9.1.3

Benedick 1

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Benedick

Benedick has a reputation for being a misogynist, a “tyrant” towards women and a bachelor. However he shows a level of self-awareness.

Key line

Key line

  • BENEDICK: would you have me speak after my custom, as being a profess’d tyrant to their sex?
Reputation

Reputation

  • Reputation is, it seems, also important to Benedick.
  • He is well known for his “custom” of being a misogynist or “profess’d tyrant” to women.
  • However, this also demonstrates a degree of self-awareness within Benedick’s character and this may be what enables him to change so willingly when he learns the ‘truth’ of Beatrice’s ‘love’ for him in Act 2, Scene 3.
Appearances and deception

Appearances and deception

  • Benedick’s “custom” also relates to the theme of appearances and deception.
  • Whilst he may appear to be a “tyrant” towards women and insistent on dying a bachelor (“for truly I love none”), it is simply a role or a part he plays.
  • An audience may interpret this a step further and suggest he is deceiving himself, too.

"the tabor and the pipe”

Act 2, Scene 3 key lines spoken by Benedick.

Key line

Key line

  • “I have know when there was no music in [Claudio] but the drum and the fife, and now he had rather hear the tabor and the pipe”
Instruments

Instruments

  • The contrast between the “drum and the fife”, instruments associated with war, and the more lyrical, romantic “tabor and pipe” illustrate both the change in Claudio’s character now he has fallen in love and is to marry Hero and one of the key differences between his character and Benedick’s.
Courtly love

Courtly love

  • Benedick does not understand the conventions of courtly love.
  • He tells Beatrice that they were “too wise to woo peaceably” in Act 5, Scene 2.
  • Romantic love does not come easily to Benedick and this is perhaps why he is so surprised and concerned by the changes he now detects in 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 Benedick 1

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

  1. 1
    Benedick's reputation:True / false
  2. 2
    When does Benedick learn the ‘truth’ of Beatrice’s ‘love’ for him? Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Which character says __“for truly I love none”__ in Act 1, Scene 1?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Ways Benedick is deceiving himself:Fill in the list
  5. 5
    Which four instruments does Benedick reference in Act 2, Scene 3?Fill in the list
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Beatrice 2

Benedick 2