Research Notes on Comparison Between Romeo + Juliet's and Benedick + Beatrice's Relationship's

Research Notes On Comparison Between Romeo + Juliet's And Benedick + Beatrice's Relationship's

• Benedict jests he only takes Beatrice for pity whereas Beatrice claims to only accept him for she is under the belief that he is in consumption, suggests that their married life years will continue to be full of lively conversations and wit so that hopefully neither should have to ‘sigh away’ their ‘Sundays’ or bear the horns of a cuckold.
• Romeo and Juliet’s relationship: had it been given time to grow and mature more steadily, their love may have grown into the most beautiful flower of all.
• A key difference, which can be noted between Romeo and Juliet and Beatrice and Benedict, is the speed in which their relationship advances. Romeo and Juliet’s whole relationship takes place in a matter of three days whereas in much ado about nothing the audience gets the impression that Beatrice and Benedict have known each other a long time, perhaps having been involved in a romantic relationship some time before the beginning of the events in the play. In act 1 scene 1 Beatrice says ‘I know you of old’. To ‘know’ somebody in Shakespearean times often suggested you knew that person in a sexual context.
• In contrast, Beatrice and Benedict appear to be in no rush to get married. Both reveal apprehensions about it during the play. Beatrice likens marriage to a five step jig describing the initial part as ‘hot and hasty… and full as fantastical’. The words ‘hot and hasty’ suggest that Beatrice sees the first part of a relationship as passionate and exciting; the words ‘full of fantastical’ seem to be suggesting that this part of the relationship is almost like a fantasy, an illusion, not real. Beatrice could be suggesting that at first you don’t really know somebody and what might seem perfect at first may turn out to be a disappointment. This may have been how Beatrice felt when she first met Benedict. She seems to hint that he has let her down in some way offering only a ‘single heart’ for her ‘double one’ , and that he won it with ‘false dice’. The illusion of gambling perhaps suggests that Beatrice sees a potential relationship a risky game and one she might not win. Considering this, one can return to Romeo and Juliet and how well they really knew each other when they decided to get married. Only hours before meeting Juliet, Romeo had been in live over a girl called Rosaline. His love for Juliet does not appear deeper and more real, yet how confident can the audience be that this love would stand the test of time ??