Benedick’s False Love in Much Ado About Nothing Essay...

Benedick’s False Love in Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing is one of William Shakespeare’s best comedies and love stories. What is not to like about a play that is hilarious, romantic, and has a happy ending? In this play the foremost and most intriguing character is Benedick, a man who is a devout bachelor and who does not believe he will ever find the perfect woman; --because perfect is exactly what he must have. This may seem to be a harsh and pessimistic outlook on life, but the way Shakespeare brings this character to life portrays Benedick as a funny and caring man who really is not that certain about what he wants for the future. Benedick’s counterpart in the play is Beatrice who is an independent woman†¦show more content†¦However, upon hearing of Beatrice’s love for him he is suddenly perplexed and it does not take him long to decide that he will give that affection back in return. How easily persuaded Benedick is. This may come from the way Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato ( Benedick’s associates) depict Beatrice as the most wonderful woman in Messina. They talk of Beatrice as if she were the most magnificent woman so that Benedick will do exactly what he does indeed do. When Benedick hears of this he must be thinking of what he has said before about his desire for the perfect woman. In his speech he says that â€Å"the lady is fair . . . / . . . And virtuous. . . / . . . And wise[,]† which is exactly what Benedick demands in the woman that he will choose to be his wife. However, Benedick only believes these things about Beatrice because of what Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato have said about her. They only said them to convince Benedick that Beatrice was deserving of him and that she loved him with all her heart. They told Benedick just what he wanted to hear. It is a scheme made of lies, but it works because Benedick is persuaded and begins to agree with what they have said. By doing this he is already influencing himself to foll ow the opposite path from the one that he has adhered to for years. Here he is already starting to fool himself into believing Beatrice is the one for himShow MoreRelatedEssay on Compare and Contrast: Claudio and Benedick1375 Words   |  6 PagesJamila Aberle Tim Fairbairn Shakespeare: Then and Now Compare and Contrast: Claudio and Benedick Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, is a play that follows a small group of friends from a high-class society in Massina. Two of this group are friends are Claudio and Benedick. In the beginning of the play they are seemingly similar, in that they both are of an upper-class upbringing and do their best to maintain their social reputation. 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