Much Ado About Nothing Group

Question:

kiwi9
kiwi9
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What is Shakespeare trying to do in the beginning of act 5, scene 2, where Margaret and Benedick seem to have an odd  conversation?

It seems like they flirt with one another, especially in a way that Benedick would with Beatrice.

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Posted by kiwi9 on Wednesday August 15, 2007 at 9:20 AM and tagged with act 5 scene 2, benedick, characters, conversation, margaret, much ado about nothing.

Answers:


  1. sagetrieb Teacher
    Doctorate

    The play is all about wit, and Benedick enjoys proving just how witty he is as does Margaret in this scene. And so, this is “normal” conversation for Benedick with a woman, yet he is flirting with her to some extent as well; using their own language, they are “fencing” with each other (playfully). Your question implies you find the sexual meaning in “come over” which first Benedick and then Margaret uses, and this is a fine example of Shakespearean bawdiness. “Give us the swords,” says Margaret, “we have bucklets of our own” (5.2.19) is another way for her to flirt with Benedick, show off her own wit, and to extend the gendered-based themes of the play concerning love and friendship

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/muchado
    http://www.enotes.com/muchado-text/act-v-scene-2

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    Posted by sagetrieb on Wednesday August 15, 2007 at 10:05 AM