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Comparing and contrasting characters in shakespeare
Shakespeare in Love Analysis
Literary analysis of shakespeare
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Much Ado About Nothing is a play about the drama and misunderstandings of love between the young people of Messina, Italy. The deviousness of Don Jon and his comrades results in the possible destruction of a marriage.Throughout the play you can find many character foils such as Don Pedro and Don Jon, Claudio and Benedick, and quite a few others. However, Hero and Beatrice is the most distinct pair; they nearly polar opposites, In the play Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, Hero and Beatrice are character foils of each other because of their differing feelings, personality and responses to others, and experience and views on love.
First of all, there is their contradicting feelings towards people, specifically men. At the very
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However, the explanation on this reason is not as crystal clear as one might think. Throughout the play it's portrayed as if Hero believes in true love, while Beatrice doesn't. This is not the case. Once Leonato hears about the prince wanting to marry hero he says to her, “daughter, remember what I told you: if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer.” He doesn't give her much of a choice and Hero just does as she is told. Instead of trying to himself, Claudio has Don Pedro win her over for him. In the conversation Hero had with Leonato, Beatrice tells Hero, if she doesn’t like the guy she's with, that she should “make another curtsy and say 'Father, as it please me.’” Beatrice realizes that she shouldn't just be with someone because she is told to. Their relationship is based on mutual respect, trust, and communication. They don’t always get along, but they can of looking past each other’s faults to see the love that is buried deeply between them. Whereas, between Claudio and hero, there isn’t much communication at all. Their relationship seems very superficial and forced. They like the idea of being in love with each other. However, their relationship is almost ended just because they can’t communicate and trust each
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
Nevertheless, Claudio and Hero’s differences in the play it stirs up the plot and conflict, but it is their similarities and strong willed love that draws them together in the
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
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.
When Benedick hears that Claudio has fallen in love for Hero, he is enraged. He thought that Claudio would live a bachelor’s life like him. Benedick tells him that men who are in love are not masculine. Near the end of Act IV, Benedick’s complete change is evident when Benedick chooses love over friendship. Benedick challenges Claudio, previously his closest friend in the world, to duel to the death over Claudio’s accusation as to Hero’s unethical behavior. After Beatrice complains to him about Claudio’s mistake, Benedick gives in, “Enough, I am engaged. I will challenge him.” At this point, there is no doubt that Benedick has switched his allegiances entirely over to Beatrice. But then again, Benedick was relieved that Hero was proved guilty so he would not have to fight his close friend Claudio.
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...
That all changed when family and friends helped them both realized they have always been in love with one another. As for Claudio and Hero they are a couple who see eye to eye knowing they are perfect for one another. Even though they had an antagonist that did not want to see them happily married such as Don John, they were able to let it pass and end up happily
When he arrives in Messina with the Army he sees hero and falls in love with her instantly. He plans to make hero fall in love with him and marry her. In the play he convinces Don Pedro to woo hero in his name at the Masquerade Ball. At the end of the ball Claudio and Don Pedro’s plan works and Claudio plans on marrying Hero. Claudio himself says that “Would it even be possible to buy a jewel as fare and precious as hero.” He says this when he is talking with Benedick about Hero when he first sees her. This shows the influence of Don Pedro’s actions on Claudio. Alongside Don Pedro and Leonato, Claudio helps them try to convince Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him. They enter the orchid when Benedick is there and they tell lies about Beatrice in order to convince him of her love. Claudio says that “Once the music has ended, we’ll give him more than he bargained for.” This quote shows that when the music ends they will put the plans into action and fool Benedick. However later on in the play Don John brings Claudio and Don Pedro with him to try to ruin Claudio’s marriage. He has one of his friends Borachio sleep with Margret in the name of hero so it looks like Claudio will be cuckolded if he marries Hero. Therefore, Claudio
... is insensitive, but he says, “For this I owe you…which is the lady I must seize upon” (5.4.98). It can be seen here that he is not excited, but must do it for his life. The true excitement of this arrangement is when he finally has the opportunity to see the face of the girl he must wed and exclaims, “Another Hero!” (5.4.98). It can be said that it took the death of Hero to awaken inside Claudio the man he was meant to be.
Hero and Claudio represent the Elizabethan norm in marriage. Claudio is the shrewd, hardheaded fortune hunter and Hero is the modest maiden of conduct books and marriage manuals, a docile young woman. It is important to note that Claudio is more concerned with advancement in Don Pedro's army than he is with love. Therefore, Shakespeare illustrates to the reader through the near tragedy of mistaken identity that Claudio must learn that marriage is more than a business arrangement and become worthy of Hero's love and affection. Source: Ranald, Margaret Loftus. "As Marriage Binds, and Blood Breaks: English Marriage and Shakespeare". Shakespeare Quarterly. Vol 30, 1979: 68-81.
...he other hand, Beatrice and Benedick are comedy-makers and Beatrice is not ruled by her father as Hero clearly is. It does take Don Pedro’s benevolent plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together, however. A modern audience would prefer Beatrice to Hero as she is her own self and admirable. The relationships also differ because Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship slowly grew whereas Claudio and Hero’s relationship was love at first sight. Perhaps it was a little hasty as we see in Act 4 how their love turns sour.
In the play Claudio and Hero are the two main characters as well as the main plot of the play. They are a younger couple because of the immaturity that Claudio presents. Claudio in the play is very posseive, gullible, and insecure because he doesn’t want to be cuckold by Hero. Claudio talks very much like a lover to Hero. For example when he is talking to Benedick about Hero he states “In mine eyes she is sweetest lady that ever looked on” (Shakespeare 61). Claudio is saying that Hero is one of the sweetest lady he has ever laid eyes on. Another quote is “I would scarce trust myself, though I had sworn the contrary, if Hero would be my wife” (Shakespeare 61). Here Claudio is saying that if he had ever sworn never to marry, he would break his promise to himself if Hero
Despite these seemingly polar opposite characters of Beatrice and Hero they have similarities as well. Both characters show their devotion and love to not only their family but to their husbands as well. Beatrice shows her love in the form of a promise to Benedick, Whereas Hero shows her love in the form of not leaving after Claudio left her, both characters show traits of dependability devotion and love.
In conclusion, Hero and Claudio are the same because they both want to get married and they both love each
Claudio cannot come out and just say that he has feelings for Hero, he has to seek approval from his male counterparts first. While talking to both Benedick and Don Pedro, Claudio describes his feelings as passion first (I.i.219-220), and then he says, “That I love her, I feel” (I.i.228), indicating that he knows he feels something for Hero, but he is unsure of exactly what his feelings mean.... ... middle of paper ... ...