What Does Beatrice’s Language Show free essay sample

What does Beatrice’s language show about her attitudes towards different men in the two different scenes you have studied? 10th February 2012 Introduction Much ado nothing is a romantic Shakespeare play about two couples of lovers. The play is set in Messina, deep in the heart of Italy and is based in Elizabethan times. The lovers are namely; Claudio and Hero, Bennedick and Beatrice. Claudio is a noble Florentine count from Florence. Bennedick is a war hero from Padua. Both are honourable war heroes fighting for Don Pedro the prince of Aragon. Beatrice is the niece of Leonato the Governor of Messina. At the beginning of the play Don Pedro and his valiant fighters return from the wars to Messina. While at Messina Claudio immediately falls in love with Hero. However Beatrice and Bennedick trade insults and banter. Bennedick and Beatrice seem to have more experience in love as they take the more cautious approach. We will write a custom essay sample on What Does Beatrice’s Language Show or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Claudio immediately falls in love with Hero and show no hesitations into throwing himself head first in a relationship. Bennedick seems to have held many relationships with different women,† Then is courtesy a turn coat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies only you excepted† he states rather regretfully. This shows that perhaps even though he is loved all ladies, the only one lacking is the only one he is interested in. The play is rather merry and light-headed to start with, people meeting and trying to impress each other with clever speech and poetic sentences. However there are no indications of darker moments destined to happen later in the play. STEP 2 Beatrice is not the typical Elizabethan woman, she is not afraid to make use of her wits at insulting and sharing sexual innuendo with other men. Signor Mountanto† is the insulting name which she devised for Bennedick at the start of the play, this name has two meanings. Firstly Mountanto is a move in fencing, it is the upward thrust of the sward which suggests she thinks he is stuck up and to arrogant for his own good. But also the more devious meaning could be referring to Bennedick as being rather popular with the woman, he even says so himself later â€Å"But it is certain I am loved of all ladies†. She could be referring to him as being a bit of a Wing man because Mountanto could be a reference to the move mounting in sexual intercourse. She gets the better of everyone she argues with â€Å"You always end with a jades trick, I know you of old†. This means that she has some history with him, however Elizabethan women of the time rarely spoke showing that Beatrice has a rather unique individual personality. Perhaps it’s the fact she was brought up an orphan by her Uncle that made her the way she was. She’s tough on the outside and likes to make sarcastic comments to make herself look full of personality. However on the inside she is like any other woman. I was born to speak all matter and no Mirth† she tells Don Pedro later in a conversation. We know from contextual knowledge she is the orphan of Leonato relative. Perhaps the loss of her parents and other events in her childhood have actually shaped her into the loud mouthed, well-spoken individual she is in the play. Beatrice’s weaknesses definitely do not include speaking and confidence but rather keeping her mouth shut and refrainin g from insulting everyone she clashes with. She’s bold, quick to insult and proud. Perhaps the word Arrogant sums her up in full. At the beginning of the play Beatrice cannot wait to show her disgust for Bennedick interrupting with â€Å"I pray you, is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars or no†? This shows he is clearly in her thoughts but she is somehow keen to show everyone else her dislike for him. Mountanto was a fencing move of the time, so she probably meant for people to think she was implying that he was proud and stuck up. However her sarcastic tone shades it in a completely different light all together. She also probably was referring to mounting (in intercourse) as an inside joke to those who scrambled deeper into the comment. This was to impress people with her ability to give a word two directions. However beneath all this fancy language we can derive that Bennedick was painted all over Beatrice’s thoughts and she cannot resist asking about his well-being. When the messenger states he knows none of that name, Hero her cousin says â€Å"My cousin means Signor Bennedick of Padua† this clearly shows that not only is Bennedick and Beatrice’s thoughts he is also a subject of conversation and discussion between Beatrice and Hero. The way Beatrice speaks seemingly spitefully about Bennedick shows us she is perhaps interested in Bennedick and trying not to arouse the suspicion of the messenger and her uncle. By adding sarcastic comments and insults where Bennedick name appears shows us she is trying hard not to bring out her real feelings for him, the name â€Å"Signor Mountanto† is one of the names Beatrice has devised to insult Bennedick however the fact that the name is so complex in meaning and the inside joke so well thought out shows us she has really thought about this insult and it has not an insult off the top of her head. Beatrice is more devious and careful about relationships than Claudio who seems rather desperate to get with Hero and throw himself headfirst into a relationship that he perhaps knows nothing about. This suggests perhaps she has more experience in love and relationships and has also experienced disappointment and is afraid of it. STEP 3 When Bennedick and Beatrice