Beatrice And Benedick Analysis

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Originating from 5th century ancient Greece; comedy is one of the oldest forms of drama that has been interpreted by many influential people to include the infamous William Shakespeare. The idea of this comic form is to highlight the incapability and stupidity of society in its day. Satire uses humour, irony, exaggeration, ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues; for example, the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick. Additionally, dramatic comedy uses farce which is the concept of buffoonery and horseplay and typically includes crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations; for example Hero’s false infidelity. In the Elizabethan…show more content…
Before Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato begin to talk about Beatrice, he says “One woman shall not come in my grace…rich shall she be, that’s certain: wise, or I’ll none: virtuous, or I’ll never cheapen her”. This suggests that he is ignorant towards the women and that he is pretentious when it comes to choosing one: unless the perfect woman comes in his way, he will not do himself the wrong to look or search for any. However, after he hears the men talk about how Beatrice is in love with Benedick but won’t tell, Benedick has a sudden change of heart. He says “When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married”. This is comic because his attitudes to love have changed at an unexpected speed, which normally would not happen. Also, comedy is created through the fact that he has, involuntarily admitted that somewhere, deep down he was waiting for this to happen, even though he claimed that he hated Beatrice. Benedick is not the only one that is tricked; Beatrice is deceived by Ursula, Margaret and Hero into falling in love with Benedick. She had a very hostile attitude to marriage and love, mocking Hero and Claudio’s engagement by saying “I may sit in a corner and cry “Heigh ho for a husband”, however, despite her hard attitude, her vulnerable side is shown when she finds out that Benedick loves her and says “Taming my wild heart to my loving hand…if thou dost love, my kindness shall incite thee”. The powerful phrase “wild heart” emphasises that she has been holding the love in her for a long time and now it is the perfect opportunity to express it towards Benedick. This is also humorous because throughout the play, she showed hatred and mockery towards Benedick but now she claims that she is in love with him too, solving the problem of hatred between the two
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