7.2.2

Key Lines

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Benedick and Beatrice

Two quotations illustrate key aspects of Benedick and Beatrice’s loving relationship.

Key line

Key line

  • BENEDICK: Serve God, love me, and mend.
Religious imagery

Religious imagery

  • The use of religious imagery here contrasts to Beatrice's suggestion that it would “grieve a woman to be overmastered by a piece of valiant dust”.
  • However, “serve God” implies that it is the right that men and women should fall in love.
Imperative verb

Imperative verb

  • This is accentuated through the imperative verb “mend”.
  • The only way for Beatrice to recover from the shock of Hero’s treatment at the hands of Claudio, Don Pedro and Don John is to conform to the expectations of society by returning Benedick’s love.
True character

True character

  • Shakespeare presents Benedick’s feelings for Beatrice as sincere and caring.
  • He is concerned for both her well-being and Hero’s.
  • Again this adds to the idea that his previous persona of being “a profess’d tyrant” to women was merely an act.
  • The way he conducts himself here reflects his true character.

Benedick and Beatrice

Two quotations that illustrate key aspects of Benedick and Beatrice’s loving relationship.

Key line

Key line

  • BENEDICK: I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes, and, moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle’s.
Hyperbole

Hyperbole

  • In a style perhaps more often utilised by Shakespeare when writing Claudio’s character, Benedick speaks hyperbolically here, in the language of the conventional 16th century lover.
Agreement

Agreement

  • However, his assertion ends with a much more down-to-earth request: Beatrice has asked him to accompany her to Leonato’s to discover what is to happen now Don John’s villainy has been uncovered.
  • Happy and content in his love, he acquiesces (agrees) to Beatrice’s request, just as he (reluctantly) agreed to challenge Claudio.
Jump to other topics
1

Key Terminology

1.1

Key Terminology

1.1.1Key Terminology1.1.2End of Topic Test - Key Terminology
2

Structure & Form

2.1

Structure

2.1.1Structure2.1.2Acts 1 - 32.1.3Acts 4 - 5
2.2

Form

2.2.1Tragicomedy2.2.2End of Topic Test - Structure & Form
3

Act 1: Plot Summary

3.1

Act 1, Scene 1

3.1.1Summary3.1.2Key Lines3.1.3Key Lines 23.1.4End of Topic Test - Act 1, Scene 1
3.2

Act 1, Scene 2

3.2.1Summary3.2.2Key Lines
3.3

Act 1, Scene 3

3.3.1Summary3.3.2Key Lines3.3.3End of Topic Test - Act 1, Scenes 2-3
4

Act 2: Plot Summary

4.1

Act 2, Scene 1

4.1.1Summary4.1.2Key Lines4.1.3Key Lines 24.1.4Key Lines 34.1.5End of Topic Test - Act 2, Scene 1
4.2

Act 2, Scene 2

4.2.1Summary
4.3

Act 2, Scene 3

4.3.1Summary4.3.2Key Lines4.3.3Key Lines 24.3.4End of Topic Test - Act 2, Scenes 2-3
5

Act 3: Plot Summary

5.1

Act 3, Scene 1

5.1.1Summary5.1.2Key Lines
5.2

Act 3, Scene 2

5.2.1Summary5.2.2Key Lines
5.3

Act 3, Scene 3

5.3.1Summary
5.4

Act 3, Scene 4

5.4.1Summary
5.5

Act 3, Scene 5

5.5.1Summary5.5.2End of Topic Test - Act 3
6

Act 4: Plot Summary

6.1

Act 4, Scene 1 (Part 1)

6.1.1Summary6.1.2Key Lines6.1.3Key Lines 2
6.2

Act 4, Scene 1 (Part 2)

6.2.1Summary6.2.2Key Lines6.2.3Key Lines 2
6.3

Act 4, Scene 2

6.3.1Summary6.3.2End of Topic Test - Act 4
7

Act 5: Plot Summary

7.1

Act 5, Scene 1

7.1.1Summary
7.2

Act 5, Scene 2

7.2.1Summary7.2.2Key Lines
7.3

Act 5, Scene 3

7.3.1Summary
7.4

Act 5, Scene 4

7.4.1Summary7.4.2End of Topic Test - Act 5
8

Key Themes

8.1

Key Themes

8.1.1Love & Marriage8.1.2Deception, Appearances & Noting8.1.3Gender8.1.4Reputation8.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Themes
9

Recap: Main Quotes

9.1

Characters Quotes

9.1.1Beatrice9.1.2Beatrice 29.1.3Benedick 19.1.4Benedick 29.1.5Benedick 39.1.6Benedick 49.1.7Benedick 59.1.8Beatrice & Benedick9.1.9Beatrice & Benedick 29.1.10Beatrice & Benedick 39.1.11Claudio9.1.12Claudio 29.1.13Claudio & Benedick9.1.14Don John9.1.15Don John 29.1.16Don Pedro9.1.17Hero9.1.18Leonato9.1.19Leonato & Messanger
9.2

Text Structure - Quotes

9.2.1Deception, Appearances & Noting9.2.2Gender9.2.3Reputation

Practice questions on Key Lines

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Who says __"Serve God, love me, and mend"__ in Act 5, Scene 2?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Benedick, Act 5, Scene 2:Fill in the list
  3. 3
    In Act 5, Scene 2, where does Benedick say he will be be buried?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    When expressing his love for Beatrice in Act 5, Scene 2, what literary technique does Benedick use?Multiple choice
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Summary

Summary