It is obvious as one reads along the first act of "Much Ado About Nothing" that Beatrice and Benedick are attracted to one another (even if it's in an awkward way) but neither one of them seems to want to admit it. In Act 1 scene 1 (when we see Benedick and Beatrice first interact) Benedick tells Beatrice that he is "loved by all women" but her. He then changes his pitch by saying that he'd wish he could change his "cold heart" because he doesn't really love anyone. It clear that he doesn't mean the latter part of what he said to Beatrice. Why else will he question why Beatrice doesn't love him when "all women" do? I think that the only thing that's getting in the way of them getting together is their ego.
Later on in the evening of Act 1, Benedick tells Don Pedro and Claudio how he wishes to remain a bachelor til old age because he doesn't trust women. It seems that his mother cheated on his father and that's why he rather not get involved with any woman but I don't think he believes that of Beatrice. The fact that she speaks to him so bluntly not caring if he's insulted by what she says, is an indication that he can trust her. He can trust that she is honest about what she tells him about himself, although there could be another side to this issue which I do not see at the moment. As I mentioned before, Ego is there number one enemy-not each other. As for Cupid, he should aim at there ego and not their hearts.
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4 comments:
Absolutely true: both B & B value their reputations enormously. They care about what their friends say (as we see at the end of Act 2 and the beginning of Act 3), and so one possible reason that they can't get together is that things have been said that are difficult to take back.
I totally agree with what your saying here. Benedick might say all of those things about not wanting to get married and how it's just a waste of time but deep down he wants to fall in love like everyone else does. He has too much pride to admit it.
I never saw ego being an issue as much as I did stubborness but you raise an interesting point
We both agree they love each other in very unorthodox way. You make parallel analysis as Sigmund Fred did in Hamlet – as Hamlet himself wants to kill his father to get closer to his mother. Great psychoanalysis of Benedick unpleasant childhood memories with his mother which might be true or not. It’s now essential for all critics to analyze everything in deep psychological perceptions
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