Analysis Of Much Ado About Nothing And Emotional Suppression

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Much Ado About Nothing and Emotional Suppression Much Ado About Nothing is the story of two couples, one who 's love for each other is discovered by trickery and one that is almost destroyed by it. A young maiden named Hero is won by Claudio, lord of Florence while her cousin, Beatrice, and Benedick, lord of Padua with whom Beatrice engages in a constant battle of wit, are tricked into falling in love. Beatrice is written as clever, witty, and sassy when she speaks to Benedick. While the film 's interpretation of Beatrice is true to this description, she exhibits a softness that is not explicitly stated in the text, suggesting feelings for Benedick. Benedick seems to be the only person that is able to bring out either extreme of her personality.
Benedick was hesitant to leave her that morning, but ultimately made the decision to do so anyway, presumably because he did not want Beatrice to know that he cared about her. Beatrice similarly did not want Benedick to know she knew he was leaving, because she would either have had to express her feelings for him or hide them. Instead, she chose not to address it in front of him at all. While she keeps her composure in front of other characters, her longing for companionship and affection shows when they are not looking. Her sharp tongue is her method of coping with her feelings for Benedick. At the end of their first altercation, she states that he "always ends with a jade 's trick" (1.1.118). There is pain in her eyes when she speaks this line. She is also seen gazing longingly at Hero and Claudio when they agree to marry, and her voice often trembles as she speaks ill of Benedick. Beatrice and Benedick are both afraid that submitting to each other will hurt their pride, but when they learn (or think) that the other has submitted first, they give in, almost as if they feel they have won already. While in the short-term this may have a blissful effect on the lovers, the long-term implications of their prideful tendencies may have debilitating consequences on their
Beatrice and Benedick eventually sacrificed their values and their independent self-images to be together, yet they had to be tricked into doing so. They were never willing to admit their feelings until the other did so first. Benedick likes to be known for being loved but not giving love because it makes him feel powerful. Beatrice is either scared of being hurt or already has been. Even after they profess their love to each other, Beatrice and Benedick remain in competition to protect their egos. At the wedding, they claim not to love each other until Hero and Claudio expose the love letters they had written but never sent. They then give in and decide to be married, yet they are not rid of the prideful patterns that may later threaten their relationship. If they are still unable to healthily express their love for each other, is that love strong enough to endure the hardships of a lifetime together? Another effect of her emotional suppression is the outburst Beatrice has in Act 4. For the first time, she is seen weeping, which is followed by a radical request. When she tells Benedick he must kill Claudio or lose her, all the tension and emotion she has been holding in throughout the movie is released and you see her frustrations with gender roles and inequality (4.2.255-329). This scene also reveals the unequal expectations of each other. Benedick is originally

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