The Beatrice-Benedick love story forms a contrast to that of Claudio and Hero. Justify the statement by giving instances from the text.
Shakespeare was such a
playwright who can be proclaimed as a creator himself. Like God he creates
living beings, Shakespeare creates characters. He brings his characters to life
by a thousand little strokes of observation. Name any human qualities, like
passion, sentiment emotion, courage, dedication and they are there. If we
compared the two couples in the play, we would see that both couples share a
problem with trust. However, for Benedick and Beatrice, the feelings of hate
and distrust come first in their relationship, but then they grow to love each
other. While on the other hand, Claudio and Hero experience love at first
sight, but then Claudio develops an unwarranted distrust of Hero. The two sets of characters in this play,
Benedick-Beatrice and Claudio-Hero are romantically linked. If, judged from
different aspects of life, there is humour and sorrow,there is praise and
denouncement , there is courage and meekness, extended fully into human
characters.
The love story of Benedick-Beatrice is quite intrigueing. The
readers are left to wonder whether Beatrice is truly in love with Benedick. At
the beginning, she is greatly inquisitive about Benedick's attainment in the
battle. In fact one is made to suspect that she poses a hatred for him. Even
Benedick refers to her as Lady Disdain. Their verbal altercation is ignited
from the first act and continues to spit venom throughout the course of the
play till the church scene in which Beatrice and Benedick turn out to be true
lovers in the true sence of the term. Beatrice is marked as arrogantly superior
in her insistence that she will never marry, eventually gets struck by Cupid's
arrow and ties her knot with Benedick. Beauty and attraction are her forte. She
is a colourful personality who dominates the whole play. She is Lady Tongue,
who makes immediate use of every opportunity to direct the most pointed darts
of her sarcasm and raillery against Benedick. Her wit is commendable as well as
her protective nature towards her cousin, Hero. In her exasperation,she
even asks Benedick to till Claudio'. No sooner does Benedick accept the
challenge than he becomes worthy of love of Beatrice. She realized the need of
a man to champion her cause. Their love is tested under severe adversity before
entering into matrimony, thus it is assured that they live happily forever. On
the other hand, Benedick is a professed tyrant of the opposite sex. But he is
an honest man and man of simple judgment. He wishes to remain a bachelor as he
does not trust the loyalty of woman. His popular attitude to woman is exhibited
in the "skirmishes" of wit exchanged between Benedick and Beatrice.
Though he acknowledges Beatrice's beauty and her formidable wit, yet he always
brings himself into an outrageous opposition with her. He has no, poetic sense
and confesses that "No, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I
cannot woo in festive terms". But both, Beatrice and Benedick shed off the
barrier of wit and pride in the church scene and Benedick romantically asks
Beatrice "Come bid me do anything for thee". What others wanted to
achieve through gulling of Beatrice and Benedick gradually culminates into
success.
Hero, may have been given the role of the heroine in the play
but it is her cousin who outshines her throughout the play. Beatrice is
boisterous, talkative and vivacious. In contrast Hero is modest, submissive and
quiet. Though she is not dull witted, her voice is seldom heard except in the
scene in which she gets involved in gulling. Here, she seems to be very
spirited and humorous. The same inclination is noticed in the masked dance
while answering her partner. Still she is meek, silent and unobtrusive. She has
no individuality regarding marriage, no ardent love for Claudio, and even when
her innocence has been established, she tamely surrenders to her accuser.
Beatrice, on the other hand has such strong views on marriage.Hero has no firm
opinion about men .What her father says, she accepts. Beatrice strongly
pronounces her attitude towards men. Claudio, on the other hand, cannot derive
any sympathy from the readers although he is a youthful man, endowed with a
personal courage far above his years, not only in war, but is courageous enough
in accepting Benedick's challenge with a non-chalant attitude.
But in the affairs of his heart, he is by no means an ardent
lover. He is no Romeo, he has self control and that comes out clearly in the
church scene while repudiating Hero. Claudio is highly. suspicious and easily
gullible who rushes head-long into wrong conclusions. He also lacks self confidence.
He needs someone to .lean for support. Unlike Benedick, Claudio has no
self-reliance, initiative and experience. He reacts first and rationalizes
after. He is a young sentimentalist who needs mature guidance from another.
From the above analysis, it is clear that the two set of characters are so very
different from each other. Beatrice and Benedick are lively and have a
penetrating sense of humour; Hero and Claudio are contemplative and bashful.
Both Beatrice and Benedick love Hero and she is sincerely reciprocative.:
Beatrice and Benedick both apparently have strong contempt for marriage; Hero
listens to her father's words and Claudio's marriage plans are normal. Beatrice
and Benedick are independent and will not take orders from anyone, Hero is less
independent and Claudio is gullible. Beatrice and Benedick are always in a
bantering mood, Hero and Claudio are subject to depression and anger
respectively as even on the morning of their wedding day. Benedick's banter
hides a deep affection for Beatrice, Claudio's love for Hero lacks depth and he
suffers no remorse at the news of her death. Benedick has a practical approach
to love and professes his love to Beatrice all by himself but Claudio lacks a
sense of initiative. Benedick has a strong sense of humour where as Claudio is
highly conceited. All these characters are individuals and thus they all
dwell on different platforms. Love binds them. Beatrice and Benedick will lead
a happy life assuredly, but in case of Hero and Claudio, we, the readers are
less assured.
