Much Ado About Nothing By Shakespeare Essay -- Papers

Much Ado About Nothing By Shakespeare Shakespeare’s attitude toward courtship and romance combines mature suspicion with an awareness that the social realities surrounding courtship may detract from the fun of romance. The need to marry for social superiority and to ensure inheritance, complicates romantic relationships. Although this play is a comedy ending in multiple marriages and is full of witty dialogue making for many comic moments, it also addresses more serious events, including some that border on tragedy. The personalities of Beatrice and Hero vary greatly, leading them in opposite directions with their relationships, with Beatrice headed towards a good relationship and Hero towards a bad one. The conditions under which Beatrice's and Hero's marriages occur are the effect of their personal beliefs, which relate to their personalities. Beatrice's view on the circumstances under which marriage should occur revolve around the fact that true love must be present. This is shown when Beatrice says, â€Å"With a good leg and a good foot, uncle, and money enough in his purse, such a man would win any woman in the world, if I could get her good will.† (2.1.14-17) Here, she is saying that a man can possess all these qualities, but he can only have a woman is he can get her to love him. Beatrice believes in the principle of true love because she wants her husband to be faithful to her. This is obvious during a conversation between her and her father Antonio: Antonio: In faith, she's too curst. Beatrice: Too curst is more than curst: I shall lessen God's sending that way, for it is said, "God sends a curst cow short horns"; but... ..., leading them in opposite directions with their relationships, with Beatrice headed towards a good relationship and Hero towards a bad one. The circumstances under which their marriages occur, their statuses in their relationships, and the ways their relationships started all play a significant role in the probable outcomes of their relationships. Beatrice's belief in marriage only under the principle of true love, her authoritative status in the relationship, and the plot in which she discovers her true feelings for Benedick all work together to help her have a better relationship. Hero's contrasting beliefs of getting married only in order to uphold family honor, her secondary status in the relationship and her arranged relationship with Claudio lead her in the opposite direction than Beatrice with her relationship.