Throughout literature, authors have depicted love in many ways. One such author is Shakespeare, who shows multiple views on marriage, both healthy and unhealthy. He does so through his characters in “Much Ado About Nothing.” The one that Shakespeare suggest as the most healthy and accurate is the one between Beatrice and Benedick. The other characters that Shakespeare includes show the contrasting differences between marriages.
The first marriage that Shakespeare displays is Claudio and Hero. They have the least healthy relationship because their love is often referred to as “puppy love.” This is often found in fairy tales, and is not very realistic nor healthy. According to Nancy Mohrlock Bunker in her essay “Companionate Marriage; Much Ado
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These two have the most ideal relationship because they possess honesty, trust, and commitment. Although these two characters have the qualities that make good relationship, it was not always so. In the beginning, neither Benedick nor Beatrice wanted to be in a relationship. Benedick and Beatrice saw marriage as a pointless and unnecessary act between two individuals. They both relished in their freedom and independence, until they were confronted with the opportunity to be in a relationship. Beatrice and Benedick were tricked to fall in love. Some people may argue that this makes their relationship fake, but Don Pedro only awoke the feelings they already had. Beatrice hints at a past relationship with Benedick while speaking to Don Pedro when she states, “Indeed, my lord, he lent [his heart] to me awhile, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice; therefore Your Grace may well say I have lost it” (Act 2. Scene 1.). This revelation allows the readers to see why Shakespeare uses these two characters to demonstrate the best type of relationship. Any realistic relationship has setbacks—financial instabilities, uncertainty, or unresolved issues— that can force people to act foolishly. What may have caused Benedick’s and Beatrice’s setback is uncertain, but the readers can attain that whatever it may have been, it did nothing to fully douse the flames of desire within them. This resilience that they each display for one another is the true reason why they have what can only be seen as the best relationship. Despite their troubles in the past, both Beatrice and Benedick are willing to put their differences aside to love each
In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick’s loyal nature causes him to make several decisions throughout the play. In the beginning of the play, the reader was shown that Benedick and Beatrice did not have a great relationship with each other. However, Benedick’s loyalty towards other characters, especially Beatrice, seems to increase excessively throughout the play. Benedick appears as loyal when he supports Hero, confesses his love for Beatrice, and when Beatrice asks him to kill Claudio.
In this Shakespearean comedy ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ two similarly obstinate characters of Beatrice and Benedick are presented between the rather normal relationship of characters Hero and Claudio. Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Benedick’s obstinacy towards the rather obligatory act of marriage and also their particularly similar personalities that cause reason for their familiar act of squabbling; he does this whilst also presenting two characters that are completely interested in marriage and who are hardly intellectually capable of squabbling in a similar manner. As the play unfolds both characters remain combative with one another but as love becomes the better of them, they begin to reveal that somewhat secretive sensitivity
Although Beatrice and Benedick are not yet shown as in love, a Shakespearian audience would not have thought it usual for a woman like Beatrice to be speaking as she was about Benedick. However, today it is perfectly normal for Beatrice to be talking like she is, so at the moment, the two relationships are more satisfying to the different audiences. Beatrice and Benedick's relationship has another problem. They both like to use their wit and intelligence to try and outsmart people, and mainly themselves.
Don Pedro and his men return from the war and visit the house of Leonato and his brother, Antonio. This sudden meeting reunites Beatrice with her archrival, Benedick, and it is here that Claudio and Hero fall in love.
Beatrice and Benedick didn't have the typical fairytale love story and that is what makes them so relatable. The couple built a foundation for a lasting love that was real not perfect. Beatrice and Benedick were truly in love. The dictionary definition of love is “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person” While this is true it doesn't go into detail on what love truly is. Beatrice and Benedick show the real traits of true love.
