Preview

The Relationship Between Beatrice And Benedick In Much Ado About Nothing

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
436 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Relationship Between Beatrice And Benedick In Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is, at it’s core, a show about deception. Is all deception a bad thing and can it sometimes be justified? This is the question Shakespeare poses in this play. Even though Beatrice and Benedick are deceived into believing they are in love with each other, they end up in love anyway; this deceit is excused. However, Don Pedro tricks Claudio into believing his betrothed is unfaithful, leading to her public humiliation; this deceit was harmful and could not be excused. This performance carries the original themes well and contributes some interesting additions, such as having the film take place in a 1980’s Gibraltar.

The acting the performance was delightful. As a fan of both Catherine Tate and David Tennant, I believe you could not have a better match to play Beatrice and Benedick. Tennant’s scottish portrayal of Benedick is wonderful and absolutely hilarious. He perfectly captures the character in both the most comical and most serious moments. Tennant managed to take a character whom I had previously been less than fond of and make him both very enjoyable and surprisingly likable. Tate plays a wonderful Beatrice, her comedic moments are priceless and her serious moments were wonderfully acted.. However, she misses the mark somewhat in Beatrice’s characterization as a woman who covers her sadness with humor. Probably the best element of the performance was the chemistry between Tate and Tennant. The constant banter and bickering flows and seems incredibly natural. …show more content…
However, the costumes were much calmer than to be expected. One wonderful decision was to have Beatrice dress as a man during the party scene to contrast Benedick’s miniskirt and tube top. This only went to further the notion that they are in every way
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Beatrice And Benedick Foil
    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Beatrice And Benedick Foil

    “You can tell an artist is excellent when he denies his own perfection.” (Shakespeare 78 -79) Based on the characters Beatrice and Benedick the conflict between the two is that they have trouble expressing their love for each other, throughout the book the foil insult each other until they realize they love one another. In Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, Benedick serves as the foil character of Beatrice by which Beatrice’s reasonable taste are illuminated through Benedick’s bearing thoughts; thus, compound the twist and conflict to the plot.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis Of Beatrice In Much Ado About Nothing
    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page

    Character Analysis Of Beatrice In Much Ado About Nothing

    In the play, “Much Ado About Nothing,” by William Shakespeare, Beatrice is distraught when Claudio shames Hero, and as a result she manipulates Benedick into agreeing to duel Claudio. She knows that Hero is innocent: “O, on my soul, my cousin is belied!” (4.1.155.133). She is furious with Claudio and wants him to pay for what he has done: “Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her!” (4.1.275-276.141). She wishes that she could get this revenge herself: “O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place,” (4.1.320-321.143). However, she knows that she cannot do this on her own. For this reason, she tricks Benedick into agreeing to kill Claudio. Claudio and Benedick are best friends so when Beatrice first…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Much Ado About Nothing Benedick and Beatrice Essay Example
    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Much Ado About Nothing Benedick and Beatrice Essay Example

    In 'Much Ado About Nothing,' William Shakespeare presents two very similar characters: Benedick of Padua and Beatrice of Messina in a variety of ways, from rancorous 'harpy' to machiavellian 'jester' after their suggested punitive break up to strong lovers who ens the play harmoniously engaged, with plenty of witticisms along the way. The play charts the major change in both of them and their relationship in their most comedic and romantic moments and their relationship is affectionately brought to life in Kenneth Branagh's 1993 version of the play.…

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Function of Deceit 2
    • 710 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Function of Deceit 2

    create much humor, as it shows that both Benedick and Beatrice are not as smart as they…

    • 710 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Compare Beatrice and Hero Essay Example
    • 1916 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Compare Beatrice and Hero Essay Example

