Comparing Shakespeare's Presentation of the Love Between Claudio and Hero with that Between Beatrice and Benedick The love between Beatrice and Benedick is the idealistic love of Shakespeare and the love between Claudio and Hero is more realistic and physical. Actually there are contrasts and similarities in those two love stories in the play. From the beginning of the play, Claudio realizes, after returning from war, that he is deeply in love with Hero and wants to ask her father for permission to marry her. The other couple, Beatrice and Benedick, works hard to give the impression that neither is the least bit interested in the other. Later on, a plan of showing Hero's disloyalty of being succumbed to the amorous attentions of a man other than Claudio is worked out on the night before Hero and Claudio's wedding. Finally, the two couples get married. First of all, Hero and Claudio's relationship is based on first impressions, ignorance and wealth. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick's love is based on mutual respect, love and true admiration. In the beginning of the play, there is nothing short of obvious attraction between Beatrice and Benedick. It appears as though they are reluctant lovers duped into a suspicious relationship. In the opening act, they already argue as lovers as Benedick says the words I, i. 107 'What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?' This is obviously quite a tongue in rude question with undertones of attraction as is Beatrice's reply I, i. 108-11 'Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feet it as Signor Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain if you come in... ... middle of paper ... ... the first time when he realizes her innocence. At the beginning, Claudio simply wishes to marry Hero based on her beauty, with the thought of wealth and power thrown in on the side. He has not acknowledged the fact that Hero is a person aside from her beauty and position. At the end, Hero perhaps sees Claudio's inner beauty as well throughout all the turmoil. Beatrice and Benedick, though always subconsciously aware of each other's inner beauty, are made aware in a concrete sense when the end comes upon them. They began to understand the game they have been playing and see each other for who they are and as a result love each other even more. Beatrice and Benedick have true and honest passion, which they fought against diligently while Hero, and Claudio's love demonstrated the shallowness of physical attraction.
The difference between Beatrice,Benedick,and the other two Claudio and Hero though is that, these two are very headstrong characters with a different outlook on love, but have very much love for one another. Benedick believes in just being a bachelor and spending the rest of his life messing with as many women as he pleases, well as for Beatrice she believes there is no man good enough and willing to show her the love she wants so she much rather be left alone. But the fact that they honestly want to believe what they say is what makes this get way more interesting. What they don’t know is that they are going to soon become curious trying to figure out what they truly feel for one
Beatrice's courtship with Benedick greatly contrasts with the courtship of Hero and Claudio. Hero gladly and willingly submitted to marriage, and she accepted the role of the relatively powerless woman. In contrast Beatrice chose her submission after openly criticizing the institution of marriage.
Shakespeare’s introduction of the other couple in question is in stark contrast to the way in which Beatrice and Benedick were introduced. Claudio and Hero are amorously receptive to one and other from the very start. Upon laying eyes on Hero, Claudio remarks of her to Benedict “is she not a modest young lady?” (1.1.125). Clearly, by having Claudio express his fondness of Hero to Benedick, the playwright directly compares the older and more cynical to the more young and naive, allowing the reader to see the contrasting personas of the two men. This is reinforced by Benedick, who after finishing listening to Claudio’s rhetoric on the charms of the young Hero (“in m...
Renaissance society. “O that I were a man for his sake! Or that I had
Beatrice asks, Does it make any sense to write and tell him I love you when I have always treated him with scorn?” (2.3.31-34). In this quote all Claudio was saying was that Hero had told him that Beatrice had confessed to her that she was in love with Benedick but was not sure how to let him know That all changed when family and friends helped them both realized they have always been in love with one another. As for Claudio and Hero they are a couple who see eye to eye knowing they are perfect for one another. Even though they had an antagonist that did not want to see them happily married such as Don John, they were able to let it pass and end up happily
In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Benedict rant about marriage for most of the beginning of the play, while Claudio raves about how wonderful it will be being married to Hero. Yet in the end, Claudio exchanges his marriage to Hero for an opportunity to bash her in public, while Beatrice and Benedick marry despite that they were mortal enemies for most of the first three acts. How did the situation swing around to this degree? Beatrice and Benedick had been using the most extreme metaphors to demonstrate their scorn of each other and of marriage, and Claudio had been doing the same to demonstrate his love of Hero. Not only did none of these three characters mean what they were saying, but meant the reverse, and the people that plotted to bring them together or pull them apart plotted because they understood on some level what each really wanted.
