In William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, he shows that acknowledging love can be difficult when people are afraid of the consequences. Those who have denied love in the past, and are known for speaking against it, may have trouble accepting that their opinions have changed. In order to confess and acknowledge her love to Benedick, Beatrice must first overcome her vulnerability and realize that her love for him is not a weakness. She has a history with Benedict which causes her to be spiteful towards him, but she realizes that he does have good qualities as well. Beatrice falls in love with him, but denies it when confronted. She only acknowledges her love for him after Hero reveals it on her behalf. Firstly, Beatrice and Benedick
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After she opens herself up to being vulnerable, she realizes that it is a lot easier to be open with Benedick. She manages to fight through her resistance to say, “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest” (4.1.286-287). This is a big step for Beatrice, who up until this point has not really said much about her feelings for Benedick. After accepting her own feelings, it is easier for her to transition to admitting them to him. This is one of the few times where she says it outright, however. True to their natures, Beatrice and Benedick prefer to flirt through their banter. When Benedick says that he loves her against his will, Beatrice answers by saying that it must be against his heart, in which case, she will spite his heart as well, “For I will never love that which my friend hates” (5.2.69-70). She is basically saying that if he does not accept his love for her, then she will not be able to accept him either. She does not want to give her heart away if he is not willing and able to accept it. Benedick teases her later on by asking Beatrice which of his bad parts she loved first, to which she replies, “For them all together, which maintained so politic a state of evil that it will not admit any good part to intermingle with them” (5.2.61-64). Beatrice could be making a reference to the fact that she could not see his …show more content…
At Hero and Claudio’s second marriage, Benedick also wants to propose to Beatrice. Confident in her love for him, he asks her whether she loves him. Beatrice is put on the spot, and rather than admit to her feelings in front of everyone, replies, “Why no, no more than reason” (5.4.74). While she does in fact love him, and has admitted so to him in the past, she does not feel ready to admit it where everyone can hear. She has spent so much time denying her feelings for Benedick, and claiming that men are evil, that she is afraid of what people will think of her now. She does not know whether they would mock her for falling for someone she swore she hated. They might look down on her for being fickle and changing her opinion. She does not know what their reaction will be, and that scares her. Rather than facing this fear, she rejects Benedick, because that is what she has always
After she opens herself up to being vulnerable, she realizes that it is a lot easier to be open with Benedick. She manages to fight through her resistance to say, “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest” (4.1.286-287). This is a big step for Beatrice, who up until this point has not really said much about her feelings for Benedick. After accepting her own feelings, it is easier for her to transition to admitting them to him. This is one of the few times where she says it outright, however. True to their natures, Beatrice and Benedick prefer to flirt through their banter. When Benedick says that he loves her against his will, Beatrice answers by saying that it must be against his heart, in which case, she will spite his heart as well, “For I will never love that which my friend hates” (5.2.69-70). She is basically saying that if he does not accept his love for her, then she will not be able to accept him either. She does not want to give her heart away if he is not willing and able to accept it. Benedick teases her later on by asking Beatrice which of his bad parts she loved first, to which she replies, “For them all together, which maintained so politic a state of evil that it will not admit any good part to intermingle with them” (5.2.61-64). Beatrice could be making a reference to the fact that she could not see his …show more content…
At Hero and Claudio’s second marriage, Benedick also wants to propose to Beatrice. Confident in her love for him, he asks her whether she loves him. Beatrice is put on the spot, and rather than admit to her feelings in front of everyone, replies, “Why no, no more than reason” (5.4.74). While she does in fact love him, and has admitted so to him in the past, she does not feel ready to admit it where everyone can hear. She has spent so much time denying her feelings for Benedick, and claiming that men are evil, that she is afraid of what people will think of her now. She does not know whether they would mock her for falling for someone she swore she hated. They might look down on her for being fickle and changing her opinion. She does not know what their reaction will be, and that scares her. Rather than facing this fear, she rejects Benedick, because that is what she has always