Studied by 4 people
“Disdain” connotes scornfulness, disapproval and contempt, perhaps suggesting that Beatrice is always putting Benedick down and dismissing him
it also relfects how belligerent and conflicting their relationship is as Benedick seems to view Beatrice as a personification of everything negative through the noun “disdain”
Benedick questions whether she is yet “living” which perhaps indicate that Benedick simply does not care about her existence
Alternatively it could suggest that she is so old that she is at the point of death which adds to the comical tone of the play, as Much Ado is ultimately a romantic comedy
Shakespeare might also be disregarding the views men had towards women at that time
On one level, the phrase “my dear lady” could be seen to reveal the sarcastic or patronising tone Benedick has towards Beatrice and thus establishes his sense of power abover her. He demeans her to a lower status and almost reminds her of her role as a “lady” and thus her lack of significance and substantial knowledge
However, one could argue that the juxtaposition of “dear lady” and the scornful retort of “disdain” could depict the contrasting sides to their relationship that alludes to underlying affection
The personal pronoun “my” combined with the affectionate address of “dear” subtly uncover the inticmacy between their relationship, foreshadowing their hidden feelings for one another despite their scornful manner towards each other
Beatrice objectifies men here and places them amongst the likes of “dogs” and “crows” to indicate their significance
both dogs and crows were not regarded as valuable creatures
to say that the men has less significance than those insignifance creatures accetuates how irrelavant men are to Beatrice
she thereby revelaed how she does not need the love of any man to be validated as a woman
The bold animalistic imagery of a “dog” barking can be seen as rather unpleasant as it alleviates peace and quite
By stating that she would rather hear this than “a man swear he loves [her]” accentuates Beatrice animosity towards love. It also suggests that she refuses to conform to Elizabethan stereotypes
She is pushing the boundaries for conventional Elizabethan ideas of love and marriage and the stereotypes of Elizabethan women
The cawing of a cow is a symbol of misery and bad fortune
It is possible that Beatrice considers love towards men as miserable and unlucky
Shakespeare’s use of hyperbolic language augments the conflict between the two characters as well as the as the passion and acrimony displayed in her words
perhaps Shakespeare is trying to indicate Beatrice’s desperation to break the social constraints for women
oysters are closed and isolated
which might suggests that Benedick is very close minded about the topic of love
his ideas about love is isolated and unusual for a Shakespearan men
oysters are extremely difficult to open
this alludes to Benedick’s inability to open up about his feelings of love
also highlights the stubborn nature of Benedick
Oysters have a rather gooey and sloppy consistency implying that Benedick does not want love to change him into something weak or unsubstantial
The verb “transform” could might imply that Benedick sees marriage as a commitment that will change you permanately, perhpas in a negative way. Yet it could highlight shakespeare’s ideas about the power and impact of true love inrelationships
Alternatively, since oysters have the potnetial of a beautiful pearl inside, there is perhaps a sense of underlying love beneath Benedick’s persistent atitude, foreshadowing later events of him turning to love when over hearing his mates tricking him
This line produces a comedic effect, as it seems absurd that someone would fall “horribly” in love with another person after simply weighing that person’s virtues, which highlights the comic aspects of Benedick’s decision
The adverb “horribly” juxtaposes the abstract noun “love”, which symbolise the romantic yet conflicting relationship of Beatrice and Benedick
The word “horribly” alo echoes with the “merry war” of Beatrice and Benedick fighting with their wits
there is always an element of comeptition between them
It is not enough for Benedick to just reciprocate Beatrice’s passions; he must outdo them, perhaps in order to unseat her and win the competition
Shakespeare uses an emphatic future verbal phrase of “I will be” to establish Benedick’s determination and certainty
The definitive tone contrasts with his earlier attitude
However, the audiences might interpret this moment differently according to how the actor chooses to preform this soliloquy
One could interpret this as a hearfelt moment as Benedick realising that he is falling in love with Beatrice
Or could treat this as a comedic moment as Benedick is going against everything that he has said about love
The animlistic imagery of the verb “taming” presents Beatrice as a wild creature
subverts the stereotypes of a typical Elizabethan women
By describing her heart as “wild”
this implies that Benedick will calm and “tame” her animalistic state through his love
The use of romantic imagery underlines Beatrice’s transformation from being stubborn and arrogant when she denounces love as an option
this concretes the power that love holds as love is able to transform those who resist it the most
This verse is spoken in iambic pentameter - a form of litertaure associated with romantic ideas and thus reiterates her absoulte love for Benedick
However, there are slight irregularities during this verse, which indicates that she is not always willing to be subservient to men and live under the contrainsts of being a women, instead she will continue to be herself just as she refuses to conform to the traditional tight structure of Iambic Pentameter
this also sybolises how in her relationship with Benenedick she is able to refuse to change in her personality just to fit the social expecatations. In fact, this is what Benedick loves about her. Perhaps this is what Shakespeare is celebrating and encourages his audiences to do the same.
Shakespeare uses personification to present the complete submission of Beatrice’s heart to Benedick
The verb “protest” reveals her strong compassion and determined love for Benedick; she has fallen in love and cannot resist
Perhaps Shakespeares is reiterating the power and inescapable nature of love
There is also a stark contrast between her and Hero as she willingly makes her feelings and emotions known and clearly loves Benedick for who he is whilst Hero remains silent in her relationship with Claudio
Perhaps Shakespeare deliberately contrasts the conventional relationship of Hero and Claudio to the unconventional relationship of Beatrice and Benedick to urge for change in society
Note
Flashcard