After Claudio blew up at the wedding and slandered Hero, Benedick stayed to comfort her. Unlike the other men, he knew that Hero didn’t cheat and Don ]ohn was behind this plan. As Bendick states, “And if their wisdoms be misled in this the practice of it lives in Don John the Bastard” (Shakespeare 71). When he believes Hero has nothing to do with this, Beatrice wants it to challenge Claudio. Bendick has changed from a person who never wanted to get married, to a person in love. Driven by this love, he is willing to go against his friends for Beatrice. Ironically both these characters’ attitudes have been
Towards the middle of play Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leanato decided to trick Benedick and Beatrice into loving each other by telling them each other had written them a love story or pronounced they loved the other. Claudio is a master of his own game, he managed to fool Benedick but he also falls for the same trick almost 3 times. This shows that Claudio is blind when it comes to himself, he doesn’t know who he is. And if we go back to when Don Pedro had to woo Hero for him, then that's when it starts to make sense. Claudio’s tragic flaw is that he lacks confidence in himself.
Shakespeare represents Beatrice as a very feisty, cynical and sharp woman during the play. We can especially see this when she uses her wit to shock the messenger saying, in act one scene one, that ‘he is no less than a stuffed man.’ This is exceedingly disrespectful to fashion such a rude comment about a man who is just about to arrive back from war. One thing Shakespeare clearly shows us is that Beatrice would not be the ideal woman for most men. To emphasize this he contrasts Beatrice with a weak and quiet character such as Hero who acts upon every mans instruction, we can see this when Beatrice says to Leonato that its her ‘cousins duty’ to say ‘father as it please you.’ Shakespeare makes such a clear contrast between the two women to the extent that Beatrice steals most of Hero’s attention from the other male characters in the play. Furthermore he shows us how Beatrice is perhaps a threat to the patriarchal society at the time, we can see this on page fifty-nine where she implys that it is her duty to please herself, whether or not her father consents. This is unlike Hero, who cannot do anything unless a man is fighting her corner, however Beatrice is willing to
In my opinion Beatrice and Benedick have a much more satisfying relationship then Hero and Claudio because they don 't just meet and have butterflies for each other they argue but at the end of the day they love each other. Their attitude towards love is much more understandable because they want to live there life and not be married to one person for the rest of their
We know from the very opening scene of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet's love will end in
When Benedick hears that Claudio has fallen in love for Hero, he is enraged. He thought that Claudio would live a bachelor’s life like him. Benedick tells him that men who are in love are not masculine. Near the end of Act IV, Benedick’s complete change is evident when Benedick chooses love over friendship. Benedick challenges Claudio, previously his closest friend in the world, to duel to the death over Claudio’s accusation as to Hero’s unethical behavior. After Beatrice complains to him about Claudio’s mistake, Benedick gives in, “Enough, I am engaged. I will challenge him.” At this point, there is no doubt that Benedick has switched his allegiances entirely over to Beatrice. But then again, Benedick was relieved that Hero was proved guilty so he would not have to fight his close friend Claudio.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the views of love held by the character Romeo contrast sharply with the views of Mercutio. Romeo's character seems to suffer from a type of manic depression. He is in love with his sadness, quickly enraptured and easily crushed again on a passionate roller coaster of emotion. Mercutio, by contrast is much more practical and level headed. His perceptions are clear and quick, characterized by precise thought and careful evaluation. Romeo, true to his character begins his appearance in the play by wallowing in his depression over Rosaline who does not return his love:
A healthy relationship requires many different characteristics. Benedick and Beatrice have a healthier relationship than Hero and Claudio because they share more of the attributes that create a well working partnership. The trust and communication skills Benedick and Beatrice share are greater than those of Hero and Claudio. While Hero is wearing “rose-colored glasses”, Beatrice is aware of the bad and good in her relationship. Ten years down the road, Benedick and Beatrice will most likely be happily together, while Hero and Claudio are solely wishing to see other
...he other hand, Beatrice and Benedick are comedy-makers and Beatrice is not ruled by her father as Hero clearly is. It does take Don Pedro’s benevolent plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together, however. A modern audience would prefer Beatrice to Hero as she is her own self and admirable. The relationships also differ because Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship slowly grew whereas Claudio and Hero’s relationship was love at first sight. Perhaps it was a little hasty as we see in Act 4 how their love turns sour.