meet they immediately engage in a fierce verbal battle, trading insults and arguing dramatically. â€Å"Beatrice: I wonder that you will still be talking Signor Bennedick, nobody marks you. Bennedick: My dear lady disdain. Are you yet living? This short extract tells us that the Bennedick and Beatrice clearly have some history. At the time people meeting for the first time would strive to impress each other with elegant speech and poetic talk as the messenger said to Leonato in the introduction â€Å"doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion† later Leonato responds with â€Å"How much better is it to weep a t joy, than to joy at weeping†. The messenger is trying to impress Leonato with alliterations Figure of a Lamb (beginning with F and L) and then saying something the opposite (Feats of a Lion) but beginning with the same letter. After hearing this play with words Leonato feels obliged to respond later with word play â€Å"How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping† this highlights that first impressions at the time were important and seen as a chance to promote ones image and create awe. However as Bennedick and Beatrice have some history and know each other well as Beatrice later says â€Å"You always end with a Jade’s trick, I know you of old† this quote shows that perhaps Beatrice not only knows Bennedick well but also argues regularly with him too. This argument is perhaps not the first argument in their â€Å"merry war†. The fact that they argue also suggests something else. The reason for their argument could have been caused by the fact that they perhaps had a failed relationship before or disagreement â€Å"Indeed my lord, he leant it me awhile and I gave use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice: therefore your grace may well say I have lost it† this is a short extract taken from Beatrice’s conversation with Don Pedro later on. It shows that perhaps Beatrice regrets losing her relationship with Bennedick. However despite this what entertains the audience most is Beatrice and Bennedick’s arguments. Conflicts are what make things interesting. They make entertainment successful because more often than not, there is a resolution, a road to recovery and that’s what makes them so satisfying to watch. The same applies to much ado nothing, if everything was a rosy garden than the film would bear no purpose and entertainment. To make a play interesting there must always be a spanner in the works; a few examples: Eastenders and The Simpsons are just a few examples. These programs have conflicts and arguments quite regularly; it’s the argument that produces an interesting scene and an interesting solution. However one thing must be made straight, in Elizabethan times it was more difficult to rehearse and display convincing physical conflicts, therefore the solution was to put in verbal conflicts instead. This made sure there was some sort of problem in the play but it was realistic and convincing enough to entertain the audience. Comedy conflicts usually include some banter which makes the audience laugh and after all making an audience laugh is the key to success in plays intended for the upper class to watch in Elizabethan times. STEP 4 Beatrice has not had too good an experience with love as Shakespeare portrays especially well in the conversation involving Beatrice and Don Pedro. In the rest of the play we get the impression that Beatrice is loud mouthed and proud however in this conversation she seems more humble and more willing to speak honestly and not sarcastically because of Don Pedro. Don Pedro was the prince at the time it was custom that all ladies respected him because of his high social status. Beatrice was no exception. She tells Don Pedro of her failed relationship with Bennedick rather regretfully â€Å"Indeed my lord, he leant it me awhile and I gave use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice: therefore your grace may well say I have lost it† this extract shows that underneath the strong personality Beatrice is the same as everyone else. She too has her ups and downs. Due to her failed relationship with Bennedick she has a negative approach to relationships because she is weary of disappointment. This is much unlike Claudio who has probably never held a relationship, never been cheated on and never experienced disappointment. When Don Pedro said â€Å"will you have me lady† Beatrice replies â€Å"No, my lord, unless I might have another for working days. Your grace is too costly to wear everyday† this is the first time the audience have heard Beatrice down grading herself and being modest, she is perhaps feeling honoured to not only be talking to Don Pedro the Prince but to have been proposed to by Don Pedro. From this we can draw that the person that Beatrice appears to be throughout the rest of the play; tough, proud and arrogant is not her real self. Underneath she is the same as everyone else she has emotions and can be modest too. In conclusion, Beatrice reacts differently to different men depending on who they are. She has history with Bennedick which might explain her aggressive and sarcastic attitude towards Bennedick. Don Pedro the prince and is of high social status so she tones down her attitude, becomes modest suddenly and respects Don Pedro well. To the messenger she is not afraid to share some banter and speak rudely and to Leonato her uncle, she maintains the same arrogant attitude but with a respect for him. The contrasting attitudes make Beatrice seem like many different people and the fact that she has so many different reactions towards different people in the same situation entertains the audience because one person has never had so many different personalities.