Shakespeare was such a
playwright who can be proclaimed as a creator himself. Like God he creates
living beings, Shakespeare creates characters. He brings his characters to life
by a thousand little strokes of observation. Name any human qualities, like
passion, sentiment emotion, courage, dedication and they are there. If we
compared the two couples in the play, we would see that both couples share a
problem with trust. However, for Benedick and Beatrice, the feelings of hate
and distrust come first in their relationship, but then they grow to love each
other. While on the other hand, Claudio and Hero experience love at first
sight, but then Claudio develops an unwarranted distrust of Hero. The two sets of characters in this play,
Benedick-Beatrice and Claudio-Hero are romantically linked. If, judged from
different aspects of life, there is humour and sorrow,there is praise and
denouncement , there is courage and meekness, extended fully into human
characters.
The love story of Benedick-Beatrice is quite intrigueing. The
readers are left to wonder whether Beatrice is truly in love with Benedick. At
the beginning, she is greatly inquisitive about Benedick's attainment in the
battle. In fact one is made to suspect that she poses a hatred for him. Even
Benedick refers to her as Lady Disdain. Their verbal altercation is ignited
from the first act and continues to spit venom throughout the course of the
play till the church scene in which Beatrice and Benedick turn out to be true
lovers in the true sence of the term. Beatrice is marked as arrogantly superior
in her insistence that she will never marry, eventually gets struck by Cupid's
arrow and ties her knot with Benedick. Beauty and attraction are her forte. She
is a colourful personality who dominates the whole play. She is Lady Tongue,
who makes immediate use of every opportunity to direct the most pointed darts
of her sarcasm and raillery against Benedick. Her wit is commendable as well as
her protective nature towards her cousin, Hero. In her exasperation,she
even asks Benedick to till Claudio'. No sooner does Benedick accept the
challenge than he becomes worthy of love of Beatrice. She realized the need of
a man to champion her cause. Their love is tested under severe adversity before
entering into matrimony, thus it is assured that they live happily forever. On
the other hand, Benedick is a professed tyrant of the opposite sex. But he is
an honest man and man of simple judgment. He wishes to remain a bachelor as he
does not trust the loyalty of woman. His popular attitude to woman is exhibited
in the "skirmishes" of wit exchanged between Benedick and Beatrice.
Though he acknowledges Beatrice's beauty and her formidable wit, yet he always
brings himself into an outrageous opposition with her. He has no, poetic sense
and confesses that "No, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I
cannot woo in festive terms". But both, Beatrice and Benedick shed off the
barrier of wit and pride in the church scene and Benedick romantically asks
Beatrice "Come bid me do anything for thee". What others wanted to
achieve through gulling of Beatrice and Benedick gradually culminates into
success.
Hero, may have been given the role of the heroine in the play
but it is her cousin who outshines her throughout the play. Beatrice is
boisterous, talkative and vivacious. In contrast Hero is modest, submissive and
quiet. Though she is not dull witted, her voice is seldom heard except in the
scene in which she gets involved in gulling. Here, she seems to be very
spirited and humorous. The same inclination is noticed in the masked dance
while answering her partner. Still she is meek, silent and unobtrusive. She has
no individuality regarding marriage, no ardent love for Claudio, and even when
her innocence has been established, she tamely surrenders to her accuser.
Beatrice, on the other hand has such strong views on marriage.Hero has no firm
opinion about men .What her father says, she accepts. Beatrice strongly
pronounces her attitude towards men. Claudio, on the other hand, cannot derive
any sympathy from the readers although he is a youthful man, endowed with a
personal courage far above his years, not only in war, but is courageous enough
in accepting Benedick's challenge with a non-chalant attitude.
But in the affairs of his heart, he is by no means an ardent
lover. He is no Romeo, he has self control and that comes out clearly in the
church scene while repudiating Hero. Claudio is highly. suspicious and easily
gullible who rushes head-long into wrong conclusions. He also lacks self confidence.
He needs someone to .lean for support. Unlike Benedick, Claudio has no
self-reliance, initiative and experience. He reacts first and rationalizes
after. He is a young sentimentalist who needs mature guidance from another.
From the above analysis, it is clear that the two set of characters are so very
different from each other. Beatrice and Benedick are lively and have a
penetrating sense of humour; Hero and Claudio are contemplative and bashful.
Both Beatrice and Benedick love Hero and she is sincerely reciprocative.:
Beatrice and Benedick both apparently have strong contempt for marriage; Hero
listens to her father's words and Claudio's marriage plans are normal. Beatrice
and Benedick are independent and will not take orders from anyone, Hero is less
independent and Claudio is gullible. Beatrice and Benedick are always in a
bantering mood, Hero and Claudio are subject to depression and anger
respectively as even on the morning of their wedding day. Benedick's banter
hides a deep affection for Beatrice, Claudio's love for Hero lacks depth and he
suffers no remorse at the news of her death. Benedick has a practical approach
to love and professes his love to Beatrice all by himself but Claudio lacks a
sense of initiative. Benedick has a strong sense of humour where as Claudio is
highly conceited. All these characters are individuals and thus they all
dwell on different platforms. Love binds them. Beatrice and Benedick will lead
a happy life assuredly, but in case of Hero and Claudio, we, the readers are
less assured.
