William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

During Act 1 Scene 1 in Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ up

until Act three scene two, the development of Benedick and Beatrice’s

relationship is made clear to the audience. It is easy to compare the

nature of their feelings by the way their relationship contrast from

the beginning of this section toward the end. It is clear from the

start that their emotions towards each other are near hatred, but they

continue to change into love and passion as the play progresses,

enabling the audience to make a comparison. The way the relationship

is portrayed on stage will determine the audience’s interpretation of

the development of their bond.

In Act 1 scene 1, we learn the basics of Beatrice and Benedick’s

relationship. From Leonato’s words, we learn that there is a ‘merry

war’ between Beatrice and Benedick, and that that are continuously in

conflict. This immediately may suggest first signs of passion, as

traditionally hate is the first sign of love.

“There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her… there’s

a skirmish of wit between them,” Act 1 scene 1 lines 45-47

Although hate may be the first sign of love, this is the only

suggestion of it, and the audience are not specifically told whether

its passion or if they simply just do not get along. We also discover

that this ‘skirmish of wit’ has been present for a long time. At the

end of Benedick and Beatrice’s first argument, Beatrice states, ‘I no

you of old.’ Depending on how this is staged, the audience could be

given quite different impressions of how she feels towards Benedick.

As the play continues to progres...

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...also says “he won it of me,

with false dice,” indicating he tricked her into loving him. This also

insinuates they may have been in a past relationship, and could be why

she is so scared of falling in love again, and has hidden her feelings

for Benedick. Analogous to Benedick, Beatrice is shocked to find out

she is loved, but is also overwhelmed with joy, and swears to return

his love.

Inclusively, Beatrice’s and Benedict’s relationship persistently

matures throughout Act I scene I, until they find themselves tricked

into admitting their love for one another. Although eventually

Benedick and Beatrice became betrothed, their characters do not change

at all. They still remain stubborn to deny their feelings for each

other, and the gradual development of their relationship prepares the

audience for the happy ending.