Much ado about nothing

“ Much Ado About Nothing ” has a really similar manner to our modern-day romantic comedy. And while the love affair and obstructions to the brotherhood of Claudio and Hero form the chief secret plan, the action in “ Much Ado About Nothing ” is chiefly about Benedick and Beatrice, and their relationship. That sub-plot is about the “ gay war ” of the sexes between Beatrice and Benedick who “ … are non adolescents, but perchance in their late mid-twentiess or older ” ( Lukacs 92 ) . This “ gay war ” ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” I.i.56 ) between the two is given through their witty word drama:

Benedick. What, my beloved Lady Disdain! are you yet populating?

Beatrice. Is it possible contempt should decease while she hath
such meet nutrient to feed it as Signior Benedick?
Courtesy itself must change over to contemn, if you
semen in her presence.


Benedick. Then is courtesy a deserter. – But it is certain
I am loved of all ladies, merely you excepted: and I
would I could happen in my bosom that I had non
a difficult bosom ; for, genuinely, I love none.


Beatrice. A beloved felicity to adult females: they would else hold
been troubled with a baneful suer. ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” I. I. 111-120 )

The drama suggests that Beatrice was in love with Benedick before the drama but he had deceived her and their relationship ended. Benedick now claims that he will ne’er acquire married. Beatrice is an intelligent miss. Meader asserts that “ Most of Shakespeare ‘s lovers appear to fall in love at the first meeting ” and that “ Beatrice who has seemingly been in love with Benedick before the action of “ Much Ado About Nothing ” , may hold had formal wooing earlier ” ( Meader 82 ) :

Pedro. Come, lady, come ; you have lost the bosom of
Signior Benedick.

Beatrice. Indeed, my Godhead, he lent it me a piece ; and I gave
him use for it, – a dual bosom for his individual 1:
marry, one time before he won it of me with false
die, hence your grace may good state I have
lost it. ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” II.i.266-272 )



Whenever Beatrice and Benedick come together, they seem to hold a battle through their witty abuses. They are as if viing in intelligence. Beatrice, like Benedick, does non desire to get married which is because she has non yet found the right adult male and because she does non desire to give up her freedom with matrimony.

Harmonizing to Benedick, a adult male who gets married will “ have on his cap with intuition ” ( I.i.184 ) , and will hold uncertainties that his married woman has one time had other lovers. He says, if the Count marries, the Count will “ thrust [ his ] cervix into a yoke, wear the print of it and suspire away Sundays ” ( I.i.186-87 ) ( Friedman 78 ) .

Benedick speaks ailment of matrimony in the undermentioned lines:

The barbarian bull may ; but if of all time the reasonable
Benedick bear it, pluck off the bull ‘s horns and
put them in my brow ; and allow me be vilely
painted ; and in such great letters as they write,
‘Here is good Equus caballus to engage ‘ allow them mean
under my mark, ‘Here you may see Benedick, the
married adult male. ‘ ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” I.i.246-252 )





He imagines himself with horns on his caput. – Cuckoldry was really typical in the Renaissance – He is disquieted that he will be cheated by adult females if he gets married. Friedman explains it as:

Benedick ‘s frights of cuckoldry and emasculation through matrimony tend to be confirmed by Beatrice, whom Don Pedro has picked out as “ an first-class married woman for Benedick ” ( 2.1.329 ) … Beatrice speaks openly and aggressively of her penchants in a partner, which draws the disapproval of her uncles Leonato and Antonio, who complain that she is “ shrewd of [ her ] lingua ” and “ excessively cursed ” ( 2.1.17-18 ) . Beatrice… implies that, were she to get married, she would do her spouse a cuckold, for she claims that she will hold “ no horns ” merely if God sends her “ no hubby ” ( 2.1.23-24 ) . ( Friedman 81 )

As for Beatrice, her irreluctancy for matrimony is stated as follows

What should I make with him? frock him in my
dress, and do him my waiting-gentlewoman?
He that hath a face fungus is more than a young person ; and he
that hath no face fungus is less than a adult male: and he that
is more than a young person is non for me ; and he that is
less than a adult male, I am non for him. ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” II.i.33-38 )




Through these lines, Beatrice explains why she should non get married. The ground for this is that there is no equal adult male for her. Beatrice states that “ she “ could non digest ” a masculine “ … hubby with a face fungus on his face ” ( 2.1.26-27 ) , but “ a hubby that hath no face fungus, “ who is hence “ less than a adult male, “ is merely fit to be dressed in adult females ‘s dress and employed as her “ waiting-gentlewoman ” ( 2.1.29-33 ) ” ( Friedman 81 ) .

Both Benedick and Beatrice seem to avoid matrimony. As Benedick says “ … it is certain / I am loved of all ladies, merely you excepted: and… I could happen it in my bosom that I had non a difficult bosom ; for, genuinely, I love none ” ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” I.i.116-119 ) , Beatrice mocks him stating “ … I had instead hear my Canis familiaris bark at a crow / than a adult male swear he loves me ” ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” I.i.123-124 ) .

While Claudio and Don Pedro play a fast one on Benedick in Act II scene three, Ursula and Hero do the same on Beatrice in Act III scene I. Those fast ones are intentioned to do the two autumn in love with each other. The audience knows that neither Beatrice nor Benedick wants to acquire married. Their friends ‘ fast one is utile at the terminal. They are both deceived to believe that one is in love with the other. In that instance, Cahn states that the drama ‘s “ … rubric word “ Nothing ” may be taken as a wordplay on “ noting, ” or catching, { since ] much of the action involves listen ining and the partial understanding of truth ” ( Cahn 629 ) . Furthermore, one must observe that the overheard conversations are adequate for both. Harmonizing to Cahn, “ … in many comedies of Shakespeare, love is influenced by perceptual experience ” and in “ Much Ado About Nothing ” in Act II scene three, when Beatrice calls Benedick to dinner, Benedick “ manages in his ain head to writhe her words so that they mean what he wants to hear ” ( Cahn 636 ) . At this clip, it is evident that while she is non in love with him, Benedick “ … [ harbours ] a secret love for Beatrice ” ( Friedman 83 ) .

