Much Ado About Nothing Character Foil Essay

427 Words1 Page

The Dynamic Duo of Character Foils Much ado about nothing (a book written by William Shakespeare) is full of character foils but there’s one that stand out the most (the character foil being Hero and Beatrice)! Much ado about nothing is about love and drama and is based in the Elizabethan era , it takes place in Messina, Italy when the soldiers come back from war to find love, but when it's all fine and peaceful it gets complicated by somebody’s diabolical scheme. Hero and Beatrice are opposites since their traits are very different, Hero being polite and Beatrice being sassy. In the context of Hero being polite, Claudio is presenting his love for hero to his friend benedick. While here beatrice is complaining about benedick about how he is acting like a dummy. In the book the following that was said before is quoted (Hero) …show more content…

However they can also have different traits too. Hero and Beatrice are alike since they show the same character trait which is forgiving. Hero forgives Claudio for what he did during their first marriage and Beatrice forgives Benedick by writing him a love letter, the textual evidence is provided. Hero states “And here’s another poem, stating her adoration for Benedick” 235 pg ”I was your other wife and when you loved me you were my other husband”233 pg. Beatrice’s letter of adoration for Benedick, and Hero’s love for Claudio leads them to forgive the men that were meant for them. So the way Hero and Beatrice are alike they impact the story by showing that they aren't just the complete opposite of eachother, they can also act and be the same. To restate, In Much Ado about Nothing character Beatrice serves as a character foil of hero by which Hero’s quietness is illuminated by Beatrice’s sassiness; thus, continually influencing the plot. So all in all Beatrice and Hero have similarities and differences but in conclusion they are the best character foils in Much ado about nothing. Even though there are other

Show More
Related

  • Much Ado About Nothing: Beatrice Potrayal

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare represents Beatrice as a very feisty, cynical and sharp woman during the play. We can especially see this when she uses her wit to shock the messenger saying, in act one scene one, that ‘he is no less than a stuffed man.’ This is exceedingly disrespectful to fashion such a rude comment about a man who is just about to arrive back from war. One thing Shakespeare clearly shows us is that Beatrice would not be the ideal woman for most men. To emphasize this he contrasts Beatrice with a weak and quiet character such as Hero who acts upon every mans instruction, we can see this when Beatrice says to Leonato that its her ‘cousins duty’ to say ‘father as it please you.’ Shakespeare makes such a clear contrast between the two women to the extent that Beatrice steals most of Hero’s attention from the other male characters in the play. Furthermore he shows us how Beatrice is perhaps a threat to the patriarchal society at the time, we can see this on page fifty-nine where she implys that it is her duty to please herself, whether or not her father consents. This is unlike Hero, who cannot do anything unless a man is fighting her corner, however Beatrice is willing to

    Read More

  • Theme Of Deception In Much Ado About Nothing

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    The difference between Beatrice,Benedick,and the other two Claudio and Hero though is that, these two are very headstrong characters with a different outlook on love, but have very much love for one another. Benedick believes in just being a bachelor and spending the rest of his life messing with as many women as he pleases, well as for Beatrice she believes there is no man good enough and willing to show her the love she wants so she much rather be left alone. But the fact that they honestly want to believe what they say is what makes this get way more interesting. What they don’t know is that they are going to soon become curious trying to figure out what they truly feel for one

    Read More

  • Much Ado About Nothing

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s introduction of the other couple in question is in stark contrast to the way in which Beatrice and Benedick were introduced. Claudio and Hero are amorously receptive to one and other from the very start. Upon laying eyes on Hero, Claudio remarks of her to Benedict “is she not a modest young lady?” (1.1.125). Clearly, by having Claudio express his fondness of Hero to Benedick, the playwright directly compares the older and more cynical to the more young and naive, allowing the reader to see the contrasting personas of the two men. This is reinforced by Benedick, who after finishing listening to Claudio’s rhetoric on the charms of the young Hero (“in m...

    Read More

  • The Violence of Language in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Set in the sixteenth century, Much Ado About Nothing is revolved around the thought of love and marriage. Primarily, this is prevalent in the two main characters, Beatrice and Benedick. They have once been courted which suggests more maturity than the majority of couples in Shakespeare’s various plays. In the duration of the play, the violent language between Benedick and Beatrice is most evident through their ridicule. Both characters always speak critically regardless of whether they are talking to each other or out loud about one another. This is highlighted when Beatrice exclaims, “What should I do with him—dress him in my apparel / and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a / beard is more than / a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a/ man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a/ man, I am not for him...

