Much Ado About Nothing: Love, Hate & A ; Marriage & # 8211 ; An Analytical Essay On The Relationship Of Beatrice & A ; Benedick Essay, Research Paper

Much Ado About Nothing: Love, Hate & A ; Marriage & # 8211 ; An Analytical Essay on the

Relationship of Beatrice & A ; Benedick

In William Shakespeare & # 8217 ; s comedy & # 8220 ; Much Ado About Nothing & # 8221 ; , the characters

Beatrice and Benedick are involved in what could merely be called a & # 8220 ; love/hate & # 8221 ;

relationship. The drama is a authoritative illustration of this type of relationship, and

allows us to see one from the outside looking in. This gives us the opportunity to

analyse the type of relationship that at one clip or another we all have been,

or will be, involved in.

Both Beatrice and Benedick are strong-minded, intelligent characters, who

fright that falling in love will take to a loss of freedom and finally

grief. This causes them to deny their love for each other and it is merely

through the intrigues of other characters in the drama that their true

feelings emerge. When these feelings are eventually acknowledged, both characters

are changed, but the alterations are elusive. They are neither drastic nor

monumental. Both remain who they were earlier, but now they the two are one.

They gain everything and lose nil. Whether or non their love would hold

bloomed without the aid of their friends, we will ne’er cognize.

In the beginning of the drama, Beatrice and Benedick do non look to wish

each other really much, if at all. This can be seen in Act I ; Scene I, ( line 121-

131 ) :

Benedick: God maintain your Ladyship still in that head! so some gentleman

or other shall & # 8217 ; scape a predestinate scratched face.

Beatrice: Scrape could non do it worse, an & # 8217 ; twere such a face as

yours were.

Benedick: Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher.

Beatrice: A bird of my lingua is better than a animal of yours.

BENEDICK: I would my Equus caballus had the velocity of your lingua, and so good a

continuer. But maintain your manner, I & # 8217 ; God & # 8217 ; s name ; I have done.

Beatrice: You ever end with a jade & # 8217 ; s fast one: I know you of old.

Were the reader to judge the relationship between the characters entirely by the

above lines, they would come to the decision that these characters much

disliked, if non hated each other. This is most likely non the instance. In

today & # 8217 ; s universe, with its cognition of psychological science, we are cognizant that this

behavior is most likely a cover-up for other feelings. In fact, many

relationships begin with the parties involved denying attractive force to each other

for assorted grounds. Others may see it, but those involved deny it so

vehemently that it seems to bespeak disfavor, if non existent hatred.

Beatrice & # 8217 ; s sentiment of Benedick is easy to see in the first act, she seems

to strongly dislike him for some ground and does non waver to state all who

will listen. Regardless of her sentiment, we can garner that Benedick is, in

actuality, a nice adult male from the other characters in the drama. An illustration of

this can be seen in Act I ; Scene I, ( lines 31 & A ; 40 ) :

Messenger: Oxygen, he & # 8217 ; s returned ; and every bit pleasant as of all time he was.

Messenger: He hath done good service, lady, in these wars.

The lines of the courier, person who in all chance does non cognize

Benedick really good, take us to believe that he ( Benedick ) is a well-thought-of adult male

who treats others reasonably. That Beatrice says otherwise is strictly an act of

denial on her portion. She sees what she has convinced herself is at that place and that & # 8217 ; s

all there is to it.

At this point in the drama, both Beatrice and Benedick are certain that they

privation to pass their lives unmarried. This is shown by Beatrice in Act II ;

Scene I, ( lines 51-57 ) :

LEONATO: Well, niece, I hope to see you one twenty-four hours fitted with a hubby.

Beatrice: Not till God do work forces of some other metal than Earth. Would

it non sorrow a adult female to be overmastered with a Pierce of valiant dust?

to do an history of her life to a ball of wayward marl? No, uncle,

I & # 8217 ; ll none: Adam & # 8217 ; s boies are my brethren ; and, genuinely, I hold it a wickedness to

lucifer in my kindred. and by Benedick, ( lines 223-230 ) :

Benedick: That a adult female conceived me, I thank her ; that she brought me

up, I likewise give her most low thanks: but that I will hold a

recheat winded in my brow, or hang my bugle in an unseeable baldrick,

all adult females shall excuse me. Because I will non make them the incorrect to

misgiving any, I will make myself the right to swear none ; and the mulct is,

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for the which I may travel the finer, I will populate a unmarried man.

