In Much Ado about Nothing, Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Benedict as ideal for each other; however they can also be seen as very different people. Their views of love, marriage, courtship and honor are different, however Shakespeare illustrates that they are both honorable people, although they think about honor differently. Beatrice and Benedict have been said to be the most effective figures of Much Ado about Nothing. Their wit, although at first seemingly presented as the same, is actually quite different. Intelligent as she is, Beatrice reflects very little of herself in her wit.
Instead, she fiercely expels it whenever something inspires her to do so I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedict nobody marks you. (Shakespeare, p. 77) Benedict’s wit, on the other hand, is presented by Shakespeare as more reflective in its content especially when he is on his own. He reflects not only on himself but also on other people and what they have said of him The Princes fool! – it is the base, the bitter disposition of Beatrice that puts the world into her person. (Shakespeare, p.
109) It is almost as pungent as Beatrices, with the entire pleasantry. It is, however, a lot less spontaneous, henceforth Beatrice always gets the better of him in their little skirmishes. Benedict is known by the other characters in the play as a notorious scorner of women and of romantic love. Benedict is quite superior to the other male characters of the play. When the grave occasion of the wedding between Hero and Claudio comes, he postpones his habits of mocking and jesting, and we see his wisdom and intelligence shine through. When Hero is accused of being promiscuous, when even her father is convinced of her guilt, he is the first to suspect that the practice of it lives in John the Bastard.
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(Shakespeare, p. 140) The same can be said about Beatrice who proves herself to be brave and generous showing both Beatrice to have superior morals to the other characters in Much Ado About Nothing as well as showing them to be matched morally as well as intellectually. She prides herself on her fast wit and intelligence, but as soon as Hero is accused, she becomes serious and full of resentment and anger towards Claudio. However, her anger is noble and very righteous. Shakespeare used Beatrice comically to diffuse the uproar that could have been caused by his exploration of gender roles whilst still addressing the issues. Beatrice is very aggressive in her verbal attacks and indeed, the witty remarks and conversation are not typical of an upper-class Elizabethan lady.
Despite aspiring to male stature and privilege in society, she retains her femininity and is lady-like at all times. She is polite to her piers and is described by Don Pedro as a pleasant spirited lady. (Shakespeare, p. 183) This shows that she is willing to except at least part of her role in society and would still be flexible when it came to marriage. Both Beatrice and Benedict suffer the humiliation of being tricked into falling in love with each other by the other characters in the play, however their honor does not allow them to complain. Benedict and Beatrice are likely to succeed because of their personality similarities and because their marriage is not likely to become boring.
Benedicts and Beatrices mutual love separates them from the other characters of Much Ado about Nothing. Beatrice, especially, wants an open honest and committed relationship where they hold equal position. Their compromise to not woo peaceably but to love no more that reason shows that their relationship will be equal and that their love will never fade because the meanings and boundaries of their perception of honor will be continually redefined and compromised upon.