    Read More

  • Much Ado About Nothing Book Vs Movie

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whedon's production of Much Ado About Nothing is a modern, black and white retelling of the famous Shakespeare play of the same name which tells the story of love and deceit between two couples: Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick. While Hero and Claudio court and prepare to marry each other, Beatrice and Benedick steal the show away with their wit, humor, and constant bickering. Though they both insist that they hate each other, the flashback presented at the start of the film suggests that there is far more to the story than meets the eye. While the style of the film certainly enhances the story being told, making it a timeless classic entangled with modern society, it is the ensemble cast that work both individually and as a unit which make the film a true masterpiece, as well as the genius idea of a change in scenery that propels a sense of realism not often found in your average Shakespeare adaptation.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Beatrice and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing

    435 Words  | 1 Pages

    Beatrice is the ever-witty Lady Disdain, outspoken and opinionated niece of Leonato. She and Benedick are involved in a "merry sort of war". Always ragging on each other in a sort of easy going way, but never the less hurting each other's feelings. Both are cynical about Love. Beatrice is described by her uncle to mock all of her wooers out of suite.

    Read More

  • Free Much Ado About Nothing Essays: Schemes and Tricks

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    The plot of Much Ado About Nothing is an elaborate network of schemes and tricks. This statement is confirmed throughout Much Ado About Nothing. The play contains many examples of tricks and schemes that are used to manipulate the thoughts and feelings of characters. The major examples of such manipulation include- Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato tricking Benedick into believing that Beatrice loves him, Hero and Ursula trick Beatrice into thinking Benedick is in love with her. The relationship between Claudio and Hero also endures much manipulation. For instance Don John and Borachio trick Claudio and the Prince into believing Hero is unfaithful. As in the tradition of Shakespeare, the Friar deceives everybody into thinking Hero is dead. An instance of trickery involves Benedick being manipulated to believe Beatrice is in love with him. This trickery is carried out playfully by Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio. They realise Benedick's stubbornness in Act II Scene iii, when he states "man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to love." Due to this stubbornness Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio must devise a way of attaining the love amid Benedick and Beatrice. In Act II Scene iii the men accomplish this by way of waiting for Benedick to be within ears reach, then raising the topic of Leonato's niece Beatrice. Don Pedro’s reference about "your niece Beatrice was in love with Signor Benedick." helps to accomplish such manipulation. This scheme is completed when this is overheard by Benedick, and due to his insecurity about love he falls for their trick, thus loving Beatrice. Another example of manipulation that is closely related to the one involving Benedick but Beatrice becomes the focus of the scheme. Like Benedick, Beatrice's feelings about love are strong and opposing. When she states "Not till God make men of some other mettle than earth" she assumes that her desired partner does not exist. Hero and Ursula believe that Benedick would make a good husband for Beatrice and as a result of this, they plan a scheme to bring about love between Beatrice and Benedick. Hero and Ursula accomplish their scheme in Act III Scene i. Their scheme is concluded by means of discussing that they have heard that Benedick loves Beatrice greatly. Beatrice overhears this and thinks the combination of her and Benedick’s wit and intelligence would make a successful match. Beatrice displays her free will when making this decision.

    Read More

  • Much Ado About Nothing: Beatrice, Portia and Marriage

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beatrice's courtship with Benedick greatly contrasts with the courtship of Hero and Claudio. Hero gladly and willingly submitted to marriage, and she accepted the role of the relatively powerless woman. In contrast Beatrice chose her submission after openly criticizing the institution of marriage.

