Beatrice In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

In Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, written in the early 15th century, the relationships between Benedick and Beatrice and Hero and Claudio are the key to the play and create a lot of tension and comedy. The two relationships are interesting in different ways, and this essay will explore this in terms of the language used, the plot, characterisation and how the two relationships stand thematically.

Beatrice is also very sociable with other people and seems to be a shrew just when talking about Benedick and other males. Not unlike Katharina, who was told she would marry Petruchio (2.I.260-268),  Beatrice does not consent to marry Benedick directly.  Beatrice has to be entrapped with the love sonnets that Hero stole from her pocket (5.IV.88-90).  Even at the conclusion of the play, it seems as though Beatrice will not change her attitudes, just her status as an unmarried woman.

sons are my brethren, and, truly, I hold it a sin to match a kindred"

the rest of his life rather than marry a woman. Beatrice in a way is

In the book The Color of Water by James McBride and the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare are two independent women who have been hurt in their lifetime by someone close to them. They both play major roles in their respective works, Ruth McBride is the mother of James McBride who is the author of The Color of Water and Beatrice is the cousin of Hero is the main female role in Much Ado About Nothing. They are both smart and resourceful as shown in both stories but also pained by events of their past. Ruth is a single mother who's a widow of two men and takes care twelve children on her own. Beatrice is a sharp tongued young lady who is seen as one of Shakespeare's strongest female characters, she is caring and

In Shakespeare’s comedic play “Much Ado about Nothing” there are many unique characters but the character Beatrice sticks out for many reasons. Beatrice is not like the other characters in “Much Ado about Nothing.” She “rebels” against the idea of conformity and humility that was prevalent during that time period for women; therefore, she fit the archetype of

Differences between Beatrice and Hero in the early scenes of Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’

Beatrice and Benedick, however, in much contrast to Hero and Claudio are the ideal couple who are both equal in the relationship. Beatrice is an opinionated and stubborn woman who will have no one if she doesn't have the one she wants, which she makes clear throughout the play by refusing to marry lightly and by the conversation in Act One between her and Pedro. She chooses

Shakespeare couldn’t have picked a better character to add to his play. Beatrice, with her quick wit and humor, is easily the spotlight stealer in Much Ado about Nothing. She possesses many great qualities that the other characters lack and ultimately gets the story going and captures the audience’s attention.

She throws away her old self, stating "Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!"(3.1.109). She also choses not to be so protective of her independence and declares love for Benedick, claiming "I will requite thee, Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand"(3.1.111-112). However, the true change in Beatrice does not show until the first church scene in which Claudio publicly humiliates Hero. Beatrice shows deep concern for her cousin Hero, the first time in the play where Beatrice shows concern for another. She is the first to claim Claudio is a liar and declare "on my soul, my cousin is belied!"(4.1.145). Beatrice then proves once again that she is a better person by demanding justice for Hero is met. Through Benedick, Beatrice plots to right the wrong and asks Benedick to "Kill Claudio"(4.1.290). It is in this scene as well that Beatrice, proving a complete turnaround in behavior, confesses to Benedick that "I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest "(4.1.287-288). This shows Beatrice transforming from someone who would scoff at marriage and love, declaring things like "I may sit in a corner and cry heigh-ho for a husband"(2.1.312-313), to someone who easily embraces love from the person she once mocked. But such a dramatic change is seen in her love as well.

By using the intense phrases like ‘I lose more blood’ this could also convey that love is something he knows he may be hurt by. Similarly Beatrice states that no man is good enough for her and then also declares her intentions of remaining bachelor. However Beatrice’s confident chatter can be just a cover of her inner insecurities. She may talk as if she definitely will not marry when really she is afraid of this as her age is rapidly increasing; this is a feeling of desperation. Overall, the similarity between their views and feelings sparks a kind of sweet compatibility between them. This shines through their obstinate attitudes reflecting the idea that a love relationship has the potential to evolve. However, this is also makes the end (where they are indeed in love) more surprising therefore presenting their relationship as quite volatile.

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.

However, upon hearing of Beatrice’s love for him he is suddenly perplexed and it does not take him long to decide that he will give that affection back in return.  How easily persuaded Benedick is.  This may come from the way Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato (Benedick’s associates) depict Beatrice as the most wonderful woman in Messina.  They talk of Beatrice as if she were the most magnificent woman so that Benedick will do exactly what he does indeed do.  When Benedick hears of this he must be thinking of what he has said before about his desire for the perfect woman.  In his speech he says that “the lady is fair . . . / . . . And virtuous. . . / . . . And wise[,]” which is exactly what Benedick demands in the woman that he will choose to be his wife.  However, Benedick only believes these things about Beatrice because of what Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato have said about her.  They only said them to convince Benedick that Beatrice was deserving of him and that she loved him with all her heart.  They told Benedick just what he wanted to hear.  It is a scheme made of lies, but it works because Benedick is persuaded and begins to agree with what they have said.  By doing this he is already influencing himself to follow the opposite path from the one that he has adhered to for years.  Here he is already starting to fool himself into believing Beatrice is the one for him

In the play the audience is also told in so many words that there has

Obviously Beatrice is a strong character to state quite clearly that she does not wish to marry and to stand by that statement (until she the end of the play where she chooses to marry Benedick out of love, which, incidentally, is another quirk about her considering the fact that she is of the upper class and they often married only for political agendas). Though, considering the information presented already, it must also be assumed