Introduction
The movie ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, is a comedy based on William Shakespeare’s play. Benedick is one of the main protagonists alongside Beatrice, Hero and Claudio. Benedick, who is a soldier, is an assistant and close friend of Don Pedro, an Italian prince. When the movie begins, the soldiers have just returned to Messina from a battle. Benedick is an in depth character and he plays a key role in the movie in a variety of ways.
Main body
Benedick is a round character. He grows and develops as the plot advances. In the beginning he was portrayed as being skeptical of marriage and swore to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life, going to the extent of trying to dissuade Claudio from courting Hero. But in the end he underwent the transformation from soldier to lover such that he was willing to do anything to please Beatrice. For instance, he accepted to kill Claudio to restore Hero’s honor.
According to Friedman (1995) Benedick was against Claudio getting married as he was trying to preserve their male bond and friendship which could be threatened if there was a woman involved. In the end it was Benedick who ended up urging Don Pedro to get married, “Prince thou art sad, get thee a wife! Get thee a wife!”
The personality of Benedick is well depicted. He was a witty and entertaining figure, seen by his exaggeration when expressing himself. For instance during the mask ball scene when he asked Don Pedro to send him on any trivial errand to save him from having to talk to Beatrice “I will go on the slightest errand now to the Antipodes… rather than hold three words conference with this harpy”. He was also cynical, sharp tongued and argumentative; this is seen by the many light hearted bickerings they had with Beatrice.
According to Moisan (2003) Benedick’s lack of seriousness was seen when he challenged Claudio to a duel and everyone thought he was just making jest. According to Cummings (2003) Benedick succumbed to pressure and decided to court Beatrice as he did not want his friends to think him hard hearted after he overheard Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio say that Beatrice loved him. He was also loyal and honorable. According to Dobranski (1998) Benedick was quarrelsome and competitive as he did not want to be outdone by Beatrice.
Benedick helped in bringing out certain themes in the movie. For instance the theme of courtship and marriage. It is debatable whether Benedick and Beatrice were consciously or unconsciously in love. Dobranski (1998) argues that when Beatrice said “Marry, once before he (Benedick) won it (my love), of me, with false dice” could allude to some earlier relationship that they had which did not work out well. There is also masking where characters hid their true feelings.
This is portrayed in different instances like when Beatrice confided in Benedick without knowing it was him as he had on a mask. Benedick was unmasked when he overheard Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio in the garden talking about Beatrice’s supposed love for him and he went all out to try and capture her love. This shows that he had hidden feelings for her which he tried to hide by disdaining her. Also, according to Cummings (2003), in this movie gardens are portrayed negatively as they are used to scheme, manipulate and cause confusion as happened to Benedick and Beatrice.
Benedick symbolizes escapism. He ran away from Beatrice’s during the Mask Ball and in the final act when he put off Don Pedro’s punishment to the following day so that they could enjoy the wedding. This brings out the title of the movie,’ Much Ado About Nothing’ which alludes to characters running away from reality and serious matters by taking part in futile activity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that Benedick is a round character who plays a key role in the movie ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.
Bibliography
Cummings, J. Michael. Study Guide. ‘Much Ado About Nothing. A Study Guide’. 2003. Web.
Dobranski, B. Stephen. ‘Children of the Mind: Miscarried Narratives in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 38. (1998):233. Web.
Friedman, D. Michael. ‘Male Bonds in Marriage in ‘All’s Well’ and ‘Much Ado’. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. Vol 35. (1995). Web.
Gradesaver. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. 2008. Web.
Moisan, Thomas. ‘Deforming Sources: Literary Antecedents and Their Traces in Much Ado about Nothing.’ Contributors: Shakespeare Studies. Vol.31. (2003): 165+. Associated University Presses. Web.