In the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, the characters Benedick, Beatrice, Hero and Claudio all have very different relationships. Beatrice and Benedick have never been civil with each other, and whenever they meet, they often have a skirmish of words between the two. They have known each other “of old” and seem to enjoy fencing insults back and forth between them, using insults to convey their true feelings of affection towards one another. The relationship of Claudio and Hero, however, is much more simple. Claudio and Hero are deeply in love, and they show it, instead of containing it in the way that Beatrice and Benedick do. Both relationships are successful in bringing out the theme of love, as well as the contrast of
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It seems self-evident that in order for a couple to have a romantic relationship, they need to have a strong understanding of one another. They need to have connections and shared experiences built through past encounters. Claudio and Hero, however, have no past encounter, while Beatrice and Benedick have a previous …show more content…
As Don Pedro and Benedick are inquiring about Claudio’s feelings for the young woman, Claudio says, “If my passion change not shortly, God forbid it should be otherwise” (I.1.209-210). Later, immediately upon seeing the scene in the window between Borachio and Margaret, Claudio rejects Hero in his mind with no further proof. We are told of his reaction through Borachio’s retelling of the story to Conrade, when he says, “away went Claudio enraged; swore he would meet her, as he was appointed, next morning at the temple, and there, before the whole congregation, shame her with what he saw o’ernight and send her home again without a husband” (III.3.156-160).
It seems more likely that, since he was so easily made to believe that Hero had betrayed him before, Claudio will constantly be battling against jealousy and concerns about Hero’s faithfulness to him, a battle that would surely drive a wedge into their relationship. Beatrice and Benedick, however, seem destined to have a strong marriage built on their mutual understanding, trust, and commitment to one another.
Although it may appear at first that Much Ado About Nothing is just another of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies with a typical happy ending in which everyone gets married and lives, presumably, “happily ever after”, a closer examination shows that Shakespeare has actually used his young lovers as a comment on the meaning of love and
It seems self-evident that in order for a couple to have a romantic relationship, they need to have a strong understanding of one another. They need to have connections and shared experiences built through past encounters. Claudio and Hero, however, have no past encounter, while Beatrice and Benedick have a previous …show more content…
As Don Pedro and Benedick are inquiring about Claudio’s feelings for the young woman, Claudio says, “If my passion change not shortly, God forbid it should be otherwise” (I.1.209-210). Later, immediately upon seeing the scene in the window between Borachio and Margaret, Claudio rejects Hero in his mind with no further proof. We are told of his reaction through Borachio’s retelling of the story to Conrade, when he says, “away went Claudio enraged; swore he would meet her, as he was appointed, next morning at the temple, and there, before the whole congregation, shame her with what he saw o’ernight and send her home again without a husband” (III.3.156-160).
It seems more likely that, since he was so easily made to believe that Hero had betrayed him before, Claudio will constantly be battling against jealousy and concerns about Hero’s faithfulness to him, a battle that would surely drive a wedge into their relationship. Beatrice and Benedick, however, seem destined to have a strong marriage built on their mutual understanding, trust, and commitment to one another.
Although it may appear at first that Much Ado About Nothing is just another of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies with a typical happy ending in which everyone gets married and lives, presumably, “happily ever after”, a closer examination shows that Shakespeare has actually used his young lovers as a comment on the meaning of love and