Benedick's Changing Character in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
During the play "Much Ado About Nothing", Benedick's character changes
dramatically towards certain aspects of life, namely in his attitude
towards women and love. At the beginning of the play Benedick is
portrayed as an experienced soldier and a knowledgeable scholar but
with little interest in women, love, and marriage; a partly formed
Renaissance man. His friends were mainly his army colleagues those
whom, he had fought alongside when at war. However, as the play
progresses, we see him become easily influenced by others and his
attitude towards life change, thus displaying his 'giddy' character.
In the first scenes of this play, Benedick and Beatrice seem to have
formed an instant hatred for one another; Beatrice seems to know of
Benedick before he even arrives in Messina. Beatrice warns Messina
about Benedick, so when Benedick arrives in Messina, everybody has an
idea of what Beatrice thinks he is like, so they do not have very high
opinions of him. We notice as the first few scenes take place that
there is a large amount of witty repartee going on between them.
"And a good soldier to a lady, but what is he for a lord?" Beatrice
says this even before Benedick has arrived; giving the impression that
he sleeps around with various different women, and he will not commit
to anybody. This shows his lack of maturity. As Benedick arrives in
Messina, Beatrice's response to him is one full of witty repartee and
mocking, however they do not seem to take the comments made by each
other to heart, and it appears more as a joke. It becomes apparent
later on in t...
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...essina, Benedick refuses to take part in these
actions of ridicule. He has become more sociable and civilized and the
Messina has noticed that he has matured a lot through the play. He has
become more of a gentleman and thinks about others before himself. He
doesn't want anybody to miss out on the happiness that he has worked
hard for with Beatrice and tries to get Don Pedro to get married.
"Prince, thou art sad, get thee a wife"
He is now so happy with Beatrice and even though they were tricked
into liking each other they notice how much they like each other. This
is a completely different Benedick than at the start of the play, who
despised marriage, and said that to get married is the last thing he
wanted to do in his life, no-one would have guessed as the play came
to an end, and that Benedick would be married.
William Shakespeare’s writing reflected and at times emphasized the gender oriented stereotypical roles and responsibilities of the English Renaissance. However, many Shakespearean characters including Benedick and Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing challenged the standard image and characteristics of men and women.
The 3 deliberately have a conversation about Beatrice love and affection for Benedick, causing him to question whether or not what is being said is true or not. As Leonato starts to speak, he says… By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell him what to think of it, but that she loves him with enraged affection, it is past the infinite of thought. (3.4.107-110). Typically saying Beatrice love for him is by far more than any man can comprehend by far even withstand having knowledge of. By this time Benedick seems to question whether or not this is credible, but hearing it from Leonato he thinks it has to be true because he has never spoken any words other than the
Benedick’s attitude towards love is that he does not love anyone and that it is a stupid idea to fall in love with someone. Then he further explains himself in, “Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none” (Act 1, scene 1, lines 122-125). In this quote Benedick says that the woman’s courtesy is a traitor and that all ladies love him, except for Beatrice. He also states that it is too bad that he is so hard-hearted, because he really doesn’t love anyone. Beatrice’s attitude towards love is that she does not want to be married to a man that swears to love her, because she finds that very stupid. She then further explains herself by stating in, “A dear happiness to women. They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank god and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me” (Act 1, scene 1, lines 126-130). In this quote Beatrice is saying that Benedick would make a nasty suitor for women and that they both feel the same way about love. She also states that she would rather hear her dog bark at a crow than hear a man say that he loves her. And I find their courtship more appealing
The possibility of water and fire being equal to each other is nearly impossible, but it’s not. In, “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, a man, Benedick, and a woman, Beatrice, had a love hate relationship. This caused tension in the play. In the beginning, they couldn’t stand each other, but by the end, they loved each other.
How Shakespeare Presents the Character of Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing and How Interpretations of His Character Can Vary
The Transformation of Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing. In "Much Ado About Nothing" Shakespeare manages to transform Benedict. from being a bachelor to being in love with Beatrice. Shakespeare does extremely well to make this change of character seem believable as it such a big one.
Beatrice is a woman who is very witty and does not believe that a husband is the right life path for her. She and Benedick argue with each other about marriage. To validate her point Beatrice says, “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me” (I.i.129). This shows that Beatrice is outspoken because she is saying that she would rather hear a dog bark over and over again and be annoyed at a crow than hear “a man swear he loves” her. Beatrice is not fitting the standards because she is very independent and does not feel like she needs a mad to be happy. As the story progresses, Beatrice disobeys traditional society by saying she doesn’t need a man and that she would publicly attack someone like a man. As Claudio publicly humiliates Hero, Beatrice is furious and says, "O, that I were a man! What, bear her in hand until they come to take hands, and then, with public accusations, undercover slander, unmitigated rancor- O god, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the marketplace” (IV.i.317). Beatrice is saying that if she were a man, she would fight. She would kill him with “slander” and “rancor” if she were a “man”. Beatrice would violently “eat his heart in the marketplace” Beatrice wants to hurt Claudio and it angers her that as a woman, she can not defend her cousin for what Claudio did. This defies the gender expectation of a Renaissance woman because as
Beatrice and Benedick show their apparent distaste for each other right from the first scene. Beatrice mocks Benedick to the Governor of Messina, claiming that she always beats him in a battle of wits and the last time they crossed paths Benedict’s “five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed by one” (1,1,50). Clearly relishing resuming their ‘merry war’, Beatrice cuts Benedick down at the first opportunity, telling him “I wonder that you still will be talking, Signor Benedick, nobody marks you” (1,1,105). Incredulously, Benedick retorts, “what my dear lady distain! Are you yet living?” (1,1,95). So, the dynamic of the two is set and it goes on from there in the same vein. Yet, the reader, even at this early stage may ponder if the lady doth protest too much.
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.
Viola and Beatrice both take on men's roles, Viola that of a manservant and Beatrice that of the perpetual bachelor and the clown: "I was born to speak all mirth and no matter," she says to Don Pedro [II.i.343-4]. They appear to be actors and manipulators, much more so than their female predecessors, who are mostly reactive and manipulated, such as Hermia, Helena, Titania, and Gertrude. None of these women seemed in charge of her own destiny, but tricked by the schemes of men and later scorned or humiliated as a result of male machinations. Viola and Beatrice, although they both seem fiercely independent and comfortable in a man's world, reveal themselves to have only the trappings of manhood, and not its full capacity for action. They are undone by unrequited love, made desperately unhappy by their inability to woo the man of their choosing. In the end, it is only coincidence and the plotting of other characters that bring the true nature of their affections into the open and thus force the plays to their respective matrimonial conclusions.
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.
...God's creature, and craves love as its daily food" (Hawthorne 625). If she is evil, it is only because she was made that way. Her heart is pure. So in the end, the beautiful and innocent Beatrice is betrayed by the man she loved, Giovanni. For Giovanni betrays Beatrice because he thought she was evil, and truly Beatrice is the one who demonstrates to have true love. Beatrice proves to be very human, but with a poisonous body and a loving soul.
Throughout Act one and two, Benedick repeatedly says that he will never love a woman or get married. At some stage in the duration of the play his mindset changes. In the end he is head over heels in love for Beatrice whom he once quarreled with habitually. The turnabout in his behavior was brought about by the deceiving Claudio and Pedro who indirectly told Benedick that Beatrice loved him.
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
This is part of her “merry war” with Benedick. Beatrice appears to loathe Benedick and vice versa; they engage in many “skirmishes of wit.” However, although Beatrice appears hardened and sharp, she is vu...