Beatrice of William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing...

Beatrice of William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing One of the most intriguing characters from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing must be Beatrice. An intelligent, well-spoken (and, perhaps more interesting, outspoken) young woman, she is an almost exact opposite of her cousin, Hero. What makes Beatrice so different than what one expects of a woman during Shakespeare’s time? Why did Shakespeare decide to make her such a strong female character? It begs the question of what women were actually like in the Tudor era, and if she was really so radical a character. Beatrice is very different than the common expectation of women by people looking back on Shakespeare’s period and of the public of Shakespeare’s time in many ways. As†¦show more content†¦In the Tudor era (when Shakespeare was writing), the upper class married for political agendas, family advancement, and to secure the family status, if it could not be furthered. Most women did not have a choice in the matter of who they married, and by their mid-twenties, they were indeed married off to a suitable husband. Another quotation to show the importance of, and the view of marriage in the sixteenth-century (not long before Shakespeare wrote) comes from Alison Sim in The Tudor Housewife: The economics of marriage was not the only pressure on children to marry where their parents directed. Sixteenth-century children, and girls in particular, were very much brought up to obey, and to believe that it was their duty to their parents†¦ to marry the person chosen for them. It would have taken a very strong-minded girl indeed to have refused to follow her parents’ wishes. Girls who did refuse the partner offered could find themselves bullied by their parents. (3) Obviously Beatrice is a strong character to state quite clearly that she does not wish to marry and to stand by that statement (until she the end of the play where she chooses to marry Benedick out of love, which, incidentally, is another quirk about her considering the fact that she is of the upper class and they often married only for political agendas). Though, considering the information presented already, it must also be assumedShow MoreRelatedBenedick And Beatrice In William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing1042 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing follows the story of the two famous pairs of young lovers; Claudio and Hero, and Benedick and Beatrice. Although mainly following the first pair throughout the text, the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is followed throughout the text with less attention from the reader, not noticing love forming between the two. 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Claudio is deceived into believing that Hero, is unfaithful. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice have a kind of merry war between them, matching wits in repartee. This paper will attempt toRead MoreThe Influence of Commedia dell’arte on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Influence of Commedia dell’arte on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Commedia dell’arte had great influence of Shakespeare’s comedy â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†. This form of theatre shows many comparisons to the Shakespearian comedy. Commedia dell’arte created elements within a comedy that became standards across comedic literature. 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Hero is depicted in the play as a morally upright woman of good keep, and she seem to be a very loving and warm person in comparison to her cousin Beatrice. However she is made out to be a whore by Claudio at her own expense on her wedding day. Beatri ce is the heroine