They are non really deluded to believe they are in love with each other ; otherwise their friends ‘ fast ones would non work since both of them are clever plenty non to be deluded. They are really seeking to allow them detect their present love to each other. Therefore, it is a sort of realisation for both of them. Each decides to feel for the other at first, nevertheless it is interesting they do it volitionally. Benedick has made his determination to execute what the audience has “ long felt he has ever wanted to make: prosecute Beatrice ” ( Cahn 636 ) . He has now changed his head and wants to get married Beatrice. Beatrice, on the other manus, has besides decided to alter her head, as clear in her ain words:

Stand I condemned for pride and contemn so much?

Contempt, farewell! and inaugural pride, adios!

No glorification lives behind the dorsum of such. ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” III.i.109-112 )

In Act IV scene I when Benedick and Beatrice are left entirely in the church together, they confess their love to each other. Harmonizing to Lukacs “ By [ Act IV scene I ] , Benedick and Beatrice are the mature responsible grownups who must convey this drama to a declaration ” ( Lukacs 92 ) . The tone alterations, nevertheless, when Benedick says that he will make anything for Beatrice: Beatrice ‘s inquiring him to “ Kill Claudio ” ( “ Much Ado About Nothing ” IV. I. 289 ) dazes Benedick. Benedick ‘s refusal makes Beatrice angry since she believes that Claudio has insulted Hero. Benedick shortly changes his head and agrees to dispute his friend Claudio both for Hero ‘s and for Beatrice ‘s interest. What Beatrice has wanted Benedick Markss Beatrice as “ a lady enforcing a love trial ” as Maisan provinces. Benedick has to take “ between love and friendly relationship ” ( Maisan 165 ) . Meader asserts that “ Benedick, urged on by his darling Beatrice, challenges his best friend Claudio to a affaire d’honneur ” and that “ Courage was conspicuously an outward-looking virtuousness, as the Renaissance valued it ( Meader 76 ) .

Benedick is in fact known with his trueness as a friend but his love for Beatrice becomes strong plenty to dispute his friend to a battle and he shortly challenges him to a affaire d’honneur. When Benedick accuses Claudio and Don Pedro for Hero ‘s decease – she has non truly died but it is what they think, – they think he is jesting. Thus in Act V scene I, non merely Hero ‘s artlessness but besides Benedick ‘s trueness to Benedick is proven.

In Act V scene two, Benedick tries to compose poesy for Beatrice. However, he is non good at composing. What he can make best is merely his gentle abuses which is besides appealing to Beatrice. So they go on flirtation and mocking each other.

With the last scene of the drama, Shakespeare brings a happy decision ; both of the twosomes in the drama will get married ( Claudio and Hero, and Benedick and Beatrice ) . Now Beatrice and Benedick are happy to acquire married. Their hate of the establishment of matrimony is eventually brought to an terminal. Although the fast one is non the chief ground for their amalgamation, it has truly been effectual. Lukacs summarizes the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick as:

In the terminal, Beatrice and Benedick turn up and mature. The universe in “ Much Ado About Nothing ” that was out of balance is reined in and balance is achieved. Maturity brings self-knowledge and Beatrice and Benedick radiance in the terminal… they are [ now ] hubby and married woman. Beatrice “ affaire d’honneurs ” with her marbless in order to asseverate herself. The oculus contact, the intimation of a smiling, the fugitive glimpse, or manus gesture sustain their brushs as these two map as one witty unit. Beatrice exclaims “ O God, that I were a adult male! ” ( 4.1 ) , but it is merely when she reaches out to a adult male, Benedick, that she can support her sister ‘s award and release her surrogate character of a John Wayne-like character who strides about the phase in manful manner, or of an immature schoolgirl. In the terminal, “ Much Ado About Nothing ” becomes much bustle about everything that affairs in life. ( Lukacs 92 )

As a decision, Beatrice and Benedick have changed both in their attitudes towards the thought of matrimony and towards each other since the beginning of the drama. One can clearly detect the similitude of their personalities which non merely causes the “ gay war ” between them but besides brings them together. The ground why Beatrice and Benedick could non travel along with each other has been because each is excessively witty and intelligent. However, one must observe that they will ne’er acquire bored of each other while they are holding their ‘war ‘ so they are definetely a good lucifer.

Primary Source ( s )

  • Shakespeare, William. “ Much Ado About Nothing ” The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Hertfordshire: 1996.

Secondary Beginnings

  • Cahn, Victor L. Shakespeare the Playwright: A Companion to the Complete Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romances. Praeger: Westport, 1996.
  • Friedman, Michael. The World Must Be Peopled: Shakspere ‘s Comedies of Forgiveness. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press: Madison, NJ. , 2002.
  • Lukacs, Ann. “ Much Ado About Nothing ” Shakespeare Bulletin. Volume: 22. Issue: 1: University of West Georgia, 2004.
  • Maisan, Thomas. “ Deforming Beginnings: Literary Ancestors and Their Traces in Much Ado about Nothing ” Shakespeare Studies. Volume: 31, Associated University Presses, 2003.
  • Meader, William G. Courtship in Shakespeare: Its Relation to the Tradition of Courtly Love. King ‘s Crown Press: New York, 1954.
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