Much Ado About Nothing By Masashimoto

Like Ruth, Beatrice was hurt by someone who she thought she could trust but was proven wrong. When talking to the Messenger in Act 1 she learns that Claudio “[has] caught the Benedick, [and that] it will cost [Claudio] a thousand pounds [to] be cured” (Shakespeare, 1.1.74-75). Although Beatrice is talking about what Claudio has gotten himself into it sounds as if she is talking from experience and that she too had been “caught” by Benedick and fallen in love with him only to be thrown to the side as he does with his partners and friends. Beatrice is very on edge when she is talking with Benedick when he comes into the scene at this point of the play, being very rude and snarky toward him with good reason. Later in the play Benedick does redeem himself and he and Beatrice end up falling in love, sadly there is no happy ending for Ruth and her father; Ruth does not make up with her father nor does she forgive him for what he did and he ends up shunning her from the family when she does find love with someone who cares for her.

On the other hand Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship is different; their relationship is not superficial but deeply rooted within them. They enjoy insulting each other as Benedick says to her ‘what my lady disdain! Are you yet living?’

Now Beatrice had tested the limited of the Benedick for his love and loyal for

In Act II, Benedick and Beatrice attend a masquerade party thrown by Leonato to celebrate the return of the soldiers from battle. Here the two find themselves alone with each other, both pretending to not know the identity of the other. Engaged in conversation, Benedick takes the opportunity to enquire about Beatrice’s thoughts on him in which Beatrice calls him “the Prince’s jester” (2.1.122). Unaware of Beatrice’s knowledge of his identity, Benedick is hurt by her words but is unable to express how he feels to Beatrice herself. However, Benedick does show improvement from the beginning of the play.

The result of the tricking scene and the way that they are so easily duped creates humour because they now seem desperately in love with each other 'Benedick love on. I will requite thee'. As a modern audience we feel satisfied at this union. Kenneth Branagh creates unity between Beatrice and Benedick with a montage. When Benedick is in the fountain splashing and laughing and Beatrice is on the swing smiling. These scenes make the audience smile and anticipate the positive ending.

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,

Beatrice begins in the comedy as an outstanding example of a sharp-witted female. She is candidly funny, and brutally honest. She calls people as she sees them, though it might be offensive to those she chooses to observe. For instance, when she spars with Benedick, she hits him exactly where she knows it will hurt - his large ego. "Why, he is the Prince's jester, a very dull fool," (II, i, 130-131) she says of Benedick, to his face. In this statement, she is mocking his ability at verbal sparring, as well as turning his own intelligence into an amusement for the Prince, and whomever may be an audience for it at the time. Later in the play, however, Beatrice's intelligence is lessened greatly. Her character is made into that of the stereotype of an Elizabethan woman: easily gulled, and quick to fall in love. When she hears the planned conversation between Hero and Ursula, she immediately changes her entire thinking of Benedick. Soon she even believes that she loves him, in return for the sentiments she was made to believe he shared. This transition from sharp wit to the type of gossip that believes every bit of hearsay is difficult to believe in any character, even a Shakespearean one. When Beatrice finally succumbs to this "love" for Benedick, and betrays her own convictions against marriage, the metamorphosis is complete. Only the shell of a once potentially brilliant

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

Claudio is helping his friends lie about how Beatrice loves Claudio. So Benedick falls in love with her, this plan works and he says, “Love me! Why, it must be required. ”(2.3). Through deception, Claudio and Don Pedro brought Benedick closer to Beatrice.

He continues with another soliloquy after he overhears the news of Beatrice’s feelings. The differences in the tone and attitude of the two soliloquies gives perfect insight to his capricious state of mind. This is comical because immediately before he overhears the three men speaking, he demeans men who fall in love so quickly and foolishly. He scorns at how one man, after “seeing how much another man is a fool when he/ dedicates his behaviors to love, will, after he hath/ laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the/ argument of his own scorn by falling in love” (II.iii.8-11). This becomes ironic just moments later in the play when Benedick becomes the very thing he describes in his speech. Shakespeare included this soliloquy to exemplify Benedick’s indecisive nature, and to show great insight to his internal struggle.

In the play, Much Ado About Nothing, the prospective couple is Beatrice and Benedict. Their relationship begins as merciless fighting and teasing between both characters, also known as “the war of wits”. Shakespeare made sure to make this type of relationship prominent and important in the beginning of the play since Beatrice’s first words towards Benedick were, “I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick. Nobody marks you.” (1.1.92-94). Being around Claudio, a good friend of Benedick’s, and Hero, Beatrice’s cousin, makes life for Beatrice and Benedick a bit difficult. Both Beatrice and Benedick witness as Claudio and Hero’s love story unfolds in a series of romantic events. This seems to put strain on their own relationship because they are so closely involved with both Claudio and Hero. In a series of events

The love of Benedick and Beatrice is built on a weak foundation. In act four scene one, Beatrice and Benedick talk and they say, “Come, bid me do anything for thee./Kill Claudio./Ha! Not for the wide world./...I am gone though I am here. There is not love in you- Nay, I pray you, let me go.” In this scene, Beatrice says to Benedick that if he really loves her, he will kill Claudio because he hurt her cousin Hero. When Benedick refuses, Beatrice says that he didn't love her and that she doesn't love him.

All throughout the beginning of the play, both Beatrice and Benedick use sarcasm and hide their true feelings for each other, which is the first example of tricky in their relationship. Both of them have vowed never to marry anyone; Benedick stating: "Because I will not do them the wrong to mistrust any, 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." (1.1.232–35), while Beatrice says, "No, uncle, I'll none. Adam's sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kindred." (2.1.59–60.) Their friends see that they are the perfect match for one another, and plan to trick them into confessing their love for each other. When Benedick is in the orchard, he overhears Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato talking about how Beatrice is in love with him but is afraid he will mock her if she tells him. Benedick believes them, saying, "This can be no trick." (2.3.217.) He then goes on to say, "I will be horribly in love with her." (2.3.230–31.) Later, Beatrice hears Hero and Ursula talking about how they can't tell her that Benedick loves her because she is a scornful person. After Hero and Ursula leave, Beatrice states:

Beatrice and Benedick are interesting due to Shakespeare’s use of language. Confusion is created as to whether they love or hate each other owing to their snide comments, such as Beatrice’s response “A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours” (1.1.104), notably continuing the reference to animals, after Benedick

Throughout the play, Benedick's relationship with Beatrice is an important mark of his character. In the first scene