accepting their loves wish over their own. This is shown when Benedick accepts the challenge from Beatrice to kill Claudio. Claudio and Benedick are described as being close.
“He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio”
His love has been overridden by Beatrice’s wish, here we acknowledge that their love is true and pure. Friendship has been defied in the face of true love. This adds a greater sense of trust and companionship to their dynamics. Benedick accepts Beatrice without any consent from others…
“In brief, since I do propose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it”
Shakespeare has created Beatrice and Benedick, however Hero and Claudio are taken from a stereotype of the perfect couple. Beatrice and Benedick are two free characters, which have both rebelled against society to marry early. They use wit to carry out their relationship, playing off each other’s character and intelligence. A modern idea of romance is spontaneity, passion and dramatic. They both follow the modern theme of relationships and marriage showing perhaps, that the sacrament has been around for a long time.
A modern audience would look down on the relationship between Hero and Claudio, as their love appears to be superficial, fickle and formed to improve their social standing. However they have fulfilled the roles expected of them. Love can be accepted in their relationship, but only within a contemporary society. Within this Hero’s and Claudio’s relationship would be respected and people would aspire to them.
There is a distinct lack of intimate encounters between Hero and Claudio- romance is sparse. Perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting that the rituals of courtship and expectations surrounding a relationship may detract from the fun of romance? Perhaps he is suggesting that their relationship has not emerged out of love but is instead based on an image and dream? Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship appears to have a lot more romance. “ I love do love nothing in the world as so well as you”.
Hero and Claudio love each other in a dream. They play in separate spheres; neither have insight into each other’s character. The name Hero signifies devotion to love.
“Give not this rotten orange to your friend”
Claudio falls in love with an image, when someone breaks that image, the love disappears with Claudio’s respect. The relationship is destroyed with the corruption of Hero’s image. Had he been in love with her sole and character this may not have happened, he would have known the real Hero. Claudio was too wrapped up in his own image to see that he was walking into a trap. He publicly shames Hero to redeem his own standing- so that he could show that Hero has not humiliated him. Only once Hero’s name has been cleared can he revert back to loving her…
“Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear; in the race semblance that I loved it first.”
Even when he first hears of her death he does not grieve her- not until her name is cleared, when suddenly he regains his love for her. Their love is superficial and it would have been accepted in sixteenth century Britain.
In conclusion I believe that Shakespeare is trying to suggest that with society pressure to marry, it is making the act false and superficial. Beatrice and Benedick, who wait for love, will marry happily. Hero and Claudio’s relationship will be less successful as Claudio does not have a realistic outlook on his marriage. He suggests to Don Pedro that he will accompany him to Aragon after his marriage.
“I’ll bring you thither, my lord” Don Pedro who is more mature refuses the offer.
“Nay, that would be as great soil in a new gloss of your marriage”
Don Pedro sees that it would be neglecting the marriage but the statement suggests Claudio does not see the marriage as a commitment and therefore it should not alter his lifestyle, but it was the correct thing to do.
Bibliography
“Much Ado about Nothing” written by William Shakespeare. Published by penguin books.
1795
D. Solan
A.Level Much Ado about Nothing