    Women of the Elizabethan era were usually submissive to men. Their goal was to find a good man to marry an start a family with. In most of Shakespeare's plays this was the case, there were however a few well known exceptions. In Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Beatrice and Hero keep each other grounded despite having completely different personalities. Beatrice is nothing like the women of the Elizabethan era. She is witty, sharp-tongued, she will talk back to men and she is not a firm believer of marriage. Where as Hero is quiet, respectful and just waiting to fall in love. Even though they are seemingly different, they are the best of friends.…

    • 1916 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice And Benedick Analysis
    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice And Benedick Analysis

    In this essay I will be telling you if, Beatrice and Benedick are an ideal couple. I will also be telling you if the fact they are roughly equal in wit and intelligence is significant to them being an ideal couple. Furthermore, I would also explain how their attitude towards love proves the fact that they are an ideal couple. Then I would explain why their courtship is more satisfying than Claudio and Hero’s. So let us talk about how Beatrice and Benedick are an ideal couple in this book Much Ado About Nothing by:William Shakespeare.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How far do you agree that due to its comic nature the relationships in
    • 382 Words
    • 1 Page

    How far do you agree that due to its comic nature the relationships in

    The relationship between Benedick and Beatrice can be interpreted as genuine regardless of the comedic nature of the play by the portrayal of them both being mirror images of each other when Benedick describes himself as having ‘cold blood’ and Beatrice refers to herself as having a ‘hard heart.’ The parallel structure demonstrated in this scene adds to the element of the genuine underlying feelings they have through the use of dramatic irony as the audience can identify connections and similarities between the two that they seem unaware of, this can be seen as a comedic element but their feelings are still rendered as genuine due to their matching personalities which suggests that they would be a jubilant match. As well as this, the continuous references to their objection of marriage, such as Benedick claiming that if he were to be married they may ‘pluck off a bulls horns and set them in his forehead’ and Beatrice saying she ‘could not endure a husband,’ can be seen by the audience as Beatrice and Benedick covering up the feelings for each other which lay beneath their ‘merry war’ of conflict. However it can be argued that the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick is superficial due to its comedic element of gender reversal in Beatrice as women at the time did not have this attitude and mainly remained seen and not heard, any sort of banter from a woman was unexpected and misunderstood as shown by the Messenger taking Beatrice’s sarcasm literally when she refers to Benedick as ‘Signor Mountanto.’…

    • 382 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Benedick Foil
    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Benedick Foil

    Out of the 37 plays and 154 sonnets that Shakespeare wrote, “Much Ado About Nothing” has become one his most popular pieces. The comedy follows Don Pedro, Claudio, and Benedick after they return home from war. Upon meeting Hero, Claudio immediately falls in love with her, and with the help of Don Pedro, Hero agrees to marry him. As they prepare for the wedding, Don Pedro plans to get Beatrice and Benedick together while Don John plots to ruin Hero and Claudio’s relationship. Both succeed, as Beatrice and Benedick admit their love for each other, and Claudio shames Hero at their wedding, believing that she had cheated on him. By the next day, they discover that Don John had staged the scene, and Claudio and Hero still got married, and Benedick got engaged to Beatrice. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses character foils to emphasize the traits of his characters, and add to his story. In the play, “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, Benedick and Claudio are foils of each other because of their personality traits, choices, and reaction.…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Much Ado About Nothing - Benedick Analysis
    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Much Ado About Nothing - Benedick Analysis

    Benedick is almost a match for Beatrice as a memorable Shakespearean character. His apparent misogyny and unwillingness to make a commitment to a woman are almost stereotypes early in the play. His use of language, especially in his "merry war" with Beatrice, prevents him from being the clichéd male who refuses to commit to a relationship.…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Much Ado About Nothing Play Analysis
    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Much Ado About Nothing Play Analysis

    The set was well made and fit the time period quite nicely, but I could not help but feel it could have used a few more props to give the audience a better sense of immersion. It was often hard to tell where the scene was, or if the characters had changed scenes or not. Using more props would also give more distinction between events and places, making the overall scenes more memorable. One of the strongest points in the play was the costumes. They all were extraordinarily well made, and looked authentic. Some of the notable mentions are Prince Pedro’s uniform, the watchmen’s uniforms, and all the costumes in the ball scene. The costumes helped the audience remember which characters are which, and make the play more memorable.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Science Of Laughter Analysis
    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Science Of Laughter Analysis

