Beatrice And Benedick's Relationship example essay topic

The play "Much Ado about nothing' is a romantic comedy. The main plot of the play involves Hero and Claudio, the sub plot involves Beatrice and Benedick. Beatrice and Benidick are the lead characters of the comic and competitive love story, since their relationship changes the most from start to finish. Hero and Claudio are also lead characters, their love story is more tragic than comic, Beatrice's character has a strong spirit, a sense of independence and a fierce wit. Although her self-sufficiency does not prevent her from accepting love. Beatrice and Benedick's relationship encapsulates the way the play is written, they provide the witty verbal comedy of the play.

Between their "merry war" and "skirmish of wit" lies Beatrice's daunting challenge to benedick, "Benedick: Come bid me do anything for thee Beatrice: Kill Claudio" (Act 4, scene 1, page 17.) The author portrays Beatrice as being very dominant and strong woman. I think she protects her cousin and her family from the accusation that has been projected towards Hero as this has insulted not only Hero but also her family. When she is in the altar with Benedick and confessing her love for him she shows her demanding nature by essentially forcing Benedick to choose between the brotherly love of men and the loyalty of a man to his wife. Beatrice knows that she must destroy Benedick's former male bonding. Her order is therefore a command for Benedick to support her against Claudio, and represents the only way for them to have a mature relationship. Beatrice is the ever-witty Lady Disdain, outspoken and opinionated niece of Leant.

Always trying to put the other down 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. Her and Benedick are tricked into falling in love by a few well-placed lies, causing them to realise how much they really cared for each other. Hero is a modest, docile, bland, well-behaved blushing young daughter of Leona to. She and Claudio seem to be the more boring couple in the story and they never really seem to be in Love.

When Hero is accused at the altar of being unfaithful she is so timid she does not even press her truth and faints to the ground. A contemporary audience would think nothing of the way that Hero behaves because to them it would have been normal, however a modern audience would sympathise with her as she is never allowed to make her own choices. Lea nato has every power over her, "Daughter, remember what I told you. If the prince do Solicit you in any kind you know your answer". (act 2, scene 1, page 29) Hero and Claudio represent an idealized love that was a very widespread image of love in the time when Shakespeare was around.

With the introduction of Beatrice and Benidick, we see a very different picture, a love that thrives on conflict and tension. While Claudio says of hero 'Can the world wear buy such a gem,' ' Benidick refers to Beatrice as ' My dear lady disdain. ' ' (Act 1, scene 1, page 7) However, the play ultimately shows that Beatrice and Benidick's relationship is the more genuine. All of his speeches seem to be sincere and none premeditated. Benidick certainly seems to be genuine and Benedick is the character everyone likes. He seems also to be more passionate than Claudio is.

They do not jump into their relationship as they knew each other for a long time. Their love is based on the exploration of each other's character, partly by means of verbal duels. Although they are both too proud to acknowledge each other's love for one another. This shows the development in their characters. "Beatrice: I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion" (Act 5, scene 4, page 161) Hero and Claudio do not appear to be confident around each other. This is shown when Claudio asks Don Pedro to woo Hero for him "Claudio, I have wooed in thy name, and fair Hero is won" Beatrice and Benedick on the other hand seem over confident and do not mind openly expressing their feelings to one another.

A Comparison of Beatrice and Hero is that Beatrice is portrayed as a strong willed woman who talks a great deal, appearing determined not to marry. However, Don Pedro concocts a plot that brings her together with Benedick and they marry at the end. Her most obvious objective was to stay a lonely spinster is once seemed. She has known Benedick for years and because he wants to be a bachelor, their hate for the opposite sex clashes- until they fall in love that is. She never realised that she could love anyone other than her self until she found someone that was the exact copy of her. Once she fell in love she couldn't be helped.

Although being quite intelligent, Beatrice does manage to appear gullible when she overhears Hero and another woman discussing Benedict and Beatrice's relationship. So this can be seen that Beatrice does have a softer side as well. Shakespeare's attitude toward courtship and romance combines mature cynicism with awareness that the social realities surrounding courtship may detract from the fun of romance. The need to marry for social betterment and to ensure inheritance coupled with the importance of virginal chastity complicate romantic relationships. The relationship that Shakespeare seems to favour is that one between Beatrice and Benedick as he depicts their relationship to be the only one that truly involves love.