Act V Scene 4

·         Marriage solves everything (aspect of Shakespearean comedy)

·         Tying up loose ends

Act five scene four conforms to the convention of a Shakespearean comedy because marriage appears to solve all the problems that the young love faces, even Hero’s supposed death. Benedick both fit in to the character type of the ‘love struck young man’ that is an aspect of new comedy.

Claudio isn’t a likable character because he publically shames Hero and even when he believes her to be dead he doesn’t apologise or admit he was at fault. He remains adamant that he isn’t at fault, and shows no outward guilt. He agrees to marry a stranger, and says “I’ll hold my mind were she an Ethiope” suggesting he doesn’t really care about Hero at all as he can seemingly fall in and out of love instantaneously. When he realises Hero is alive he still doesn’t apologise or show any guilt for what he’s done.

Much Ado About Cake

Cake Recipe for Beatrice

Ingredients:

·         Sponge cake

·         Lemon filling (sarcasm, bitter)

·         Buttercream Icing – white (purity and virtue)

·         Smarties (intelligence and wit)

·         Love hearts (love)

In the case of Beatrice the lemon filling symbolises her sharp and sarcastic way of talking to people, she isn’t afraid to speak her mind or mock people. This means that in the play she can be seen as a shrew, because she isn’t a demure as the ideal woman should be (as Hero is). “The good nature of a woman is to be mild, timorous” – Sir Thomas Elyot 1531. Leonato says that she is “shrewd of thy tongue” and she is also described as being “too curst”.

Buttercream icing shows that whilst she is presented as a shrew she is still and pure and “virtuous” woman, her wit is used as a way of mocking people or showing her true feelings and she doesn’t use it as a way of being cruel. At her heart she is kind and loyal, particularly in the case of Hero, as she is the first person to defend her.

Beatrice’s intelligence is often shown through her use of wit in the play, a lot of the time shown in her conversations and resulting verbal sparring matches with Benedick. Her intelligence and wisdom means she isn’t a fool when it comes to love, there are suggestions that her and Benedick had some kind of previous relationship – “I know you of old.” And this means she is more guarded when it comes to her true feelings. As well as this she doesn’t let her feelings for Benedick get in the way of her loyalty to Hero, as she is prepared to leave Benedick if he doesn’t do as she wishes and kill Claudio.

In the end though, her love for Benedick does win out in the end and it is revealed through her hidden poetry. Underneath her mocking and her cynicism she is still romantic and wants love, but she wants it on her own terms and doesn’t bend to a man’s will as would be expected of a woman.

Study Questions

Why do Claudio and Don Pedro decide upon public humiliation of Hero at the wedding?

One reason for the public humiliation is because Claudio wants everyone to know what she has done (or what he thinks she has done) he has to make sure everyone knows that this is her fault and having an audience ensures this, by humiliating her at the wedding he is saving himself the embarrassment of a broken engagement as people may think it was something he did. He also wants to hurt her like he has been hurt.

How does Leonato react to Claudio’s accusation at the wedding? Why?

Leonato immediately believes Claudio even though he hasn’t been presented with any other evidence except from his words. He doesn’t believe what Hero has to say and believes Claudio over her because he is a man, they are in a patriarchal society so a man’s opinion takes precedence over a women’s, even though you would assume he would take his daughters side no matter what.

How has Benedick’s allegiance shifted in this scene from what it had been before? Why?

In this scene Benedick sides with Hero, and doesn’t believe what Claudio and Don Pedro say about her even though they are supposed to be his closest friends. The reason for this is because he is in love with Beatrice and she believes Hero.

How does Leonato interpret Hero’s facial expression? How does Friar Francis?

Leonato, because he believes Claudio, thinks she is blushing because she is feeling guilty; whereas Friar Francis believes she is blushing because she is innocent and just the mention of what she has supposedly done embarrasses her.

Who is the first to name Don John as the villain behind the plot?

The first person to name Don John as the villain was Benedick who says his “spirits toil in frame of villainies.”

What is the purpose of Friar Francis’ deception about Hero’s supposed death?

The purpose in his deception was to make Claudio feel guilty about humiliating her in front of everyone, this way he may forgive her and her reputation could be saved allowing her to still marry someday.

What is the backup plan if Hero’s reputation cannot be salvaged?

If her reputation isn’t salvaged the Friar suggests that she takes up a solitary, religious life “out of all eyes”

How does the language change once Benedick and Beatrice are alone? Why?

When Benedick and Beatrice are alone the language changes to prose from the poetic, rhyming speech that the friar makes. The Friar speaks in this style to make sure that audience pays attention to what he is saying; it makes sure that it sticks in their minds as the information is essential to the plot. When they speak to each other the language is very passionate and dramatic, and it is bathetic in parts. This shows how passionate the love between them is, which is different to the mild, conventional love between Hero and Claudio.

Who declares love first for the other, Benedick or Beatrice? Why? What is the complicating factor in this romantic climax between Beatrice and Benedick?

Benedick declares his love for her first because he is trying to comfort her; the light heartedness of his confession is contrasting to the seriousness of what happened to Hero. He can see she is different from how she has been throughout the rest of the play, as before he was purely joking he didn’t see any chance for love. The complicating factor is that she asks him to kill Claudio, which he does not want to do, even though he thinks that he was in the wrong.

How does the lecture explain Beatrice’s rage at line 300-325?

She is mad because she is unable to do anything about Hero’s situation purely because she is a woman, Hero’s troubles have been caused by a man and no matter what she or her cousin has to say people will not believe her. Leonato didn’t even consider Hero’s innocence until the Friar spoke to him, and because he was a man Leonato listened and believed him. Beatrice can’t even take revenge for Hero, she is only able to “die a women with grieving.” She doesn’t believe that the men are even truly men, they are more likely complement each other than fight in real battles.

How does Benedick’s decision to challenge Claudio represent a major change for his character?

It shows that he is able to admit his love for Beatrice and he isn’t as cynical about love as he appears at first. He develops from just fitting the “bragging solider” character trope and mocking Claudio and his love, to having a love of his own. He is becoming more mature.