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  • Essay / The Benedick and Beatrice Relationship: A Modern View

    William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, brimming with metaphors and figurative clowning, falls in the tradition of comedy and tragedy. While Shakespeare displays an exemplary wit that marks his work as so iconic and formal; he probably brings the most memorable characters to the play; Beatrice and Benedick and their own volatile and casual relationship with life. A modern audience finds his relationship partially satisfying. Shakespeare's use of structural and linguistic devices allows the audience to believe in the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice. These characteristics, taken in the context Shakespeare created, further establish their credibility, especially when compared to Claudio and Hero.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay A Shakespearean audience would have considered Beatrice's actions and behavior scandalous. This is largely due to his outspokenness and his position within a strongly patriarchal hierarchy. Shakespeare places her alongside other characters in order to emphasize certain characteristics that ultimately make her more suitable for marriage to Benedick. Beatrice's vulgar mouth and crude personality when discussing marriage prospects seemed shocking at first; “I would rather hear a dog bark at a crow than a man swear that he loves me” Beatrice objectifies the men here and places them among the crows and the dogs to demonstrate their insignificance. She thus revealed that she did not need the love of any man to be validated as a woman. Generally, a patriarchal society was quick to objectify women and view them as an “object” to be seen rather than heard. This is demonstrated by Benedick who declares himself “an open tyrant of their sex”. Thus, at the beginning of the play we see the couple as mutually incompatible, but by the end they can be seen as more viable because Benedick softens his stance towards her, as evidenced by the sonnet "fashioned with his own hand" . Benedick demonstrates that he is willing to step out of the patriarchal hierarchy in order to show his love and admiration for Beatrice despite the fact that he will be mocked by his male friends: "In time the wild bull will bear the yoke." At several points in the play, the relationships are made wild and unpredictable by their explicit comparison to animals, but Benedick and Beatrice put this aside and reveal how willing they are to endure this for the sake of one another. 'other. Throughout the play, the two share a war of words, and as the story unfolds, the relationship between the two fickle lovers can be seen as questionable for various reasons. Beatrice's integral existence seems to be in complete opposition to this. Beatrice is often used as a euphemism in the narrative and her role here can be seen as ambiguous in its significance for the play. Beatrice's early use of innuendo allows the audience to understand the genre of the play as a comic reflection; “I'm sure he's in the fleet. I would have liked him to come on board.” The double meaning and sexual connotations of the language used by Beatrice portray her as a comical and pointed figure in the plot and set her apart from the boring and bland tastes of women who are seen and not heard like Hero, her suggestion according to which she longs for an intimate relationship with Benedick and reveals how she knows he is a good lover due to a past relationship. Highlighted further by his praise of Benedick; "And a good soldier for a lady, but is hefor a lord?". Literary devices such as Antanaclasis and Acutezza as well as its repetitive use of ; antonomasia; "Please, has Signor Mountanto returned" emphasize throughout the film how Beatrice is not not marginalized like the other women in the play while properly establishing the comedic aspects that can root a lot of noise in this genre. Because of this clarity, it is also possible that the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice can be seen as more viable for. this very reason, as a traditional comic genre is traditionally known to have a happy ending. A contemporary audience is more likely to be satisfied because Beatrice's power as a woman is accepted as the norm in modern society and dynamics. of the relationship is deemed much more acceptable Additionally, Shakespeare further proposes that Benedick and Beatrice are realistic and are ultimately meant to be together through the audience's familiarization with the context of their past relationship "indeed my lord, he hath me." lent him a time, and I gave him the use of it, a double heart for one.” This clearly highlights how the couple already had a relationship, meaning their two hearts are already connected by history and love. Despite the negative connotations and circumstances that may have occurred; the context of their relationship with each other taking place over several years instead of being compressed into the pressurized space of a few days and being juxtaposed with Claudio and Hero allows the audience to see their love as genuine and that They are actually meant to be together. They found each other. Likewise, being set in such a gloriously spotless and perfect place as Messina also adds to the viability of Benedick and Beatrice's relationship and the resolution of their bickering and harsh exchanges at the end of the play. The public; as soon as they are introduced to such a distant and smooth atmosphere, they have the impression that everything will come to a happy and satisfying resolution. This is further reinforced by Leonato announcing "Never any problems in my house like your grace". The euphemistic title, fully anchoring Much Ado in a comic light, also seems to make viable the possibility of happiness with the explicit suggestion that "nothing" will go wrong and that despite any conflict, everything will be resolved in a positive way. Shakespeare through the structure seems to subtly imply that the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is meant to be and that at the end of the play they will end up together. Several parallels emerge between the two characters, for example the introduction of deception as a plot foundation that moves key events forward. For example, both characters find themselves in a situation where they are deceived by friends in terms of mutual feelings. Accessibility to both events via dramatic irony allows the audience to see the characters as connected and destined for each other. Both are referred to consecutively as animals throughout these scenes; “Bait the hook well, this fish will bite” and “eagerly devour the treacherous bait”. The similarities and lexical field revealed here with fishing and bait repetition; suggest how both men are clueless and were lured so easily by something that seems attractive, like the promise of love, highlighting how both, despite their denial, actually yearn for love, but it s It's actually a harmless deception that they're both addicted to. Furthermore, Benedick makes it clear that he actually craves Beatrice's affection instead of her "disdain"; “She speaks daggers and every word stabs.” Using a metaphor to describe such a violent act.