Compare the characters of Hero and Beatrice in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.

Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing opens at the home of Leonato, the governor of Messina in Italy. Leonato, his daughter Hero, and his niece Beatrice are told by a messenger that Don Pedro and his men will soon arrive. One of the men, Claudio, is in love with Hero. His friend Benedick and Beatrice are friendly rivals who often match wits and taunt each other. Leonato is happy to recieve his guests.

Hero and Beatrice, though cousins, are not much alike. Hero is quiet, obedient, and shy. Beatrice is neither quiet nor shy. She is very smart, very outspoken, and very witty. Despite their differences, the two young women are very close friends and care deeply for one another.  

Hero is in love with Claudio, Benedick's close friend. Beatrice and Benedick secretly care for one another, but are always trading insults and fighting. Of course, since the play is a comedy, the two couples end up together.

Compare Beatrice and Hero from Much Ado About Nothing from a feminist perspective.

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, and like many of his comedies, it is often considered from a feminist perspective. Its two main female characters, Beatrice and Hero, could not be more different in temperament, with the virginal Hero speaking little, and the mouthy Beatrice having remained unwed beyond what would have been a reasonable time frame because she is known for her wit and strong will, and will not marry any man she does not choose.

We can see early on in the play that Hero is not considered to be a woman with much agency of her own. Don Pedro tells his friend Claudio that if he loves Hero, he need only say so, and Pedro will work with Hero's father so that Claudio "shall have her." There is no consideration here of what Hero herself might wish. It is as if it is immaterial.

By contrast, it is obvious to the modern audience from early in the play that Benedick and Beatrice are meant to be together, but to a Shakespearean audience, their battles of wit are actually quite astonishing. A woman is not supposed to insult and argue with a man; she is certainly not to hold opinions such as: "I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me." For Beatrice, marriage is not the primary goal of her life, which in itself is a feminist statement. She parries and argues with Benedick right to the end, when they swear that they do not love each other "more than reason"—that is, only a logical amount—and he breaks off the argument by telling her that he will "stop her mouth." It seems evident, though, that a mouth like Beatrice's is unlikely to be stopped for long and that, moreover, Benedick would have little interest in his love if it were.