Relationship Between Men And Women In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

One of the many reasons behind Shakespeare’s success was his awareness of the human condition and his ability to accurately portray it in his works. His capacity to depict the ever-changing relationships and dynamics between people is what made the plays so appealing to audiences then and now. In his play, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare demonstrates the power relations between men and women in the time period. The main storyline of the play gives the reader insight into how women had limits on what they could and could not do. During the exchange of words between Benedick and Beatrice in Act 4, Scene 1, it is apparent that men had more freedom to carry out plans than women did in this time. Despite her strong-willed character, Beatrice …show more content…
As women of the time were expected to remain silent and obedient, a confrontation by a woman would not have been received well. Beatrice was known for her tendency to offer a snarky argument, but she was aware that any argument she presented would not be taken into consideration. In order for her argument to have any real value, she would have to be a man, “It is a man’s office,” (4.1.264). Her desire to be a man in order to avenge her cousin demonstrates how little capacity women had to act on their own behalf. She would not have been expressing a desire to be a man if women had the same rights and liberties as men did. Consequently, women in Shakespeare’s plays were often depicted as helpless and confined characters left wishing they could do something, but not able to follow through with their desires. This ultimately reinforced the unequal distribution of power to men because women had to rely on men to accomplish anything of …show more content…
It was only through Benedick that Beatrice would be able to get what she wanted. Benedick was a respectable soldier, which meant that he had the means to confront Claudio and in this manner, restore Hero and her family’s honor. Benedick, by challenging Claudio, would be viewed in a heroic light, while Beatrice would simply be seen as a bystander because she could not challenge him herself. This shifted Beatrice’s position as a vocal and strong woman to a confined woman who could only accomplish something with the aid of a man, perpetuating a sort of damsel-in-distress image, “ I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving,” (4.1.316-317). The depiction of women in this position is common in Shakespeare’s work; in The Merchant of Venice, Portia, a young heiress, was only given power when she disguised herself as a young, male law clerk. Similar to how Portia assumed the disguise, Beatrice only able to put things in motion with the assistance of a