    First of all, a quick summary of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Anything. In the beginning of this story a respectable noblemen named Leonato, his daughter Hero, and his clever niece Beatrice are waiting on the arrival of friends from the war. The group of friends include prince Don Pedro, and two of his fellow soldiers; Claudio, who is an up and coming young nobleman, and Benedick a man known for his battle skills and witty jokes. Also within the group of friends are; Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother Don John and his entourage of two people. When the soldiers arrive at Leonato’s home, Claudio is very taken by Leonato’s daughter Hero. While Benedick and Beatrice continue a mutual hatred for each other through a confrontation of crude insults. Claudio and Hero shortly after meeting pledge…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Shakespeare Use Deceit In Much Ado About Nothing
    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Shakespeare Use Deceit In Much Ado About Nothing

    They were talking as if Benedick could not hear them talking and this allowed them to be successful in their plot to make Benedick think that Beatrice already loved him and that other people thought they would be a great couple.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Ideal Couple: Character Analysis of Beatrice and Benedick from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
    • 1031 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Ideal Couple: Character Analysis of Beatrice and Benedick from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

    In this play, the reader can compare the two different couples and quickly realizes that Beatrice and Benedick take their time, don’t rush, and compared to Hero and Claudio it wasn’t love at first sight. Right from the beginning of the play, during their first conversation they try to use a type of language that hides the real feelings they have behind for eachtoher. " What my Lady Disdain! Are you yet living? " This quote is said by Benedick to Beatrice, when he comes back to Messina. They try to be very unpleasant to each other and act like they don't care, as they don't want to admit it to the other but to themselves as well. It’s not until the end of the play that Benedick and Beatrice share their feelings and tell each other that they are in love, which shows how they took their time, and really waited for the right moment to let everything go. " Do not you love me? " " Why no, no more than a reason." This quote shows that they still hide their real feelings from each other until the last minute,when they finally feel like it's time to deliver their feelings. Those words said by Benedick show the delivery of all this secret " A miracle! Here's our own hands against our hearts. Come, I will…

    • 1031 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Much Ad About Nothing
    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Much Ad About Nothing

    One of these moments where we can begin to understand their relationship is during the First Meeting. In Act 1 Scene 1, Benedick uses imagery of a bird to mock Beatrice. On line 126, Benedick says to Beatrice “Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher”. Benedick could be mocking Beatrice by suggesting that she can’t say anything original and only copies what others say, therefore relating to the imagery of a parrot. However, the word ‘rare’ shows that Benedick recognises the unique characteristics of Beatrice and that she is standing out from the crowd, consequently hinting his disguised love for her. Additionally, this quotation also relates to the context of time as women, in those days, could be punished for talking too much. Benedick could be taking advantage of the conventions of time to put Beatrice in her place in their relationship with each other. The parrot imagery can also relate to a poem called Sonnet 130. This is because, in Sonnet 130, the poet says “I love to hear her speak, yet well i know, That music hath a far more pleasing sound;”. We can link the first phrase of Sonnet 130 with Benedicks quote of a ‘rare’ parrot-teacher. By including the word rare before the imagery of a bird, suggests that although Beatrice may talk too much, Benedick still enjoys listening to her speak hence relating to Sonnet 130 “I love…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Much Ado About Nothing: Love and Marriage
    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Much Ado About Nothing: Love and Marriage

    Even though love and marriage was a major ideal in Shakespearean England, we can get views from Much Ado about Nothing which oppose this idea. From the two main ‘couples' in this play we can understand their different views on commitment throughout and because of this we as readers and viewers can learn about each relationship separately and watch the thoughts and ideas change throughout the play.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More