Shakespeare's comedy, `Much Ado About Nothing' is a play revolved around the love and friendships of two young couples, integrated with each other through both friendship and love. Love and marriage are the two most prominent ideas in Shakespeare's comedies. The two couples are Benedick and Beatrice, an unpredicted match as they appear to be quite the opposite and are forever arguing in their poetic banter. The other couple is Claudio and Hero, the two who seem madly in love yet Claudio's untrusting and naive side takes power at one stage, in which the couple's relationship seems destined to be doomed. The two characters of Benedick and Claudio are very
Love like Other “When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” This quote represents Hero’s and Claudio’s love story. Gnash once said, “I hate you I love you,” the love quote which embodies the relation between Beatrice and Benedick. In Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, Beatrice and Benedick have the most realistic love relationship, unlike Claudio and Hero because when people begin to have feelings for someone they're usually uncertain about their feelings; not only do they try to push that person away, but they put on a mask to try and not make it obvious. Benedick and Beatrice are the most realistic couple primary because they are always arguing.
Through rich imagery and a comic context Shakespeare uses characters to explore his ideas about love and marriage, using relationships to show the trials of love. In his play Shakespeare makes Beatrice and Benedick the critics of love and through them the modern audience is shown how Elizabethan society maltreats the female role and how the male code of honour and pride can lead to devastation.
The fact that he is going against his reputation, which includes his vow never to marry, leads us to think that we need to overcome our own pride before we are able to be worthy of another person’s love and loyalty. Contrasting to the internal conflict of Benedick, when he learns Beatrice loves him, he immediately says, “Love me? Why, it must be requited.” The audience 's reaction from this seems that Benedick may have experienced internal conflict when they argued as he had feelings for her. Another intrusion of internal conflict Benedick faces, is with his good friend Claudio. Benedick and Claudio are close friends with their mutual reliance forged in war. However, tension begins to rise when Benedick is torn between his love for Beatrice and his friendship with Claudio, but Beatrice wins. Shakespeare does this to further develop the significance of love and how it can overrule friendship. Claudio is good friends with Benedick, yet Benedick is willing to sacrifice his long term relationship with Claudio for his lover, Beatrice. This is shown through, “Enough, I am engaged. I will challenge him”. Benedick is willing to challenge Claudio to satisfy Beatrice. From this, the audience is kept engaged with the text and Benedick as a character. He has shown to continuously change his motives as in the beginning, he wished not to marry, yet now he does. Ultimately, his external and internal conflict amplified tension that the audience experienced,
Benedick’s attitude to love & marriage in ‘‘Much Ado About Nothing’’ In the play ‘‘Much Ado About Nothing’’ by William Shakespeare, the character of Benedick shows mixed emotions towards loves and marriage throughout. In the two extracts we studied, Benedick shows a large contrast of opinions: In Act 1 Scene 1, Benedick portrays strong feelings of contempt towards love and marriage, whereas by Act 2 Scene 3, Benedick has completely changed his views and he is prepared to make the commitment and marry Beatrice, a woman he appeared to dislike in the beginning of the play and who seemed to have mutual feelings towards Benedick. Act 1 Scene 1 portrays that Benedick has a very negative attitude towards love and marriage. When conversing with
In the play of Much Ado About Nothing, the characters of Benedick and Beatrice have a love-hate relationship. On the surface, it appears that their relationship is built on a war of wits and insults. However, in Benedick’s soliloquy, the reader discovers that at the core of their insults actually lie the true feelings of love. It is also apparent that Benedick even sees loving each other as a competition, in that he wants to love her to a point of outdoing her love for him. Not only is Benedick constantly warring with Beatrice, but he is also undergoing an internal struggle, which is made quite apparent in Benedick’s soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 3.
In many of Shakespeare's plays, there is a theme of love and quite often marriage. This may lead one to the question of whether the great William Shakespeare effectively or ineffectively uses and depicts said theme. One can be lead to believe that he, indeed, does effectively depict and employ the theme of love and marriage by examining this theme in both Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet.
'No; and he were, I would burn my study' she indicates that she has a
I will show how love and marriage is viewed in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The Elizabethan views on love and marriage are different. Some of these ideas are reflected in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Romantic relationships make up a big part of the play. There are several themes that deserve to be explored, in more detail.
The fact that Benedick has feelings for Beatrice becomes clearer as the play progresses, despite his assertions to Claudio that he is 'a professed tyrant to their sex'. Benedick keeps this point of view while speaking to Don Pedro, making quite clear that he will never marry: