Claudio and Hero's Relationship vs. Beatrice and Benedick's

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Claudio and Hero's Relationship vs. Beatrice and Benedick's

The main topic of discussion is based around the relationships of

Claudio and Hero and how their relationship differs from Beatrice’s

and Benedick’s. The idea of marriage is an important factor. In

Shakespeares time marriage was seen as an obligation and your wife

would be ‘chosen’ for you. The decision making was made by the men. It

was a very patriarchal society.

Beatrice is a prime example of one of Shakespeare’s strong characters.

She refuses to marry because she has not found the perfect equal

partner and is unwilling to eschew her liberty to the will of a

controlling husband. In her frustration and rage about Hero’s

mistreatment, Beatrice rebels against the unequal status of women in

Renaissance society. “O that I were a man for his sake! Or that I had

any friend would be a man for my sake!” she passionately exclaims. “I

cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with

grieving”. Beatrice relates to women in a modern society because of

her attitude towards society’s norms at that time.

Benedick is the wilful lord who vows never to marry. He engages with

Beatrice in a competition to outwit and outsmart each other, but to

his observant friends he seems to feel some deeper emotions below the

surface.

Beatrice and Benedick have a more modern idea of a relationship. In

Shakespeare’s time the idea of marriage was very different from today.

Women had no freedom to marry for love, whereas today women have a lot

more freedom and power to make their own choices.

Love and marriage are the two most striking ideas in Much Ado About

Nothing. The play ends with the union between a fair young woman and a

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