By the terminal of the drama, both their feelings on whether they love, who they love,

and matrimony, will alter. For better or worse, we do non cognize, but assume

better.

In the center of the drama, Beatrice and Benedick are & # 8220 ; tricked & # 8221 ; into

acknowledging their love for each other. This & # 8220 ; trick & # 8221 ; is carried out by the other

characters in the drama. In the instance of both Beatrice and Benedick, this is

accomplished by set uping for them to catch a conversation refering to the

love one has for the other. For Benedick, the conversation was between Leonato

and Claudio in Act II ; Scene three, ( lines 89-100 ) :

DON PEDRO: & # 8230 ; Come hither, Leonato. What was it you told me of to-day, that

your

niece Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick?

CLAUDIO: O, ay: chaff on. chaff on ; the poultry sits. I did ne’er believe

that lady would

have loved any adult male.

LEONATO: No, nor I neither ; but most fantastic that she should so dote

on Signior

Benedick, whom she hath in all outward behaviours seemed of all time to loathe.

LEONATO: By my engagement, my Godhead, I can non state what to believe of it but

that she loves

him with an angered fondness: it is past the space of idea.

With Beatrice, this is accomplished in Act III ; Scene I, ( lines 24-28 ) :

HERO: & # 8230 ; No, genuinely, Ursula, she is excessively contemptuous ; I know her liquors

are as coy and

wild As haggerds of the stone.

URSULA: But are you certain That Benedick loves Beatrice so wholly?

Hero: So says the prince and my new-trothed Godhead.

The fact that the other characters in the drama arranged this & # 8220 ; trick & # 8221 ; leads the

reader to believe that they are more cognizant of the true nature of the

relationship between Beatrice and Benedick than they themselves are. This is

most likely due to the fact that they ( Beatrice & A ; Benedick ) are so caught up in

spat and denial that they can non see their relationship for what it genuinely

is. It takes their friends and household to coerce them to recognize that for them,

all they show is the antonym of what they feel.

At the terminal of the drama, both characters have admitted their love for each

other, Act II ; Scene three and are to be wed. Their positions on both love and

matrimony have changed every bit much as their opinions/thoughts of each other. They

both readily admit their love for each other, and yet still keep on to the

strength they showed in the earlier parts of the drama. The manner that they speak

to each other has changed but small, they still throw speedy shots and quasi-

abuses back and forth about quicker than the reader can follow. What has

changed is the underlying feeling of their raillery. Where before it was spoken

with contempt, now it is spoken with fondness. A good illustration of this can be

found in Act V ; Scene two ( Lines 50-61 ) when they are discoursing each others

first realisation of love for the other:

BENEDICK: & # 8230 ; And, I pray thee now, state me for which of my bad parts

didst

1000 foremost autumn in love with me?

Beatrice: For them all together ; which maintained so politic a province of

immoralities that they will non acknowledge any good portion to blend with them. But

for

which of my good parts did you foremost suffer love for me?

Benedick: Suffer love! a good name! I do endure love so, for I

love thee against my will.

Beatrice: In malice of your bosom, I think ; alas, hapless bosom! If you

malice

it for my interest, I will hurt it for yours ; for I will ne’er love that which

my friend hates.

Benedick: Thousand and I are excessively wise to court pacifically.

While this conversation may look slightly contemptuous, the two characters are

opening up to each other, and larning how to love and portion with each other.

This does non intend they will alter who and what they are, merely that they will

portion their feelings and ideas, for better or ill.

In decision it should be noted that non both Beatrice and Benedick & # 8217 ; s

frights refering love and matrimony were baseless. Even after acknowledging that

they love each other, they are still basically the same people that they

were earlier. They are happier, even though they still & # 8220 ; spar & # 8221 ; verbally ( even at

the alter ) , and their freedom does non look to be enduring in any manner. What

started out as what seemed to be hatred has turned to love. Too bad that is non

ever the instance.

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