Much Ado About Nothing Group

Question:

maliktorbay
maliktorbay
Student
College - Freshman

Discuss the contrasting impressions about Benedick from Act 1 to the conclusion.

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Posted by maliktorbay on Wednesday November 26, 2008 at 6:34 AM and tagged with benedick, characters, much ado about nothing.

Answers:

  1. jessecreations
    jessecreations Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    At the start of the play, Benedick is a confirmed bachelor; he swears he will never marry, and has no real interest in finding a partner in life.  He is a soldier, a man's man, and only interested in male bonding and female bashing.  This is particularly true when it comes to Beatrice, with whom he loves to exchange jokes and insults.

    Toward the middle of the play, Benedick's friends try to play a trick on him to get him to fall in love with Beatrice.  They let him overhear them talk about how much Beatrice loves him, and Benedick resolves then and there that he will be "horribly in love with her." 

    Benedick continues on this path toward a relationship with Beatrice, falling more and more in love with her despite the fact that it takes her a longer time to catch on and fall for him, too.  By the end of the play, Benedick is ready to shave his beard, marry Beatrice, and even challenge his best friend to a duel to the death over Beatrice's cousin.  He has made an abrupt and full change from a confirmed bachelor to a happy husband.

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    Posted by jessecreations on Monday December 8, 2008 at 2:26 PM