    Read More

  • Benedick’s False Love in Much Ado About Nothing

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    Much Ado About Nothing is one of William Shakespeare’s best comedies and love stories.  What is not to like about a play that is hilarious, romantic, and has a happy ending?  In this play the foremost and most intriguing character is Benedick, a man who is a devout bachelor and who does not believe he will ever find the perfect woman; --because perfect is exactly what he must have.  This may seem to be a harsh and pessimistic outlook on life, but the way Shakespeare brings this character to life portrays Benedick as a funny and caring man who really is not that certain about what he wants for the future.  Benedick’s counterpart in the play is Beatrice who is an independent woman with a quick tongue.  Benedick and Beatrice despise and cannot stand each other because it is seemingly impossible for them to have a conversation without arguing and angering each other.  The two of them provide some of the more amusing scenes of the play with their word play and mocking of each other.  In reality though, they have much in common that they have yet to realize.  Both of them despise marriage, are witty, and are each their own persons.  These however are not the reasons why they come together.  They are brought together by their respective companions who conspire to tell each of them that the one loves the other as the two misdirected lovers listen in.  In his speech directly after this, Benedick is swayed to a life that he previously would have avoided at all costs.  In hearing of Beatrice’s supposed affection he immediately changes his entire outlook on perpetual bachelorhood and pronounces a love that is not real or his own, but comes secondhand from trickery.

    Read More

  • Differences between Beatrice and Hero in Much Ado about Nothing

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ has two main female characters, Beatrice and Hero, who are cousins. Both appear to be completely different in the beginning of the play but, as things progress and their characters develop, there are also some very obvious similarities between them. Hero and Beatrice have a very close relationship; they are best friends. Leonato is Hero’s father but Beatrice has no parents, which gives her greater freedom. Where Hero is polite, quiet, respectful and gentle, Beatrice is feisty, cynical, witty, and sharp.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beatrice is, without a doubt, one of the strongest female characters that Shakespeare ever came up with in his time of writing. Shakespeare shows, through Beatrice, how every woman should act in an era where only the men were even able to have control. In this era, or the renaissance time, no woman had free will; they were always told what they could and could not do, as well as, who they were to marry. In the play “Much Ado About Nothing” Beatrice has many qualities but the ones that stand out the most in the play are: her independence, her feistiness, and of course her openness to defy male subjection.

    Read More

  • Much Ado about “Noting”

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Eyes in Much Ado are not what one sees with, but what one sees through-the filters that lead characters to see people in particular, conventionalized ways,” (Myhill). We can see this take action in such characters like Hero. Hero is portrayed as the dutiful daughter, quite, modest, and obedient to her father’s will; she is the perfect picture of the conventional Messina women. Beatrice points this out when describing her cousin she states: “Yes, faith; it is my cousin’s duty to make curtsy, and say, ’Father, as it pleas...

    Read More

  • Deciet and Trickery in Shakespeare´s Much Ado About Nothing

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    A central theme in Much Ado About Nothing is deceit and trickery. This theme is also what moves the plot of the play along. While deceit is usually viewed as bad, in the case of Beatrice and Benedick it was a good thing that helped them discover their love for each other. For Hero and Claudio, deceit almost tore their relationship apart, however, it also brought them back together in the end. If deceit and trickery was not in Much Ado About Nothing, the play would definitely be different.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Much Ado About Nothing

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...o asks Hero about Claudio she responds with: "So you walk softly, and look sweetly, and say nothing, I am yours for the walk, and especially when I walk away." (2.1.81-83). Beatrice is what a woman should be. A more modern view of feminism would have had Beatrice not only make her own decisions but follow through with them on her own. While Much Ado About Nothing seemingly questions the traditional gender roles of men and women in Messina through Beatrice's resistance to them, at the same time, the play decidedly ends Benedick saying, "Peace! I will stop your mouth" (5.4.96), silencing Beatrice with a kiss. Still, it cannot be denied that Beatrice, for a time, equates herself with men and the power they hold. Unfortunately, she gives in to love and in so doing, she relinquishes her independence and self-control in the male-dominated world of Much Ado About Nothing.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Love In Much Ado About Nothing

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the play Beatrice and Benadick are constantly insulting eachother. However, they eventually both confess their love for eachother. Beatrice says “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest” (4.1.279-280). The fact that they took s long to confess their love shows us that their love is more genuine. It also shows that they are slightly scared of love especially since earlier in the play Benadick talked about how he never wanted to marry (1.1) The other main couple in the play is Claudio and Hero. This type of romantic love is very different to that of Beatrice and Beanadick. After Heros chastity is once again confirmed Claudio says “Sweet Hero, how thy image doth appear in the rare sepalane that I loved it first” (5.1.262-263). This shows that Claudio’s love for Hero may not be as genuine as we first thought as he did not love her while he thought that she was unfaithful. This is how romantic love teaches us about the characters in ‘Much Ado About

    Read More

More about Much Ado About Nothing Character Foil Essay

Open Document