Love In Much Ado About Nothing
Love in Much Ado About Nothing
“Love is a triumph of imagination over intelligence” This quote explains love in the simplest forms, love at first sight. A lot of people claim to be in love with someone without getting to actually know them. They like what they see on the surface without getting to know someone on personal levels. In the 16th century, a lot of the literature written was focused around the theme of love. In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, love is one of the key themes and it is what helps build most of the plot. In this play, imagination guides love in the beginning, then intelligence overpowers and plays a more important role nearing the end. The two relationships that developed in this play were between Hero/Claudio and Beatrice/Benedick. The love between Beatrice and Benedick starts with imagination and with the aid of intelligence, their relationship progressed. Claudio’s love for Hero switched from a play of his imagination to intelligence once Hero’s innocence was proven. Hero’s love remained until her name was cleared and she was proven to be innocent.
Beatrice and Benedrick have a completely different love story compared to the one between Claudio and Hero. They “despise” each other when they first meet, they constantly made fun of and threw verbal jabs at each other. They were a pair who loved to argue. They both refused to admit their feeling towards each other to anyone, even themselves. This is where their pride comes in. They would attack at each other’s weaknesses with harsh words. We get a glimpse into Benedicks feelings as he inadvertently hinted his fondness towards Beatrice when he says:
“I can see yet without spectacles and I see no such matter: there's her cousin, an she were not possessed with a fury, exceeds her as much in beauty at the first of May doth the last of December. But I hope you have no intent to turn husband, have you?”
(Act 1 Scene 1 - 170-174)
This line shows that Benedick believes that Beatrice
“Love is a triumph of imagination over intelligence” This quote explains love in the simplest forms, love at first sight. A lot of people claim to be in love with someone without getting to actually know them. They like what they see on the surface without getting to know someone on personal levels. In the 16th century, a lot of the literature written was focused around the theme of love. In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, love is one of the key themes and it is what helps build most of the plot. In this play, imagination guides love in the beginning, then intelligence overpowers and plays a more important role nearing the end. The two relationships that developed in this play were between Hero/Claudio and Beatrice/Benedick. The love between Beatrice and Benedick starts with imagination and with the aid of intelligence, their relationship progressed. Claudio’s love for Hero switched from a play of his imagination to intelligence once Hero’s innocence was proven. Hero’s love remained until her name was cleared and she was proven to be innocent.
Beatrice and Benedrick have a completely different love story compared to the one between Claudio and Hero. They “despise” each other when they first meet, they constantly made fun of and threw verbal jabs at each other. They were a pair who loved to argue. They both refused to admit their feeling towards each other to anyone, even themselves. This is where their pride comes in. They would attack at each other’s weaknesses with harsh words. We get a glimpse into Benedicks feelings as he inadvertently hinted his fondness towards Beatrice when he says:
“I can see yet without spectacles and I see no such matter: there's her cousin, an she were not possessed with a fury, exceeds her as much in beauty at the first of May doth the last of December. But I hope you have no intent to turn husband, have you?”
(Act 1 Scene 1 - 170-174)
This line shows that Benedick believes that Beatrice